Benetti

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Benetti is a Italian shipbuilding and Boat building company based in Viareggio and Fano, owned by Azimut

Benetti designs and constructs motoryachts, and is one of the leading builders of custom superyachts.

1 History
- 1.1 Sale to Azimut
2 Today
- 2.1 Super Yachts
3 External links

[edit] History

Founded in 1873, when Lorenzo Benetti (1844 - 1914) bought the Darsena Luca shipyard to found the Benetti shipyard. The yard built commercial vessels, including fishing boats and Mediterranean trading ships. On his death in 1914, his sons Gino and Emilio took over, and renamed the yard Fratelli Benetti. They continued using wooden construction, but now built ocean-going ships, and some private yachts. After the death of Gino in 1927, his sons Gusieppe and Girvilio took over his share, while Muarizio and Bertani assisted their father Emilio.

During World War II, the yard built medium sized military vessels in steel, but due to highly effective bombing, the production was severely limited. After the war, and with restrictions on Italy on what she could produce militariliy, the yard produced the first steel-hulled diesel powered vessel in the locality, the "Raphaelo". In 1954, Fratelli Benetti split its sailing and yacht business (Gino's family), from the commercial ship building business which continues under the name M&B Benetti (Emilio's family). Emilio has a holding in both companies, and chairs both companies.

In 1963, Emilio dies and the running of Fratelli Benetti is taken over by Gusieppe and his son Lorenzo. Lorenzo is the driver of the yacht business, moving instantly from wooden to steel construction, and designing three styles of yacht which will bring the name Benetti to the world: the Delfino, the Tirreno and the Meditteraneo lines (from 18 to 33 metres). Demand for these vessels outstripped the capabilities of the yard. In 1978, the yard launches the "Viano", a sailing yacht which on corrected times wins the Admirals Cup. In 1979, the yard launches "Nabila" for Adnan Khashoggi, which at 83 metres and 2465 tonnes is the largest yacht of its time.

[edit] Sale to Azimut

In 1980, Lorenzo dies and the company became rudderless. Although they ha a great name, the yard employed 130 people and was in financial difficulties. In 1984 Paolo Vitelli, the owner of Azimut buys the yard, and renames it Benetti Shipyard. In 1988, the yards builds a challenger for the transatlantic Blue Riband event, which eventually fails due to weather, but which drives the technology of the yard forward

[edit] Today

In 1997, the yard was vastly expanded at Viareggio to 10,000sq metres to allow indoor building of yachts up to 70metres, and the expanison continued with the purchase of the Siar-Moschino yard in Fano in 1998, taking the total capacity to 44,000sq metres. In 1990, Benetti took over the 47,000sq metres Lusben yard in Viareggio, to allow for construction of both the Azimut range up to 100 ft, and the composite Benetti range. In 2003, Azimut-Benetti bought the Livorno yard