KING BENJI
A 47 metre explorer by Dunya Yachts, planned around two things: an aft deck that carries and launches her tenders and water toys, and a whole deck set aside for the owner.
She was delivered in 2024 and lies in Antibes, France.
- 10guests
- 5suites
- 9crew
- 491gross tons
- 12knots cruising
- 4,000nm range
Built to be used
The search
The brief was a yacht under 500 gross tons that ten people could actually use: outdoor space from bow to stern, big windows, and room on deck for big tenders and a full set of toys. Nothing on the brokerage market fitted. The closest was BIG FISH, a 45 metre explorer drawn by the Canadian naval architect Gregory C. Marshall, and she was not for sale.
The drawing
Marshall sketched a new profile in ink at the first meeting, and his studio took on the exterior and the naval architecture through the summer of 2019. Before construction began, the layout was built at full scale in a rented warehouse and walked through in virtual-reality headsets. A long list of changes came out of that walk.
The yard
Yards in the United States, Northern Europe and Turkey bid for the build. Dunya Yachts in Pendik, Istanbul, won it on timing, build quality and the ability to build to ABS class, and work began in 2020, just as the pandemic did.
The change
In 2023, with the build well advanced, a gym planned for the hull deck became two guest cabins, to make her better suited to charter. Plumbing, lighting and air conditioning had been allowed for, so the change cost only a few weeks.
The christening
She was christened at the Yacht Club de Monaco in March 2024, in the presence of the Explorers Club.
Drawn open
The exterior keeps to the working-explorer idea and is drawn around glass: twelve large windows and wide-opening doors, by the designer’s own account the hardest part of the job. Both saloons have floor-to-ceiling glass that opens on three sides, so at anchor the lounge and the deck become one room. Even the deep blue of the hull was chosen by testing colours on large models.
Inside, Design Unlimited, the British studio long associated with Sunseeker, took its references from hotels and restaurants rather than yachts: Chica in Miami, Hotel TwentySeven in Amsterdam, 1 Hotel in Miami Beach. The materials were chosen to age well rather than to stay new.
- Ceilings
- Natural bamboo, hand-knotted in the main saloon by Ulutas craftsmen in Istanbul.
- Walls
- A different scene in every suite: Tecnografica’s chameleon jungle behind the owner’s bed, a Pierre Frey coral reef in one guest suite, [a tiger in orange undergrowth] in another. Gold-leaf fish by Adam Ellis Studio.
- Floors
- Oak, with crocodile-grain leather tiles in the owner’s lounge and reclaimed eucalyptus on the stairs.
- Joinery
- Natural hemp cabinet fronts, a live-edge headboard in the owner’s stateroom and a games table by William Garvey.
At the 2025 BOAT Design & Innovation Awards, the interior won Best Interior Design among motor yachts over 40 metres and under 500 GT. It finished a single point ahead of the runner-up, out of eight finalists.
Five levels
Main deck
Roughly half of it is outdoors. The aft deck leads straight into the saloon, then the dining table, and forward of that the galley, which faces a breakfast counter under a large window: guests sit there and talk to the chef while lunch is made. The captain’s cabin and a cabin for [the chef and a stewardess] are further forward.
Owner's deck
The suite takes the forward end, with [a rain shower and steam room] in its bathroom, and opens onto a private foredeck with a tiled plunge pool. A removable divider splits the pool in two, so one half can run cold and the other hot, or both the same. Aft of the suite are a lounge with its own bar and an outdoor terrace for dining.
Bridge deck
Behind the wheelhouse, a raised counter is built around a teppanyaki grill: the second place on board where guests eat as the chef cooks in front of them, this time in the open air. A ladder climbs from here to the crow’s nest, a cushioned pod under a curved roof with a view all the way round.
Hull deck
The four guest suites sit amidships, where a yacht moves least: a king, a twin whose berths slide together into a king, and two queens, each with its own bathroom. Forward of them are two crew cabins, the crew mess and the laundry. Aft, past the engine room, are a third crew cabin, the technical rooms and a sports room.
Deck plan
-
Observation pod
- Crow's nest seating
-
Bridge deck
- Wheelhouse
- Day head
- Outdoor deck with teppanyaki counter, bar and settees
- Sun pads
- Ladder to the crow's nest
-
Owner's deck
- Foredeck with cold plunge pool and hot tub
- Owner's stateroom, king
- Owner's bathroom
- Lounge with bar
- Day head
- Aft terrace with dining
-
Main deck
- Foredeck with rescue tender and a jet ski
- Captain's cabin
- Crew cabin
- Galley and pantry
- Breakfast counter
- Saloon and dining
- Day head
- Aft deck with crane, tender and toy stowage
-
Hull deck
- Two crew cabins
- Crew mess
- Laundry
- Guest suite, king
- Guest suite, twin converting to king
- Two guest suites, queen
- Engine room
- Sports room
- Aft crew cabin
- Technical rooms
Stowed and launched
The aft deck does two different jobs, depending on whether she is under way or at anchor.
Under way
A tender of up to 12 metres and the jet skis travel here under the crane, chocked and lashed, with the inflatables and towables packed alongside. The rescue tender rides separately on the foredeck, with its own davit.
At anchor
Once the boats are in the water, the same deck becomes a lounge with a round table and sun pads, and the swim platform lowers to the sea. The slide runs down from the bridge deck, and the dive gear is kept in the sports room below.
Tender and toys
- 14 ft Novurania rescue tender
- Four Sea-Doo RXT 325 jet skis
- Two eFoils and three paddleboards
- Dive compressor, four tanks and four sets of dive gear
- FunAir slide, toy island, pool, trampoline and golf island
- Wakeboards, kneeboards, water skis and towables
- Fishing, trolling and spearfishing equipment
- Yoga and Pilates equipment
- Petrol tank for the tenders, [1,200 litres]
She stays under 500 gross tons, below the size at which many ports require a pilot.
Hull, machinery and systems
The hull is steel under an aluminium superstructure, built to ABS class for commercial yachting service. Two Caterpillar diesels give her a 12 knot cruise and 4,000 nautical miles of range at 10 knots, and with three generators, one is always in reserve. Fin stabilisers steady her under way [and at anchor]. Pumps, electrical and air-conditioning plant sit in their own technical rooms, away from the guest areas.
- Propulsion
- 2 × Caterpillar C32 ACERT
- ZF W 3355 gearboxes
- Generators
- 3 × Northern Lights, 99 kW each
- Shore power
- Magnus, three-phase, 125 A
- Stabilisation and steering
- Naiad fin stabilisers
- Naiad bow thruster
- Hydromar steering
- Fuel, water and waste
- Alfa Laval fuel treatment
- Blue Water watermaker, 435 L/h
- Headhunter sewage treatment
- RWO bilge water filtration
- Air conditioning
- Heinen & Hopman / Dometic
- Bridge and communications
- Furuno radar, autopilot, sounder, GPS, VHF/SSB, Navtex
- Tokyo Keiki gyrocompass
- Cobham satcom
- Starlink
- Safety
- Consilium fire detection
- Ultrafog sprinklers
- Novec 1230 in machinery spaces and galley hood
- Axis CCTV
- Ground tackle
- Naiad windlass
- Data aft capstans
- Baran anchors
- Deck
- Hydromar passerelle
- Hydromar swim platform
Where she has been
Since delivery she has followed the seasons: summers in the Mediterranean, winters across the Atlantic. By late 2025 she had more than [18,000] nautical miles and [20] charter weeks behind her.
-
April 2024
Genoa
Charter debut at the MYBA Charter Show, then a first summer in Croatia.
-
September 2024
Monaco
The Monaco Yacht Show.
-
October 2024
Fort Lauderdale
Her American debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, after her first Atlantic crossing.
-
Winter 2024 to 2025
[The Bahamas and the Caribbean]
Her first winter charter season.
-
March 2025
Palm Beach
The Palm Beach International Boat Show.
-
Summer 2025
[The Mediterranean]
[Her second summer charter season.]
-
March 2026
West Palm Beach
A yard period at Rybovich.
-
Summer 2026
[Croatia and the French Riviera]
Back in the Mediterranean, [after her fourth Atlantic crossing].
Colder water was in the brief from the start: the plunge pool was planned with places like Norway's fjords in mind.
Film
A short film of her on the water and on board.
Details
As offered
- Name
- KING BENJI
- Project name
- KB6
- Type
- Custom explorer motor yacht
- Builder
- Dunya Yachts, Pendik, Istanbul
- Builder's number
- [NB 009]
- Delivered
- 2024
- Exterior design and naval architecture
- Gregory C. Marshall Naval Architect
- Interior design
- Design Unlimited
- Flag
- Marshall Islands
- IMO
- 9913250
- Class
- ABS A1 Commercial Yachting Service, E, AMS
- Use
- [Private and charter]
- VAT
- [Paid / not paid]
- Lying
- Antibes, France
- Price
- €20,999,000
Dimensions
- Length overall
- 46.94 m (154 ft)
- Length at waterline
- 41.1 m
- Beam
- 9.14 m (30 ft)
- Draft
- 3.05 m (10 ft)
- Gross tonnage
- 491 GT
Construction
- Hull
- Steel
- Superstructure
- Aluminium
- Decks
- Teak
Accommodation
- Guests
- 10
- Suites
- 5: owner's stateroom, king · guest suites: king, twin converting to king, two queens
- Heads
- 7
- Crew
- 9 in 5 cabins
Machinery
- Main engines
- 2 × Caterpillar C32 ACERT, 1,218 hp each
- Gearboxes
- ZF W 3355
- Engine hours
- 3,276 each [as of date]
- Generators
- 3 × Northern Lights, 99 kW each
- Generator hours
- Port 4,543 · starboard 4,894 · centre 3,816 [as of date]
- Stabilisers
- Naiad fins
Performance
- Cruising speed
- 12 knots
- Maximum speed
- 14 knots
- Range
- 4,000 nm at 10 knots
Capacities
- Fuel
- 67,146 litres
- Fresh water
- 16,800 litres
- Watermaker
- 435 litres an hour
- Tender fuel (petrol)
- [1,200 litres]
- Lube oil
- 1,280 litres
Tender handling
- Aft crane
- 10 tonnes
- Foredeck davit
- 1,750 lb (794 kg), for the rescue tender
Awards
- BOAT Design & Innovation Awards 2025
- Best Interior Design, Motor Yachts 499 GT and below, 40 m and above
- International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2024
- Motor Yacht over 40 m
Gallery
Ownership
Registration
She is registered in the Marshall Islands [for commercial charter], and VAT is [paid / not paid].
Crew
Nine crew run her, under the captain who joined her during the build. [The captain and crew are open to staying on.]
Charter
Cecil Wright markets her for charter, from €250,000 a week plus expenses. [Bookings already taken for the coming season transfer with the sale.]
Service
Her yard period at Rybovich in March 2026 brought new antifouling, PropSpeed on the running gear, and flag-state and survey work. Running costs are [€X a year, crew included]. [Builder's warranty runs to X.]
Viewing and purchase
She is berthed [at Port Vauban] in Antibes, half an hour from Nice Côte d’Azur airport. We handle every step through to the handover.
A purchase follows the usual course: an offer, a MYBA Memorandum of Agreement with a [10 per cent] deposit, the buyer's survey and sea trial, then completion. We handle the process from the first offer to the handover.