So...I bought an Italian designer boat

[Brunan]

+100

Seriously for northern climates a HT is more appropriate .You wound,t want a large open in and around the North Sea .

Congratulations Brunan , might be worth starting for the benefit of others reading - by going through your buying process , dealing with the S Italians .

It was uneventful straightforward and easy for me and i would do it again , but nice to hear your view .:encouragement:

For me the deal where not seamless. Even since we had very clear contracts things where discussed in several occasions in the middle of the deal. I used all the tools and help I could have using a notary e.g. for management of the money and specialized company to do all the paperwork and I'm happy I did otherwise I might would have had more problems. Overall however I believe the experience where okey but ALOT of paperwork to keep track of.

That is a nice craft ,as a point when you got the bav how you wanted it ,then sell ,did you loose a lot of money

I loosed a little money when selling the Bav but not so much.

Hi K, glad to hear that the process worked out for you, eventually.
Looking forward to reading about...


Apropos, did you consider having the refitting done in IT?
Pretty sure you can find all the expertise you might need and then some, no matter how radical the refitting that you have in mind.
And I'd be very surprised if the cost wouldn't be lower - possibly much lower - than in Sweden.
Just a thought.

Hi MapisM! Wouldn't been able to do it with out your advice. I haven't really been thinking of doing the refit in Italy since I to some extend do a lot of work my self and I'm very picky. It would be if you have some advice on a very skilled yard/craftsmen that also speaks decent English so the understand my vision?

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Hi all!

Some of you might have seen posts from my refit project of my last Bavaria Sport 43.
After a very fun refit project and a great boat summer I decided I wanted a new project and a new very special boat. So I sold the Bavaria, started to seek Europe and found a Rio Colorado 54 in Italy, hull number one! Can't get more special than that

After some visits and trials and a lot of paperwork it's finally mine. The boat is in decent condition but once again I will do quite a lot of modifications on it to get it as I want. Buying in South of Italy is very complex and I have received a lot of help from many people, MapisM at this forum being on of them.

The plan now is to cruise Italy in May and then ship the boat home to Stockholm to start the refit activities. I will follow up with a new thread when that project starts.

Cheers!

Did you buy the 54 In Calabria. She was berthed in Tropea in 2016, to an owner from Salerno. The Italian system is complex until you know it, but once you get used to it is very much straight forward and safe.

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

My pictures did not load. I was berth to the starboard of that boat while Captaining a Cayman 58 in 2016. Nice boat.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

What is that rail on the end of the swim platform for?

J, its a bumper if you overcook it whilst backing into your berth

Lovely looking boat. Agree with Mapism. Plenty of yards in the Med capable of doing a refit like this

 

[MapisM]

if you have some advice on a very skilled yard/craftsmen that also speaks decent English so the understand my vision?

Not in that part of IT, I'm afraid.
In terms of better value for money, I could suggest some places in the N Adriatic, but that's a very long way from where your new baby is at the moment.
Also in Sardinia and Sicily there are some yards that I could safely recommend.
But you might find out that it's easier to find a ship for loading the boat in Genoa, in which case cruising the W coast of mainland Italy is the obvious choice, and along that route there's plenty of skilled yards able to do pretty much anything you can imagine, either in Rome/Fiumicino area, or around Viareggio.
But of course, if you are capable and have time to do most of what you have in mind, well, as the old saying goes...
...If you want something done well, do it yourself! :encouragement:

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Nice looking boat. More info on the model here: https://www.rioyachts.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/54-Yacht-Capital.pdf

looks like Zeus, to answer an earlier question

Looking at the drawing in that link, the engine/Zeus arrangement on this boat seems to take a very modest amount of the available space, leaving a lot for accommodation, is that actually true?

 

[Brunan]

Did you buy the 54 In Calabria. She was berthed in Tropea in 2016, to an owner from Salerno. The Italian system is complex until you know it, but once you get used to it is very much straight forward and safe.

Yes it's that boat. During summers she have been moored in Tropea.

Not in that part of IT, I'm afraid.
In terms of better value for money, I could suggest some places in the N Adriatic, but that's a very long way from where your new baby is at the moment.
Also in Sardinia and Sicily there are some yards that I could safely recommend.
But you might find out that it's easier to find a ship for loading the boat in Genoa, in which case cruising the W coast of mainland Italy is the obvious choice, and along that route there's plenty of skilled yards able to do pretty much anything you can imagine, either in Rome/Fiumicino area, or around Viareggio.
But of course, if you are capable and have time to do most of what you have in mind, well, as the old saying goes...
...If you want something done well, do it yourself! :encouragement:

I have two options; load from Augusta in Sicily on ship or go by truck from South of France.
So I might pass Sicily or the northern part of Italy depending on my choice. So If you know some good yards (my main criteria is English knowledge I believe ) please let me know!
I'm not sure it's less expensive however, my impression so far is that when it comes to boats and foreigners the Italians charge heavily...

Looking at the drawing in that link, the engine/Zeus arrangement on this boat seems to take a very modest amount of the available space, leaving a lot for accommodation, is that actually true?

Yes it's true. The engine compartment is extremely tight. Good since you do get a lot of accommodation space (4 cabins in a 54 ft) but a challenge for the mechanics...