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Cantieri Navali di Sestri refits the Shamrock, a 20-metre wooden boat built in 1957
- Photos
- 20 November 2023
A deep sea fishing vessel transformed into a charming yacht by Cantieri Navali di Sestri
The skilled artisans of the Ligurian shipyard bring new life to vessels that are a part of history
The “Tabua” a 20 metre deep sea fishing vessel, launched in the 1970s in San Antonio, Portugal by the Construcao naval empresa José de Nascimento e filhos shipyard, has, after a lifetime of hard work on the Atlantic, found a new owner instead of retiring. So instead of being decommissioned, it was completely restyled by the architect Matteo Picchio, who has transformed it into a charming motor yacht.
The complex refit was given to Cantieri Navali di Sestri, who put their most skilled artisans to work on reinterpreting and reworking the traditional vessel, and returning its wooden hull to its original splendour.
THE EXPERIENCE OF CANTIERI NAVALI DI SESTRI
Founded in the mid-1950s for the demolition and maintenance of barges and tugboats, Cantieri Navali di Sestri now have decades of experience in pleasure boating, coming from the complete functional and productive reconversion of the shipyard in the 1980s. Now the facility has a production area of over 20 thousand square metres, of which over 8 thousand are used for garages, storage, offices, warehouses, and open air areas; it has now become a point of reference for enthusiasts of traditional boating.
Cantieri Navali di Sestri, led by Fulvio Montaldo, has, over all these years, brought back, and often surpassed, the original beauty of vessels that have been a part of the history of boating, like the schooner, America, the Dutch trawler Sea Home, and the schooner Vagabunda. Their specialisation remains that of using traditional boating materials – wood, steel and aluminium – even though, with the changing times, and changes in techniques and the needs of boat owners, Cantieri Navali di Sestri have also honed their skills working in carbon fibre and kevlar.
FROM DEEP SEA FISHING VESSEL TO CHARMING YACHT
Now that the hull of the “Tabua” has once again returned to sailing from the calm waters of Sestri, without all its superfluous elements and with the added beauty of the redesigned exterior and interior spaces, the quality of the hard work done by the Genoese shipyard can be seen. All this without having betrayed the history of this former fishing boat. Because, as Montaldo mentioned during an interview, “boats are made for sailing, not for hosting parties.”
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Cantieri Navali di Sestri gives voice to a dream Montaldo: “With a refit we can bring the most beautiful memories back to life”
- Videos
- 23 December 2020
Interview with Fulvio Montaldo, owner of Cantieri Navali di Sestri, who explains to us the essence of refitting, which reignites the connection between an owner and his vessel, and why Covid increased demand
