Mario Amati (ITAMA) RIP

[petem]

A nice tribute from Ferretti...

The Ferretti Group remembers the accomplishments of motoryacht builder Mario Amati, who died recently. He is shown in a 1977 photo.

Mario Amati, founder of Cantieri Navali Itama, which he established in Rome in 1969, has died. He was 83.

The Ferretti Group issued a statement in remembrance of the boatbuilding icon, who was hailed as a brilliant designer and the inventor of a unique style and of iconic motoryachts that held the motto: “Open yachts designed by those who love the sea for those who love the sea.”

Itama motoryachts — the brand recalls the surname of the founder, read backward — immediately became popular as cult objects, owing to their elegance of lines, the reliability of their technologies, their strong character and their precise stylistic imprint.

“The Itama motoryachts do not change every year to follow trends,” Amati was quoted as saying. “I make boats for those who live well and want to live even better. These boats are symbols of happiness.”

“On behalf of the Ferretti Group, and of those who love the sea and the Itama style, I thank a man whose vision, intelligence and work have left their red-letter mark on international yachting,” Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi said in a statement.

“Mario Amati was a designer of unrivaled talent. A great Italian has left us. Proud to continue his work, the Ferretti Group gives its heartfelt thanks to Mr. Amati and his genius and bids him farewell.”

A cool dude indeed. As a tribute to him I'll repost Portofino's link...

https://vimeo.com/138100176 (try to focus on the boat not the girls)!

 

[Portofino]

Yes very sad indeed . Thx for reporting link Pete -sums up what's they are about - big boys toys to play in the sun .
Boat building with the passing of founder owners ( be it sale or berievment ) will never be the same agian .
Owner occupies are what the buisness lacks -
Heres a few more pics -from last season

 

[MapisM]

Yep, a visionary man he was for good.
We often read, also in some debates here in the asylum, that builders must innovate if they want to survive.
Thinking that the current Itamas are hard to distinguish from those that this chap built more than 30 years ago is mind boggling.
Chapeau to him, and RIP.

 

[petem]

Yep, a visionary man he was for good.
We often read, also in some debates here in the asylum, that builders must innovate if they want to survive.
Thinking that the current Itamas are hard to distinguish from those that this chap built more than 30 years ago is mind boggling.
Chapeau to him, and RIP.

I'm reminded of the Antoine de Saint-Exupery quote (sorry, a Frenchman I know)...

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

But was that lack of innovation what led to the companies ultimate downfall?

 

[MapisM]

But was that lack of innovation what led to the companies ultimate downfall?

Possibly, but Itama has surely been in good company lately, with regard to sales decline...

 

[Portofino]

There is /was loads of Inovation -first with underwater exhaust mean done properly in the E room .Mosly copied by others nowadays ?
Reduces noise of big engines ----but all the normal skin fitting exit too --- so,s not to cramp the Italian style
Sunseeker try to hide skin fittings In a blue strip

Itama s out of sight

Pre 2008 banking crisis they were 40 / year
Post 2008 --- in 2014-- sold / made to order only 4 boats 3x62 ,s and 1x45 Ferretti backed

 

[Portofino]

I'm reminded of the Antoine de Saint-Exupery quote (sorry, a Frenchman I know)...

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

But was that lack of innovation what led to the companies ultimate downfall?

Lack of buyers in post banking crisis EU ---- but as said whole industry effected ---market shrunk

Old man got out in 2004 aged 72 reversed it into Ferretti -sold it .
Interesting to value it today with less than 10% of sales from 2004 ??

 

[Portofino]

They say the pre 2004 Ferretti boats are better .
Ferretti lost the RINA spec 3 water tight compartments + much more detail that goes with that spec in the new more "efficient" (AKA cheaper ) production ,post 2004 revamp .
less powerfully more agian cost efficient engines
curent 45 is 1M shorter than mine with MAN 450's on V drives -they have compromised the balance moved the engines back for more interior space and despite the V drive -increased the shaft angle .
my boat a 48 has 700,s mounted real low in the middle of the boat -lower shaft angle .Props can be mounted high either side of the deep V in my boat deadrise is 23 o .this arrangement gives max thrust .
Hull construction has been "modernised " read not as good as original solid fibreglass
They are lighter too as a result .

But they look the same -well almost -devil is in the detail .
as I said boat building needs an owner on site daily - to over see it all and be uncompromising -today's yards Ferretti / Prin seeker et al are run by bean counters .

 

[BartW]

for those who don't know, Amati also designed Flybridge boats many years ago,

during my "old big boat" search 5 years ago,
I found this

Itama 160 (1971)

the correct flag already was in place ;-)

I absolutely fell in love with the lines of this boat, and considered buying her,
for years I have been following her, she was for sale, asking price 140k euro,
than not long ago it was 95k euro asking...
now she's found a new owner (I think)
its the older wooden hull that has put me off
and the size, I wanted bigger for more comfort ;-)
although she had 10 berths in a 16m boat !

imo the Itama's are Iconic and timeless designs,
respect !

Oh and the lines of this boat remember me on another nice Italian beauty !, MapisM ;-) ?

 

[sorabain]

That itama 160 really is a beauty. I've been having trouble finding flybridges that appeal to me aesthetically and that one is a clear winner.

 

[MapisM]

Really?
TBH, with all due respect for the pre-open boat era of Amati yard (whose vessels already had a good reputation indeed), and in spite of BartW suggestions of some resemblance with my old tub , I must say that the overall lines aren't the strongest point of the above boat, imho.
For comparable style/boats/age, Hatteras is hard to beat, for instance...

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

for those who don't know, Amati also designed Flybridge boats many years ago,

during my "old big boat" search 5 years ago,
I found this

Itama 160 (1971)

the correct flag already was in place ;-)

I absolutely fell in love with the lines of this boat, and considered buying her,
for years I have been following her, she was for sale, asking price 140k euro,
than not long ago it was 95k euro asking...
now she's found a new owner (I think)
its the older wooden hull that has put me off
and the size, I wanted bigger for more comfort ;-)
although she had 10 berths in a 16m boat !

imo the Itama's are Iconic and timeless designs,
respect !

Oh and the lines of this boat remember me on another nice Italian beauty !, MapisM ;-) ?

Those where builds before the open fiberglass era. From 1969 to 1979 he build wooden style yachts with an eye to Bagliettos.
Then in the seventies the craze of Magnum (a guy from Rome owned the company at the time) started to come, so he jumped in going that style of boat.
First he built a wooden prototype of the Itama open of 12 meters, which would eventually become the 38 in 1980.
He was not the only guy from Rome to do this, Baia, and Tornado where others. Tornado did a photo copy to be honest.

What Itama-amati was clever in doing though is that he added his touch (same as Baia) while more or less the quality was more or less at the same level.
I mean an Itama is a heavy boat when a old 38 more or less can weigh short of 14 tons loaded.
I think the best Itama you can buy are the Bulgari era ones built from 2002/3 till 2005. The Ferretti era ones are not as strong, though they still retain a nice line and a similar hull design, so still good sea boats.
I was speaking to an owner of a very nice spot less 60 (from 2003) in Rome about the new ones. And he told once you get used to the old ones you can never accept the new ones.

When FG took over the real Itama buyers from Rome and Naples era left the brand, since it was a bit of a family thing for them buying the Itama.