If you speak with boat owners, ship captains, yacht brokers or with people who know the boat world well,
they instantly think of the Cantieri di Pisa, a monument and institution in boat construction known
throughout the world, where miracles continue to occur, and where motor yachts continue to be produced
which are truly prodigious in terms of their style and technology. Their names are known around the world:
first Polaris, then Pegasus, Kitalpha, which are still being sailed, some for more then thirty years and are
still much sought after (a Kitalpha 12 priced at 75 million liras 25 years ago is today worth 250), finally, the
Akhir, as all the models over 20 meters in length are now called, unique for their austere styling and proud
handling. The glorious past of the ancient sea-faring republic of Pisa lives on in these illustrious boats,
which until a few years ago were made only of wood, but which are now also made of fiberglass, but with
the same materful craftsmanship. The materials have changed and so has the construction time. 18 months
are needed for a 40 meter Akhir made of fiberglass; one made of wood takes about three times as long to
build and costs about three times as much. The Akhir yachts are the only wood boats in the world to have
received the Malta Cross 100 A1 class certificate, the highest rating given by Lloyd’s Register of Shipping
which approved the plans, supervised the construction, participated in the trials. This certifies the highest
quality of the building materials used and the absolute safety of equipment and structures. This prestigious
recognition is also maintained by the Cantieri di Pisa for the fibreglass Akhir. |
