Can a refit be financially worth it?

[Portofino]

Yup, definitely a typo. All the A56 were built with the 3406/C15, except a very few (called A56S) with the C18.
Btw, in the specs they say MAN inline 6 800hp, while back in those days MAN made one 800hp V8 engine and one 820hp V10.
I can't remember if later they managed to squeeze 800hp out of the 6L engine, but surely not 10 years ago.

10y ago 2876 MAN was 700 /730 .Today with common rail the same 12.8 L -6 cylinder block is 800 called R 6 I think .
The block is used in the truck sector albeit detuned to about 1/2 Hp of the Marine version .
Advantage of a 6 is one air filter and oil filter ,one riser .So apart from oil kinda 1/2 price parts @ service compared with a Vee .
And less injectors if / when they need to come out for service .

Aicon -there's a lot about in the SoF especially the 72 -seem to be ok -I understand they have a very seaworthy hull .

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Aicon boats had issues when they were on production, and since they've gone bust partial builds and other yard completions have been cropping up.

I'd avoid unless so cheap you can risk burning the cash

Aicon had problems in 2009 and 2010. Now a lot of 56s where sold for a yard born in 2000 and launching its first model in 2002, the 56.
I know some Aicon's which sold just a bit under an Azimut 55, and since they where a bit cheaper and negotiable new in make the positive and negatives work not so bad.
Like in all its about condition.
The strong point of Aicon IMO was the furniture quality, the company was actually a subcontractor to some builders (Azimt, Intermare) before becoming a boat builder.
Weak points where its gel-coat which faded fast in the early models 2002 to 2005/6, and some strength issues. But strenght is also subjective how an owner treats his boat.
The 56 had three different layout mostly all about the saloon.

Attn: Mapis
The 56 was designed by Fulvio de Simoni which had never any business with Azimut. The Azimut 55 internal layout was made by Galeazzi exterior Righini.
120 Aicon 56 where sold. There is (was) some unfinished hulls and superstructure about half a dozen, which came in a time when a boat finished in a couple of months could steal a sale from the competition.
The 56 had a replacement 58 model launched in late 2008.

The company I would say could have thrived if it did not become greedy a symptom which engulfed some Italian boat builders (some more to others see Aicon) in the boom Leasing years of 2005 till 2008.

We are still getting out of a depressed boating market so making sense of refit is a bit difficult. Used boat prices but are on a low.
It might do in few years time, and considering we have some 17 meters costing around 1.5 million new, it might make sense in the near future if used boat prices remain sensible.
So this will be the issue, for all this key words Prices Remaining Sensible.

 

[MapisM]

The 56 was designed by Fulvio de Simoni which had never any business with Azimut.

Doh! Why did I have in mind that FdS also designed the AZ55?
Maybe it's just because it's hard to tell who copied who, between the AZ55 and the A56...!
Happy to stand corrected, anyway.

Re. structural strength, I see what you mean and I agree that we are not talking of boats meant for crashing into a F8 head sea.
But understanding first hand of 2 boats out of 4 that had to change a cracked windshield, and hearing of a few others with the same problem, is hardly a coincidence (just to make one example).

 

[Nick_H]

Funny that you should say that, 'cause recently I've seen 4 of them (no less!), #1 reason being that swmbo loves her layout. What do you think is flawed, exactly?
I also find it nice, in fact - it's no coincidence that she was designed by the same architect of the most successful boat ever in this size segment, i.e. the AZ55 (400+ built, afaik).
Just recently, I managed to convince swmbo to forget the A56, after checking out also one of the very few built with a completely different saloon layout - the one they called "linear", which is indeed even better than the most popular "classic" version.
But only based on technical reasons, and after showing her other boats of builders which - even if probably not much known by you folks north of the Channel - make the Aicon look like the proverbial chalk compared with cheese.
I'm talking of Uniesse, VZ, Dalla Pietà. Not to mention SL, but that's actually in a different size range.
By the way, it's a shame, because for some reason most builders went for the V8 MAN or the VP D12 in the 7/800hp power node, and those who choose Cat went for the 3196/D12.
Afaik, Aicon is the only one which always used the Cat 3406/C15.
So, in this respect I would have loved to seriously consider the A56, but heyho...! :ambivalence:

Maybe "flawed" was a bit strong, but for me the flybridge is quite small, has a lot of wasted space, not much seating, and a tiny table. Personally I also found the saloon seating to be a bit like a bus stop with nowhere to lie out. Even pre-crash and pre-insolvency they seemed difficult to sell and fetched much lower values than Fairline, Princess, Azi etc. There was a 2004 boat just along the quai from me in 2007/8, and it was for sale for a long time.

Cabins were good though

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

I just saw in a swift the article on MBY an interesting refit, a bit flashy in some areas and okay in others. Surely it is not conservative.
Like any refit and custom purchase I guess it is subjective.

There is a big typo in this article as the yacht in question is not a Tecnomar, but a Posillipo 82 Technema, the wide body series designed by Zuccon in the early nineties.
An 87 Technema was produced of this series, which featured a longer hull. I think 2 or 3 87 where build and about 4 to 5 82's.
The 82 was replaced by the 80 in 1997. The 80 was a successful series sold in 30 plus models all semi custom in ten year run.
Posillipo and Tecnomar never had any connection of sorts.

Possilipo are built in Southern Rome, Latina. I visited there factory in 2009 and is a long standing name, Started in the 1940s with wooden style sports boat (similar to Aquaramas) and the fiberglass series of the 42 Martinica and 47 Tobago in the late 70s early 80s was considered also the greatest competitor to the Riva 42/45/48/50 Super America series of the same vintage. The main difference was actually the Posillipo was considered a better sea boat and also stronger. I also consider the Posillipo 52 Technema (designed by Zuccon before his Ferretti years) launched in 1986 the fore bearer of the modern Mediterranean motor yacht. Over 50 models where sold of this, which considering its price about double to a Fairline 50 was a formidable result.
The yard was partly state owned in all its past, but in 1991 and 1992 after financial difficulties was taken over by Gianfranco Rizzardi who moved the brand very cleverly up until the disaster of the Monti years.
Posillipo has reopened its doors in 2014, after 2 years closed and launched a 95 Technema past Summer, with two further units in constructions.
One of its most famous recent builds (2008?) was the lego boat designed by Philip Stark.

Tecnomar is Viareggio and was founded in mid 1980s and recently moved to Massa with the aquistion which happened in 2009/10.
Tecnomar started as a fast powerboat sport cruiser builder (38 to 50 feet line up) with most of these designed by Fabio Buzzi.
It moved into large Sport Yacht series and motor yachts, and over the 80 feet in the early part of the turn of the century.
Luca Dini was its designer who carried the brand forward at this stage.
Today they are a fully custom super yacht builder building in the 100 to 150 size bracket.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

There is a big typo in this article as the yacht in question is not a Tecnomar, but a Posillipo 82 Technema, the wide body series designed by Zuccon in the early nineties.
.

Thanks PYB. I thought it was a bit odd when I read the article myself because I was berthed next to a Posillipo Techmema 82 in La Spezia 2 years ago which looked very similar! Those elongated saloon windows are very distinctive

Interesting to hear that Zuccon was the instigator of a wide bodied design with this yacht because of course Zuccon Studio then went on to design many Ferretti boats all of which have a wider beam than competitors and of course Ferretti became very successful with these designs. In fact the wider beam is one of the reasons I've had 3 Ferrettis in a row myself

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

If I count out the American Motor Yachts like Hatteras and so on, which already used wide body the instigator of the wide body design was Conam from Naples with 48 Chorum launched in 1988.

It does not look pretty nowadays but it had loads of space in the saloon compared to similar sized yachts.

 

[BartW]

I just saw in a swift the article on MBY an interesting refit, a bit flashy in some areas and okay in others. Surely it is not conservative.
Like any refit and custom purchase I guess it is subjective.

There is a big typo in this article as the yacht in question is not a Tecnomar, but a Posillipo 82 Technema, the wide body series designed by Zuccon in the early nineties.
An 87 Technema was produced of this series, which featured a longer hull. I think 2 or 3 87 where build and about 4 to 5 82's.
The 82 was replaced by the 80 in 1997. The 80 was a successful series sold in 30 plus models all semi custom in ten year run.
Posillipo and Tecnomar never had any connection of sorts.

Possilipo are built in Southern Rome, Latina. I visited there factory in 2009 and is a long standing name, Started in the 1940s with wooden style sports boat (similar to Aquaramas) and the fiberglass series of the 42 Martinica and 47 Tobago in the late 70s early 80s was considered also the greatest competitor to the Riva 42/45/48/50 Super America series of the same vintage. The main difference was actually the Posillipo was considered a better sea boat and also stronger. I also consider the Posillipo 52 Technema (designed by Zuccon before his Ferretti years) launched in 1986 the fore bearer of the modern Mediterranean motor yacht. Over 50 models where sold of this, which considering its price about double to a Fairline 50 was a formidable result.
The yard was partly state owned in all its past, but in 1991 and 1992 after financial difficulties was taken over by Gianfranco Rizzardi who moved the brand very cleverly up until the disaster of the Monti years.
Posillipo has reopened its doors in 2014, after 2 years closed and launched a 95 Technema past Summer, with two further units in constructions.
One of its most famous recent builds (2008?) was the lego boat designed by Philip Stark.

Tecnomar is Viareggio and was founded in mid 1980s and recently moved to Massa with the aquistion which happened in 2009/10.
Tecnomar started as a fast powerboat sport cruiser builder (38 to 50 feet line up) with most of these designed by Fabio Buzzi.
It moved into large Sport Yacht series and motor yachts, and over the 80 feet in the early part of the turn of the century.
Luca Dini was its designer who carried the brand forward at this stage.
Today they are a fully custom super yacht builder building in the 100 to 150 size bracket.

Interesting reading PYB,
my adventures with our C70s have crossed path with Possilipo / Rizzardy on a few occasions,

the former captain of our boat, after being dismissed on Blue Angel,
he started working first on a Rizzardi 70-ish, and now his owner bought a Rizardi 80,
we visited / met him on these boats

the liftout and survey before purchase of Blue Angel was done in Ostia, in the yard owned by Rizzardi at that time (2011)

our former King Albert of Belgium 's private yacht is a Rizzardi, (80-ish..) called Alpa
her (usual) home port is or was in Vibo Valentia in the south of Italy
I'm not sure if they still own her, have nothing heard about it the last two years
there was quite a fuss here in Belgium when he bought that boat in 2009, instead of a Belgium made Vennekens

thanks for a bit of Italian motoryacht history