Cheers 46, the first Benetti Veloce 140, marks the Italian yard’s entry into fast displacement territory, or what Benetti terms Displacement to Planing (D2P). In brief, the hull boasts the comfort and efficiency of a full-displacement design with the higher speeds of semi-displacement ones. Equally important, D2P fulfills clients’ requests for fuel efficiency at speeds higher than the norm, which would generally be in the low teens. Cheers 46, owned by repeat customers, combines all of this with the semi-custom approach characteristic of the Benetti Class range.
Cheers 46 is powered by twin 3,460-hp MTU 12V 4000 M93L diesels, the largest set to date installed aboard a yacht built at Benetti’s Viareggio shipyard. She achieves a reported 12-knot cruise and top speeds exceeding 20 knots, plus is said to be about 30 percent more fuel efficient than a traditional planing yacht.
Redman Whiteley Dixon created three decor packages for the Veloce 140: Air, Land, and Sea. Each is characterized by tones and textures meant to evoke specific sensations. Air, for example, which was selected by the brothers who own Cheers 46, is meant to look light and feel modern. Land has a classic, almost club-like feel, while Sea strikes middle grand between classic and modern decors.
The owners brought João Armentano, a Brazilian architect and designer, in to collaborate on the interior. Tay, a tropical African wood more commonly called Koto, figures prominently aboard Cheers 46 in a light gray stain. Soles are mostly a darker-stained tabu, a wood type that counts ash, walnut, and others among its grouping. This modern, airy atmosphere gets heightened at the main-deck dining area due to nearly floor-to-ceiling ports.
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In an unconventional twist, Cheers 46 has a massive main-deck gym where you’d expect to find the master suite. The gym further benefits from a fold-out side terrace to starboard, which was added at their request. The brothers saw it, complete with a clear-glass insert, aboard the Benetti Classic Supreme 132 Petrus and liked it. A lot of work went into the gym. Initially it included a sauna and hot tub, both of which were removed toward the end of the build. The overhead heights had to be redone to accommodate the equipment (and people using it), too. The brothers did, however, retain a massage room to port.
Because of the gym’s location, the master suite and four guest staterooms are all below decks. The two VIPs and two twin staterooms are modest in size as a result, but don’t suffer from lack of space.
Double sets of stairs allow everyone to access the beach club aboard Cheers 46. Inside is a bar, running the length of the room, convenient for those lounging on the platform to grab a cool drink. More alfresco relaxation takes place on the sundeck, of course, with a hot tub, two additional bars, and plenty of TVs. The owners and their kids love to spend time up here watching football games and more. If the hot tub is too crowded, another one is situated at the bow. Alternately, a diving board can be set up on the main aft deck.
First steps into new territory can be risky, but Benetti did its homework with the D2P hull. It started with computational fluid dynamic studies, then scale-model tank tests. Not all yards perform the latter for new designs. The owners of Cheers 46 further benefitted from an existing relationship with the company, previously owning an Azimut 116. With three more Veloce 140s in build and a smaller Vivace 125 series debuting next year, Benetti is underscoring why it’s consistently among the busiest builders around.
EXTRA PHOTOS: Visit the Megayacht News Google+ page to see more images of Cheers 46.
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