The collaboration between noted automotive designer Henrik Fisker and Benetti has been teased for weeks. It’s now fully unveiled. The Benetti Fisker 50 (50 meters, or 164 feet) shows off new styling for the yacht builder, plus some creative concepts to enhance onboard living. (Try a fire pit that converts to an ice bucket.) And, she can start construction upon signing of a contract. Benetti won’t say the contract price, but Fisker tells Fortune magazine, “It’s a $34-million, $35-million yacht depending on what you put in it.”
While the partnership work started about a year ago, the Benetti Fisker 50 is based on a proven hull form. Benetti is offering hybrid power as an option. The anticipated performance with that, and with traditional diesels, hasn’t been revealed. Regardless, given similar-size Benetti deliveries in recent years, we expect top speed to be between 15 and 16 knots under conventional power. And, we expect best range at 12 knots, between 4,000 and 5,000 nautical miles.
Outside of customary accommodations for 12 in equally customary locations—the main deck for the master, for example—some nice surprises come with the Benetti Fisker 50. Start with the styling. The raked vertical sections in black in her profile are carbon fiber. Look carefully at those same verticals, and you’ll see shark-fin shapes, also made of carbon fiber, jutting out. They’re not just aesthetic; they house lighting to cast a glow on the anchorage at night. The flowing horizontal lines along each deck are meant to mimic waves. Even the bow (below), often untouched real estate except for anchor pockets, received Fisker’s attention. Note the stacked stainless steel bars and carbon fiber swath, meant to convey dominance.
Some more surprises await inside. The Benetti Fisker 50 will employ sustainable materials wherever feasible (and wherever owners so wish). A fireplace in the master suite will keep the ambiance cozy, particularly if the owners venture to northern climes. The starlight ceiling, thanks to pindot lighting, should further make the ambiance enjoyable no matter where the megayacht ventures. Of course, the master suite has the customary office/library, and an ever-in-demand fold-down balcony.
When it comes time to entertain, the Benetti Fisker 50 can cater to a crowd. Picture you and your 10 guests sitting at the bar in the saloon. You’ll be facing floor-to-ceiling glass. It slides open, too. Movie nights are meant for the upper deck, where the cinema is being outfitted with deep lounges you can fully stretch out upon. Too sedate? No problem. The cinema can double as the gym, when furnishings are re-arranged.
As mentioned above, the collaboration started about a year ago. So how did Fisker and Benetti come to work together anyway? After spending some time aboard a yacht owned by his wife’s employer, Fisker started considering how he’d approach yacht design. A chance encounter with a Benetti executive led to a conversation about yachts often being used as business tools. He tells Fortune magazine, “I was throwing out a couple of my ideas when he said, ‘Why don’t we do something together?’ It led me to start talking to Benetti. They said, ‘We could really some fresh thinking—someone who can think outside of the box for the yacht industry.’ They thought it would be really interesting to have someone like me, with my background in luxury cars, to come in.”
This gallery gives you a better look at the Benetti Fisker 50, to be managed by a crew of 11. You’ll particularly see how the above-mentioned shark-fin shapes protrude out from the profile, plus patterned solar panels on the hardtop, which power the deck lighting at night. Don’t miss the sure-to-be-talked about sundeck feature. Fisker fashioned a circular seating area surrounding arguably the biggest champagne chiller you’ll find on a megayacht. What’s more, it can become a fire pit at night.
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