Company Description
Founded in 1985, Nauta Design started its activity as a shipyard. Our debut sailing yachts, the Nauta 54’, 70’ and 65’ semi-custom series, full of innovation and timeless elegance, were immediately welcomed by the market for build quality, design concept and unmistakable style.
For the past 20 years Nauta Design has been collaborating with top naval architects such as Bruce Farr, Douglas Peterson, Judel/Vrolijk & Co., and Reichel/Pugh. By working with the naval architect that best suits our client’ needs, we combine a unique blend of style and functionality with performance technology that comes straight from top racing boats. Our yachts successfully combine aesthetic, function and performance while blending seaworthiness and high calibre exterior looks.
The versatility that has become our hallmark is the result of three decades of experience and hundreds of sailing and motoryacht projects ranging from 10m to the 180m Azzam, the largest private yacht in the world, built in Germany by Lu¨.
Boat builders such as Southern Wind, Bene´´, Lagoon, Advanced Yachts, Grand Soleil, Toy Marine and Cantieri delle Marche (CDM) come to Nauta for their production boats, knowing that a yacht designed by us will perform both on the water and at the boat shows.
“’ superyacht design debut was the 80m Project Light, with moderate volumes and a large glass surface on the superstructure. This led to our design for 180m Azzam. The thread linking these projects is our philosophy: balance, cleanliness of lines, a seamless connection between the inside/ outside and harmony.”
— Pedol
• Exterior design
• Interior design
• Yacht brokerage (sale and purchase)
• Yacht charter
Personality
Q : How did you become a superyacht designer and what or who inspired you into the industry?
It was my grandfather, who served in the Italian Navy during the war and later was a captain on cruise liners, who sparked my passion for the sea. I had a year off in 1981, sailing to the West Indies with my Oyster 37’, and I learned all about what you need on a yacht and the inner workings of yacht building. Then I completed an internship in New York with Scott Kaufman, who deeply influenced me with his aesthetic sense and stylistic sensibility. Nowadays Nauta is known for the understated elegance that runs through all of our work.
Q : Of the projects you’ worked on, which was your most challenging and why?
Azzam, of course. When we were called to participate in designing the exterior styling of this yacht we knew it would be the most demanding work of our career, defined by the strictest and most challenging requests in term of dimensions, performances and technology. What made us confident to be able to deal with such a challenge was the interpretation of the client brief. The highest quality technology was required in order to obtain the highest performances possible. Azzam features balanced, modern architecture composed of straight lines and proportional volumes, which are some of the main design principles of Nauta Design.
Q : How do you go about understanding a client and their wishes for a project?
At Nauta we work to understand the owner’ desires and translate them into a balanced blend of volumes and masses, using our pencils and keyboards to turn their ideas and our ideas into a reality. Nauta Design meets the owner’ desires and requirements for the interior spaces and outline shape and encases them in a theoretical contour, creating their yacht. Then we know where to turn to get the best build quality. Our versatility allows us to work on different vessel types, from lobster boats to explorers, superyachts to super tenders, with elegance crafted from simplicity running throughout all designs.
