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After seeing a yacht in various stages of construction, the
finished
product never ceases to amaze. Latinou (apparently a Provençal
word for
elegance and harmony) is the lavish result of a joint effort among
Benetti, the yacht’s French owners and Fraser Yachts. ShowBoats
International
followed the 52-meter (171-foot) steel and aluminum
construction from the
beginning and witnessed the bare hull and
superstructure with much of its
262,000 feet of cabling and 13,000 feet
of piping exposed. The completed yacht
first appeared publicly in
April, and ShowBoats was able to take in its
11,800 square feet of
cherry paneling, bespoke art deco joinery, marble
countertops and
engraved crystal.
Latinou’s naval architecture is based on Benetti’s 2003
launch Sai
Ram, but modifications to the hull were required when Vosper
recommended four instead of two at-anchor stabilizer fins. This
involved
removing the bilge keels amidships because the forward fins
created a negative
interaction with the curved bilge area behind them.
Other minor changes were
introduced post-contract, such as an
integrated remote control for the interior
lighting throughout the
yacht. Although the cost of such changes is usually
passed on to the
client following a feasibility study, they can impact heavily
on the
construction schedule and most shipyards are loath to undertake them.
Much depends on the client’s attitude. | Click on the Spec tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
"If we have an inflexible, demanding client, then we tend to
follow
the contract to the letter," explains project manager Elisabetta Di Noto.
"But when we have a flexible and obliging client, as in the case of
Latinou, we will do all we can to incorporate his or her requests."
 Latinou’s guests at play. (Click image to enlarge)
Despite being his first new build, Latinou’s owner has
chartered
extensively and takes pride in his technical knowledge. His
pre-existing knowledge made life easier for Fraser’s surveyor, Antonio
Pozzi.
"The owner was able to understand technical compromises when
they
arose and accepted the final solution as the best one, even if it was not
exactly what he wanted," says Pozzi.
The designer used stainless steel, fine leather, shagreen and engraved glass to
re-create the deco period, but he didn’t slavishly reproduce stylistic details. (Click images to enlarge)
Although based on an existing technical platform with exterior
styling that carries Stefano Natucci’s unmistakable signature, Latinou
represents a first for Benetti on several counts. For Elisabetta Di Noto,
who worked previously as technical coordinator on Amnesia and
Allegro, it was the only time she has been involved in discussions with
the owner before the contract was signed and the GA finalized. It is also
Benetti’s first custom yacht to have interior styling by an in-house designer,
in this case Mauro Izzo.
Top: The main salon. Latinou’s owner wanted an interior inspired by the
transatlantic
ocean liners of the 1920s and ’30s. The art deco interior
was executed by
Benetti in-house designer Mauro Izzo. Bottom: The main
stairway, left, evokes the great ocean liners. (Click images to enlarge)
The advantages for the owner were twofold: First, it meant
there was no abrupt transition when the commercial department handed the project
over to the production team. Second, working with an in-house designer meant
that rapid decisions could be taken by someone working on-site.
"Another plus," commented Di Noto during the build, "is that
instead of working with outside owner’s reps, we have surveyor Antonio Pozzi and
broker Antoine Althaus from Fraser Yachts [Azimut-Benetti acquired Fraser Yachts
in 2004.—Ed.]. So again, we’re keeping it in the family."
According to the owner, this close-knit cooperation between
broker and builder was a key factor in the project’s successful outcome. A final
innovation was the ultra-realistic photo renderings commissioned by Benetti to
give the owner an accurate impression of what the exterior and interior
spaces would look like.
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