Designing your own yacht sounds like the ultimate indulgence for the head of any shipyard. Especially during a time of record demand, when customers are clamoring for any new boat they can get.

Paolo Vitelli, chairman of Azimut-Benetti, didn’t build his company into the world’s largest yacht builder by following convention. Vitelli, 75, decided it was high time to create a yacht that he could use for himself and his family—with certain parameters: It would need to fit into snug harbors in France, Greece and Italy that he loved to visit, so the length had to be under the usual 40-meter, or 131 feet, mark that is effectively the separation point between small- and medium-sized superyachts.

But it also had to be able to accommodate a large group of friends or family, with more staterooms than any yacht its size. Vitelli also liked the idea of a separate owner’s deck offering exceptional views of the water, both from the stateroom and outer decks. The boat also had to feel relaxed, without the usual formal dining room and other stuffy interior spaces that define many yachts over 130 feet. Finally, it would require hybrid diesel-electric propulsion, not just for sustainability, but for being able to cruise waters restricted to electric-only mode.

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