In our continuing series taking a closer look at each of the designs submitted for the Benetti Design Innovation Project, here are the three megayachts created by Marco Casali – Too Design.
As company principal Marco Casali explains, “Our study was inspired by the impending anniversary of 140 years since the founding of the shipyard.” As a result, the design team considered both distinctive Benetti designs of the past and what would make Benetti equally distinctive in the future.
For the first design, Amarcord (above), Casali says, “We took the historical lines of the Benetti ships, reinterpreting them in a modern key, both from an aesthetic and a functional point of view.” Amarcord measures 183 feet (55.8 meters), and you can definitely see traces of the past in the dramatic bow flare, the rounded lines fore and aft, and the transom, the latter evocative of canoe sterns. For the modern touches, two guest cabins join the master on the main deck, the galley goes below deck, and a beach club forms when the center of the transom folds down. A total of 12 in the owner’s party and 14 crew are housed aboard. Either MTU or Caterpillar power should propel Amarcord to a 15.5-knot top end at half load and 4,000-nautical-mile range at 12 knots.
For the second megayacht design, named Principessa (above), “We have revised the traits of the projects of the last 10 years, focusing on a profoundly innovative functional scheme and on the evolution of the typical sinuous lines of the Benetti yachts,” Casali explains. Principessa measures 238 feet (72.65 meters), with accommodations for 12 to 16 in the owner’s party and 24 crewmembers. The 40-foot (12.24-meter) beam should make spaces plenty comfortable, especially the staterooms, as all four guest cabins and the master are on the main deck. Another highlight is the guest pool lounge, a terrific relaxation and bar area perched just aft of the foredeck pool. Principessa also has Caterpillar power, which should allow her a 16-knot top end at half load. Range is a bit better than that of Amarcord, 5,000 nautical miles at 12 knots.
Last but not least is Cloud 90 (below), measuring 295 feet (90 meters) and with a 55-foot (16.82-meter) beam. Casali says she’s thoroughly a yacht of the future, but still embraces some of the aesthetics that have made Benetti megayachts immediately recognizable. The “Cloud” part of Cloud 90 comes from the rounded, eyebrow-like glass section in the superstructure. Casali and his team mimicked the shape of (you guessed it) clouds as well as that of the famed Yas Viceroy Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Highlights of the layout: an owner’s deck with an alfresco lounge much like a balcony overlooking the foredeck sunning area and pool; floor-to-ceiling windows along the main deck; three tender garages along the hull; and an emphasis on outdoor living and relaxing. Sixteen in the owner’s party and 28 crew make for a good crew-to-guest ratio. Performance estimates are not yet available.
Casali says all three designs can be summed up by the following quote, attributed to Albert Einstein: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
For more images of each of Marco Casali – Too Design’s Benetti Innovation Project concepts, visit the Megayacht News Facebook page.
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