Benetti has launched a brand new yacht that’s ready to steal the spotlight in marinas from Monaco to the Caribbean. It’s called B.Neos. It’s 131 feet long, and before anyone asks, yes, it’s a hybrid. That matters, though perhaps not for the reasons usually given at cocktail parties in marinas.
The famed Italian shipyard knows exactly how to make a yacht that looks impressive from a helicopter and.. they’ve probably built enough of those now to wonder what happens if you calm down a bit.
B.Neos feels like the result of that thought.
This is a displacement yacht under 300 gross tonnes (which is a slightly nerdy but important detail), because it’s the first in that category to come with hybrid propulsion as standard. It’s not an upgrade. Not a future promise. It simply arrives that way, which suggests the engineers were allowed into the room before the stylists.
There’s a fully electric mode, and it’s properly quiet. The sort of quiet where you notice things you usually miss, like water moving along the hull, or the fact that the sea doesn’t hum at all. There are other modes too—diesel-electric, crossover, boost—but the one you’ll remember is the silent one. Even at anchor, the yacht can run in Hotel Mode on electricity alone.
The exterior is by Malcolm McKeon, a designer who’s best known for sailing yachts that look fast even when they’re tied up and sulking. That influence is obvious. The lines are low, clean, and properly balanced. No unnecessary creases. No visual gymnastics. It looks calm, which is surprisingly rare in this sector.
Benetti describes it as “daringly simple”, which sounds like marketing copy until you realise how little restraint is usually involved at this size.
Inside, the job went to Francesca Muzio, who has wisely avoided the temptation to turn the place into a floating palace. The interiors are warm and relaxed. You could live here without feeling like you’re trespassing in your own yacht.
The volume is 296 GT, and it’s been used sensibly. Five cabins, ten guests, open-plan living spaces that don’t echo. And then there’s a decision that quietly changes everything.
By moving the wheelhouse forward on the main deck, Benetti has given the owner the entire upper deck. That’s usually the sort of thing you only see on much larger yachts – and it’s definitely a clever move.
The owner’s suite sits forward, spanning over 260 square feet and opens onto a private terrace with a glass balustrade. You probably guess the views here are incredible, right?
At the centre of the boat is a family kitchen. An actual kitchen. Somewhere you can make coffee without ceremony, cook without supervision, and sit around doing nothing in particular. This sounds obvious. It isn’t. On many yachts, kitchens are treated like backstage areas, which says rather a lot about priorities.
A glass-walled sea atrium links the main salon to the beach club aft, where there’s a pool and long lounging spaces that appear designed for people rather than brochures. Above that, the observation deck offers a large sunpad and proper views, which again suggests someone remembered the sea is the main attraction.
Power comes from twin MAN V-8 engines working with electric motors in a system that offers several operating modes. You get a zero-emission mode for silent cruising and a few efficient modes for longer passages. And for those moments when you need an instant shove.. Boost mode comes in handy.
The yacht’s range is 2,600 nautical miles at 10 knots and Benetti says this vessel uses around 30 percent less energy than others of similar size.
What I like about B.Neos is that it doesn’t behave like a debutante. It doesn’t sparkle under floodlights. It just gets on with being a very good boat.
This feels like a yacht for someone who has already tried excess and decided it was exhausting. Someone who values quiet, balance, and the ability to hear the sea at night without machinery muttering underneath them.
