Few yachts of the last decade changed how owners use their boats as thoroughly as the Benetti Oasis 40M. Where the classic 40 metre flybridge yacht is a stack of decks designed around getting somewhere, the Oasis was designed around staying put: at anchor, stern to the sunset, with the sea brought up to the main deck. The folding bulwark terraces and the 90 square metre beach club are the headline, but the engineering underneath is just as considered.
The concept
The Oasis idea is disarmingly simple. Two shell doors in the bulwarks fold down to form terraces, and the aft main deck drops to within a step or two of the water, creating a beach club that Benetti measures at 90 square metres. At anchor the yacht effectively gains a waterfront terrace the size of a generous apartment. It is the kind of feature that photographs well and, unusually, the layout earns it: with the terraces folded down, the yacht’s living space points at the water rather than inward, and on warm evenings the beach club becomes the natural place to be.
The exterior is by the British studio RWD, with naval architecture by Benetti working with Pierluigi Ausonio of Studio PLANA. Interiors are by the New York practice Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture, whose restrained, gallery-like minimalism suits the concept: the view is the decoration. The vertical bow is not a styling flourish alone; it lengthens the waterline and contributes to the yacht's genuine long-range efficiency.
Specifications
| Builder | Benetti, Italy |
|---|---|
| Length overall | 40.80 m (133 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 8.50 m (27 ft 11 in) |
| Gross tonnage | 385 GT |
| Hull | GRP hull and superstructure |
| Engines | Twin MAN V12-1400, 1,400 hp each |
| Top speed | 16 to 18 knots |
| Cruise | 11 knots |
| Range | 4,000 nm at 11 knots |
| Guests | 10 in 5 cabins |
| Crew | 7 to 9 |
| Design | RWD (exterior), Bonetti/Kozerski (interior), Benetti/PLANA (naval architecture) |
On the water
This is not a fast yacht, and it was never meant to be. Sixteen to eighteen knots flat out and an 11 knot cruise will not thrill anyone coming from a planing 30 metre, but 4,000 nautical miles of range at 11 knots is true transatlantic capability, and it reframes the proposition: the Oasis is a yacht for arriving slowly and staying a while. The MAN V12s on conventional shafts are a conservative, serviceable choice, and the 45,000 litre fuel capacity is generous for the class.
Accommodation follows the modern superyacht template done properly: a forward main-deck master, four lower-deck guest suites, and crew quarters for seven to nine including a captain's cabin on the upper deck. Ten guests in five cabins is the standard, and the volume, at 385 GT, is ample for 40.8 metres.
The verdict
The Oasis 40M earned its status as Benetti's best-selling recent series, with more than 30 hulls recorded in the BOAT International directory, because it identified a real shift in how yachts are used. Owners spend far more time at anchor than underway, and the Oasis is simply the best 40 metre platform yet designed for that reality. The trade is speed and a certain traditional yacht profile; the reward is the finest aft deck in the segment.
A new-build 2026 hull was publicly listed by G-Yachts Monaco at EUR 26,150,450 ex. VAT, which positions the Oasis against strong competition from Sanlorenzo and the Dutch yards. On concept and execution, it remains the reference.
What we have and have not done
This review is based on published specifications, builder documentation, and reported sea-trial and owner feedback. Yacht & Ocean has not sea-trialled this yacht. Prices cited are publicly listed figures, not builder price lists.
The design team
The exterior is by RWD in the UK, the naval architecture by Benetti with Pierluigi Ausonio's Studio PLANA, and the interiors by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture of New York. The combination explains the yacht's split personality: the crisp, architectural exterior of a British studio, the minimalist, gallery-like interiors of a New York practice, and a vertical bow with an efficient hull underneath that delivers the 4,000 nautical mile range.
The numbers are honest for the segment. Gross tonnage is 385, fuel capacity 45,000 litres, fresh water 8,000 litres, and draft a shallow 2.14 metres for a 40.8-metre yacht. Twin MAN V12-1400 diesels on conventional shafts drive her to 18 knots flat out and cruise at 11 to 14 knots depending on load, with seven to nine crew across four or five cabins. A 2026 new-build hull was publicly listed by G-Yachts Monaco at EUR 26,150,450 excluding VAT, and some 2026-build specifications cite 4,500 nautical miles at 10 knots.
Photography: Tangopaso via Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Representative image, not the reviewed yacht.
