Where 'Project Life,' the Ambitious Benetti Superyacht, Stands So Far

It began two years ago, when Benetti announced a collaboration — their own shipyard, Espen Øino, and Zuretti Design, all renowned for style and luxury in megayachts — to design a massive new yacht on spec: that is, without knowing whether anybody would actually want to buy it.

It's a valid question: at 85m (and 278ft), and replete with all three collaborators' obsession with quality and detail, this was looking to be a very expensive gamble. The project was re-debuted, in a sense, at this year's Palm Beach International Boat Show, with the express purpose of pitching the design to Americans attending.

It was a wise move: the superyacht market has plenty of builders, but the more Benetti can cement a 'Ferrari of yachts' reputation in the Americas (with the accompanying correlation of engineering and Italian style), the better for the brand, which is looking to further expand into the region despite the shipyard's already massive success in superyacht orders and deliveries (parent group Azimut-Benetti, as of last year, holds 20 percent of market share, leading the industry).

So how's it going? Well, Benetti and broker Burgess are putting all their chips on the table: construction is slated to begin this fall, with delivery scheduled for 2030. The yacht has specifically been designed for mass appeal, both for private owners and for the charter industry. That means design features that are now semi-standard on the world's largest yachts, like a pool and a helipad; but it also means the bounds of luxury have been pushed to the maximum, knocking aside even other luxury superyachts: deck space close to the water isn't limited just to the stern, and obstructions between those aboard and spectacular views, whenever possible, are unbroken — it's the difference between seeing where you are and being immersed in it; between knowing there's a beautiful ocean breeze on the other side of a window and actually feeling it. It also comes with accommodation for 14 guests, a tender, and a selection of watertoys — all to answer potential buyers' questions before they can ask them, say Burgess and Benetti, and give the people what they want (maximalism and options, naturally). Did I mention that the pool has a glass bottom? The pool has a glass bottom.

Despite all the research, planning, and strategic considerations about what buyers (and charter clients) might want out of a yacht this size, Benetti has also promised that the interior can be tailored to a buyer's tastes — yet another way to keep the appeal as high as possible, but also a canny way to avoid mistakes on an expensive project.

It's a big bet, but if it's successful, it may mark a genuinely new era in the design of mass-appeal superyachts.

In the meantime, check out Benetti yachts currently on the market here.