Benetti DIAMOND 145
Sober external lines by Giorgio M. Cassetta and skilful exploitation of spaces create a sophisticated, contemporary atmosphere for the flagship of the Class category, at the sweet spot where tradition and innovation meet by Paola Bertelli - ph. courtesy of Azimut | Benetti 23
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igh bulwarks and long reverse sheer create the
Lunches and dinners are served mainly on the upper deck.
stylistic appeal of this majestic 44-metre yacht,
Midships, a spacious lounge with table and relaxation area pre-
proudly showing off all its powerful, extended sha-
cedes the open-air space aft, furnished with a second table and
pes. This is a Benetti in the grand style, a suitable
a scattering of sofas. Forward, in front of the pilot house, are
flagship for the Class category, delivered to its owner in July. The
a pool and solarium. The centre of the spectacular 102 square
design displays all the classic Benetti traits while reflecting the in-
metre sundeck is sheltered by a hard top.
novative, contemporary process that went into the yacht’s creation.
Moving down to sea level, on the lower deck, full-width sliding
Giorgio M. Cassetta handled the exteriors, drawing essential, dyna-
doors open onto an elegant beach area with sofas and a bar
mic lines. The large main deck windows highlight the yacht’s length,
counter. Behind stands the garage with side door (the garage
as well as creating a fluid dimension that brings the surrounding
can accommodate a tender over six metres in length and two jet
seascape into the interiors. The balance between the brilliantly
skis) and the engine room, as well as the four double cabins for
shiny light-coloured areas and the dark sections brings out and
guests and the crew quarters forward. These refined, contempo-
emphasises the muscular shapes. Sober colours in light tones are
rary spaces were designed by Benetti’s Interior Style Department
complemented by warm, nautical teak, all bordered by light, almost
and offer great privacy for the owner and guests, starting with
invisible polished steel railings.
separate walkways for crew and guests.
The layout centres on two main concepts – to exploit interior and
The yacht’s interiors feature warm surfaces in antiqued brass
exterior space in a stimulating way, and to emphasise light. The
and various woods – oak, especially – marble, like Grey Stone
main deck cockpit and lounge are separated by large, arched glass
and Silk Georgette, leather and fabrics. In the helm station the
door that allows light to flood inside and enhances the feeling of
use of bare carbon fibre emphasises the importance of high-tech
total integration between outside and interior. Here a series of con-
research, high construction standards and solutions adopted to
versation areas unfolds, with sofas and low tables. The full-beam
enhance on-board comfort.
owner’s suite lies forward, covering 60 square metres. The sleeping
Diamond sails in exceptional silence at a cruising speed of 14
area is “protected” by a study.
knots and has a range of 5,000 miles.
www.benettiyachts.it
The exteriors feature glass, teak and steel. The exterior stairs, located to port, rise without interruption from the main deck to the sun deck. Page to side, the interior and exterior dining areas are both on the upper deck
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The full-beam owner’s suite (photo to side) is flooded with natural light through a double row of long windows. Below, the majestic lines also clearly show that the yacht is a member of the Benetti family. Diamond 145 is a semi-custom fibreglass yacht with a delivery time of just 24 months
5 questions to
Vice-President of Azimut Benetti Group
Giovanna Vitelli How would you summarise the Class category, and what does it represent? It embodies Benetti’s series production of fibreglass yachts. This began in 1985 and since then around 200 yachts have been built and sold, all designed by famous architects like Stefano Righini, Giorgio M. Cassetta and the British RWD studio (for interiors only), with the support of the yard’s team of engineers, architects and designers. What are the main features of the Diamond 145? They reflect the type of owner they are designed to appeal to, an expert owner who is aware of the requirements of a yacht and its crew. Its strong points are the sun deck, the largest in this category, the spacious full-beam owner’s cabin and the ease with which the main deck, upper deck and beach area spaces can be opened out. On a technical level, we’ve worked hard to cut noise and vibration to a minimum. To what degree can the Diamond 145’s owner personalise the yacht? Yachts in the Class category are semicustom. The layout and division of the spaces are fixed, but that aside, the owner has a great deal of freedom. Benetti’s Interior Style Department offers a variety of materials and furnishings. The exteriors can also be customised – for example, on the second Diamond’s sun deck the hard-top support elements have been shifted to the side while on the first they take the form of central pillars. What are the advantages of fibreglass? The advantage is its light weight, which provides significant cuts in consumption and emissions. Fibreglass also enables us to widen the superstructure and offer large interior volumes and enormous exterior surfaces. Construction times are shorter when compared to a yacht in other materials, thanks to Benetti’s financial strength, which enables it to invest in maintaining a constant production line of its own models. What do you think the future holds for Benetti? We’ll be launching a number of new models, including the B.Yond 37M. These yachts will have rationalised volumes and and interiors with a reduced environmental impact provided by the E-Mode propulsion architecture developed by Siemens for Benetti. Despite being only 37 metres long, configured over four decks, it will have volumes similar to a 50-metre megayacht. There are also some interesting new features in the pipeline for the Benetti product with the highest sales recently, the innovative Oasis 40M created by RWD.
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