Here are fifteen powerboats that have made history in this type of boat according to the H30 Design studio.
15 immortal powerboats according to H30 Design
Riva Aquarama, Riva (Giorgio Barilani) – Icon of boating, icon of the roaring ’60s, icon of Made in Italy, it is the runabout par excellence. Fundamental to its success in addition to design and maniacal attention to construction was marketing, which Carlo Riva himself interpreted in a modern, for the times ingenious and innovative sense.
Paraggina – Gino Solari – Cantieri di Chiavari – A hull that is rightfully part of Italian yachting history. The Paraggina is perhaps the best-known boat of the Chiavari Shipyards; sturdy, light and fast with a hull built of mahogany planking, round hull and luxuriously finished interior, it was a real success. It was designed by Gino Solari, a name closely associated with the Chiavari Naval Shipyards; his father, Mario, was a shipwright and director of the shipyards themselves, which were also suppliers to the Navy to which they delivered a series of very fast 9-meter-long hulls capable of reaching as many as 46 knots.
Timossi Ferrari Arno XI – Cantieri Timossi – Not a production boat or even a pleasure boat, but a unique specimen, technically it is a three-point hydroplane, built in ’53 by gentleman driver Achille Castoldi to successfully break the water speed record with 242.708 kilometers per hour achieved in the waters off Sarnico on Lake Iseo. We wanted to include it because it is the only boat in history equipped with a Ferrari engine, a detail that combined with the technical perfection of the Larian shipyard makes it a perfectly representative example of a historical period that laid the foundations of Italian excellence in the world. The engine was a V12 derived from that of the Formula 1 Ferrari 375, further enhanced with twin superchargers.
Christina O – Aristotle Onassis’ iconic boat, almost a hundred meters long, 99 to be precise, had been launched in ’43 as a Canadian warship and was completely transformed into a luxury yacht in the mid-1950s. It was precisely this forward-looking choice by the Greek shipowner that made Christina O the first megayacht in the modern sense of the term, once the era of royal yachts had closed since the war. Today’s burgeoning megayacht market owes Onassis’ early vision of the wealthiest and most powerful men of the boat as a palace of representation to the insight of Onassis.
Baglietto 16.50 Baglietto – Picchiotti Tiger – Caliari – Boats in our opinion formerly equal in importance since they were the first created by Italian designers – inspired by the iconic convertibles produced in the USA – to be made with flying bridges. Milestones of made-in-Italy production, where the function of the raised deck, made to encourage greater hull control, was soon joined by a “sun deck” lay-out, with seating and sundecks for outdoor living.
Italcraft Drago – Sonny Levi – The hull genius created what for decades was the emblem of hi-performance boats, used as an interceptor even by police forces at sea. It was the first boat in the world, among those mass-produced, to reach 50 knots of speed. Its unmistakable pony line, reversed, was for many years the terror of those who used the sea for shady dealings.
Akhir 16 – Pier Luigi Spadolini – was the first motoryacht designed by the famous Tuscan architect for Cantieri di Pisa, bringing to the nautical world a linear, “severe” stylistic style that has become unmistakable in the pursuit of timeless elegance, which has determined the brand’s great success.
Pershing 45 – De Simoni – The progenitor of the modern open motoryachts, it was enormously successful because of its sporty lines but especially because it was the first sporty hull to adopt the solution of the cabin obtained aft of the engine room
118 WallyPower Luca Bassani/Lazzarini Pickering – It is the emblematic boat of Luca Bassani’s activity in motor boating, a design object capable of sailing at 60 knots, martial in appearance, innovative in the use of materials when exploiting space. Like several other boats created by Bassani, it has been a source of inspiration for many yacht designers of the third millennium.
Azimut 68S – Stefano Righini – Azimut, in its 50 years of activity always capable of setting trends, thanks to Righini’s contribution has managed to establish a style that has made it a market leader worldwide. As an emblem of that collaboration, we chose this Azimut 68S, a model that brought the shipyard’s S line to debut. Appreciable was the study of forms that included careful use of glazed surfaces, which became, as has happened with other yachts of the brand, a true hallmark, iconic and trendy.
Conam 75 – Paszkowski – We chose this boat not because of its beauty, but because of the courage shown by the shipyard and designer, in introducing the concept of “wide body” design on smaller hulls, innovatively amplifying the availability of interior space. A yacht interpreted as a seaside villa, to be lived in the utmost comfort.
Magnum 44 – Luiz De Basto- Magnum Marine – The late 1990s’ heir (launched in ’99) to the legendary Magnum 38′. Among the most admired hulls in the Miami shipyard’s fleet. Together with the 50′ it represents the new era of Magnum Marine under the leadership of Katrin Theodoli. It presents a very strong and harmonious deep-V hull where aesthetics is properly applied to functionality. Harmony of form is the basis of design (the real secret). The beauty of the object, its forms have become a major purchasing motivation, especially for the refined and sensitive female audience.
Many specimens sail on the French Riviera.
Pirelli P Zero 770 EFD – (Andrea Colli and Mario Bonelli now architects in H3o Yacht Design) – Tecnorib (Pirelli brand licensee for inflatables).
In closing, we allow ourselves two self-citations, projects in which we have incorporated styles and concepts from some of the previous projects. The Pirelli PZero 770 EFB has definitely transformed the semi-rigid with the overly protruding tubular, overly large bow tube, strong flow deflections and resulting high stresses into leisure boats with classic lines, refined fittings without ever being vulgar. The concept can be summed up as “sailboat style.”
Thanks to oval tubular technology, it was possible to eliminate, the structural instability and space problems typical of round section tubulars used on medium and large semi-rigid hulls. In its specific segment, it is a spacious, wide and comfortable boat that appeals to a sophisticated clientele that appreciates the features, handling and versatility of use of this kind of boat, but does not want to give up the comfort of equipment such as a refrigerator in the cockpit, centralized electric inflator, inverter and battery charger, wide gangways, lots of usable space, quality in equipment and finishing details, appreciating the very strong influence of Italian style and design that distinguishes Pirelli products. With inboard diesel or gasoline single and twin-engine engines representing the “core” of the Pirelli brand linked to the concept of performance and quality. It was a turning point for the industry.
Repowere – H3o Yacht Design – Designed for electric motorization, thus with zero emissions, it has a hull optimized for this type of propulsion, designed to have great maneuverability in inland waters such as lakes or water cities like Venice. It combines cutting-edge technical aspects with a refined Commuter or Limousine aesthetic, borrowing an automotive term. Repowere received an Honorable Mention at the XXV Compasso d’Oro. We can call it the Tesla of yachts.
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