American entrepreneur Josh Golder owned 13 production boats before he built his first custom yacht. The 154-foot (47-meter) King Benji encapsulates everything he wants: crazy adventures, a real connection to the outdoors, and every toy imaginable. It’s also the second-largest vessel that Turkish shipyard Dunya Yachts has built.
The 40-something hedge fund manager bought his first boat, an Azimut 84, in 2009. “I’ve always wanted to spend more time on the water, so I bought a boat and moved to Miami,” he says.
In his first year of ownership, he spent more than 270 days on board. “I don’t do half measures, so I soon became obsessed with all the good things about the boat, all the bad things, and how I would do it myself,” he says.
He experimented with speedboats, RIBs and flat-hulled party boats. When his efforts to buy the 148-foot (45-meter) McMullen & Wing Big Fish fell through, he set his sights on building a custom yacht. Five years and $45 million later, King Benji was delivered this past March.
The yacht is named after Golder’s shelter dog, Benji, as is his newborn son. “I thought, if my son grows up with a few dollars to his name, then there is nothing more humbling than being named after a dog,” he says with a laugh.
Exterior design is by Gregory C. Marshall, while the colorful interiors are by Design Unlimited. Golder’s brief was simple: a yacht that pairs extreme functionality with high-quality finishes.
Key to that ethos is Golder’s 40-foot Nor-Tech tender—the seventh Nor-Tech that he’s owned. The 400 Supersport center console reaches 70 knots and covers around 150 miles a day with an enclosed head.
“We have the space to carry a Jeep Wrangler, but we chose a Nor-Tech,” he says. “I didn’t want the yacht’s only tender to be a glorified lifeboat.”
King Benji also has a 20,000-pound capacity crane and four 300-hp offshore exploration personal watercraft.
A custom tub by Headhunter is on the private owner’s foredeck. On one side of a central removable divider is a plunge pool that’s 39 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other side, the spa tub is a toasty 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
“I told them it had to be tiled, no compromise,” Golder says. He also insisted that all onboard televisions be concealed, and that panoramic glass doors have no sills. “That 4-inch, toe-stubbing lip you get on production boats used to really annoy me.”
Golder decided partway through the build that he would put King Benji on the charter market. IYC is her central agent. He scratched his original plans for a gym and steam room and added two guest staterooms, bringing the total to five.
The owner’s deck has black-crocodile-print leather sole tiles, a bamboo ceiling and a lounge with a William Garvey games table. The California-king bed has a deep mattress, a live-edge wooden headboard and mirrored kickback boards that give the illusion of the bed floating. Jungle-themed Tecnografica wallpaper brings the outdoors in, as does the color-changing rain shower that doubles as a steam room.
The four lower-deck guest staterooms are differentiated by color and underwater themes in their bespoke wallpaper: Adam Ellis gold-leaf prints in the triggerfish stateroom, and coral wallpaper by Pierre Frey in the twins. Golder describes the panoramic guest-stateroom windows as the largest on any yacht under 500 gross tons.
“I don’t like the headache of expensive art, so the walls became the artwork,” he says. Yet another example is the central stairwell, which has glass balustrades and reflective brass strips set against a backdrop of reclaimed eucalyptus wood tiles.
“I love heavily themed interiors,” he adds. “Whether an interior is to my style or not, I will always prefer something that is bright and impactful versus something that looks as though it’s been made for an 85-year-old man.”
Design Unlimited responded to Golder’s request for photo-quality renderings with 15 schemes. Options included a Medellín apartment with polished concrete soles and a Costa Rican treehouse. The final design is a mix of 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami and a restaurant in North Miami called Chica.
Golder found Design Unlimited online, while looking at the interiors of the 176-foot (54-meter) Baltic Pink Gin VI.
“I thought: These guys nailed it for that owner,” Golder says. “These are people that can take a vision and execute it well.”
He sent a one-sentence email with the subject line: “I’d like you to do the interior of my 46-meter.” When the studio replied, he hired them on the spot. In the five years since, the studio has completed four of his houses, one yacht and a sprinter van with an interior similar to a private jet.
He selected the Dunya shipyard for the build after hearing about the 236-foot (72-meter) Axioma and its double-height salon.
“It wasn’t what I wanted. It’s a luxury Alberto Pinto design, but I liked the fact it was an internationally recognized, high-quality build with an interior that is unique to that boat,” he says.
Another feature that makes King Benji unusual is the sizable open galley. A service area and pantry on one side is matched with a breakfast bar and picture window on the other. An open hatch puts the chef on display, with food laid out on the pass.
In addition to the yacht’s formal dining area, a six-seat teppanyaki bar is on the bridge deck aft. Clad in bamboo and topped with Turkish marble, it’s backed by a TV screen (hidden behind a gnarled wood panel) for watching sports.
The top-deck crow’s nest is one of Golder’s favorite spaces. It’s enclosed and dressed in bright prints from Osborne & Little, with a drinks fridge for refreshments.
Since taking delivery, Golder has cruised Croatia, Montenegro and Albania, and has Alaska firmly within his sights. There’s also a 10,000-gross-ton build project he’s mulling.
“I’m obsessed with the yachts that Graeme Hart built—Andromeda and Ulysses,” he says. “So for my next boat, I’ll try and do something like that, but better.”
Specifications
LOA: 153ft. 3in. (46.7m)
Beam: 29ft. 2in. (8.88m)
Draft: 9ft. 8in. (2.95m)
Construction: steel
Speed (max./cruise): 14/12 knots
Range: 4,000nm @12 knots
Gross tonnage: 499
Naval architecture: Gregory C. Marshall
Exterior design: Gregory C. Marshall
Interior design: Design Unlimited
Builder: Dunya Yachts
For more information: dunyayachts.com
This article was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue.
