Made in Italy: A Trip to Italia Yachts with David Walters Yachts

The last 30 years have seen tremendous growth for the Italia Yachts brand, with the most recent developments representing a culmination and acceleration of the brand's evolution into one of the world's most respected luxury yacht builders. Their commitment to pure Italian style and cutting-edge innovation attracts discerning clientele who value the combination of elegance and performance that Italia Yachts is known for. This fall, David Walters Yachts' resident Italia Yachts specialist Erik Haaland took two sets of clients to Italy to see their future Italia Yacht models at the Genoa Boat Show. Then, Erik got a tour of the brand new Italia Yachts shipyard in Fano, Italy from IY General Manager Sébastien Nolasco. Come along on an Italian adventure with David Walters Yachts as we dive into the details of this iconic brand's latest advancements.

Genoa International Boat Show

First stop on the trip: the Genoa International Boat Show, where Erik and his clients and traveling companions, Jeff and Sarah Kennedy and Frank and Nancy McGowan, took a look at a couple models each couple had recently commissioned from Italia Yachts: a 14.98 and a 12.98. As owners of a 13.98, Jeff and Sarah were excited to continue their Italia Yachts journey aboard a 14.98, and the Genoa Boat Show offered them their first chance to see the model in person and take it out for a sea trial. Their friends Frank and Nancy were equally thrilled to see a 12.98 at the show, the newest model from Italia Yachts, which they have on order for a spring delivery in 2023. Jeff and Sarah are looking forward to delivery of their 14.98 in time for Christmas.

The boat show atmosphere at the Italia Yachts display was especially engrossing, with the designer of both boats, the CEO, the technical director, and more sales and tech department team members in attendance from the brand, engaging clients in detailed conversations about the boats and their sailing characteristics. With new models, refreshed models, and a new shipyard all on the docket, there was plenty to discuss in this latest chapter of the Italia Yachts story.

The IY 12.98

"All the concentration of the DNA of Italia Yachts is in this boat." That's how Sébastien Nolasco, the General Manager of Italia Yachts, describes the latest model, the 12.98, which launched in September of this year. It's a completely new boat: new helm, new deck, new everything, but with everything filtered through the elegance Italia Yachts is known for.

Like many IY models, the 12.98 is offered in two ranges, Fuoriserie and Bellissima, both of which are based on the same hull and deck, but with finishings that suit either the racing or the cruising lifestyle. The Fuoriserie is made for winning, with a clear deck layout with six winches that is easy for a racing crew to maneuver and maintain in regattas, and a hull design built for speed that also benefits the Bellissima in adding security and stability on the waves. The hull design is a result of a thorough analytical effort, which winnowed the field from 40 types to three types to one in order to find the best performing design for racing as well as cruising.

The Bellissima expands upon the Fuoriserie's sleek and speedy setup with modern Italian style worked into every detail in a gorgeous interior design that incorporates wood, fabric, indirect light, and mirrored surfaces to evoke a feeling of lightness and elegance. Fabric laminate on the bulkhead adds softness with strength, and a mirror effect under the sofa makes you feel like you're flying along the surface of the sea.

Yacht Building Just Got Better

In Fano, Italy, Italia Yachts General Manager Sébastien Nolasco is hard at work bringing the new Italia shipyard online, with the facility expected to be fully staffed and operational early next month. The former boat builder originally hails from France, but joined Italia Yachts a year ago just in time to shepherd this exciting project to completion, which will set a new bar for the brand's future. Previously, various boat-building processes would occur in separate areas, with the boat having to be moved from one place to the next and finished in an entirely different location; now, all the processes entailed in building a yacht will be housed in one location. Using a new yard organization, this centralization of all processes will allow greater quality control and production capacity with reduced delivery timelines. Two production lines sit on either side of a center mezzanine, with ships moving from one station to the next along rails on the ground set into craters. Everything that is needed for building the boats is right there, including some additional innovations in procedures such as lamination. From the mold to the deck, this new way of building boats builds upon Italia Yachts' already stellar reputation as builders of dream boats, and makes getting that dream boat to your dock faster than ever.

Sail Your Dream

Ready for your next adventure on an Italia Yacht? Get in touch with Erik Haaland to find out how you can experience one of these incredible models in person.

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