The courage to dare doesn’t belong to everybody. Sure it does to Luca Bassani, and it did already when in the 90’s he started his design- and technology revolution and created Wally. A disruptive brand that is part of the Ferretti galaxy since January 2019.
In the world of modern boating there is a break, a moment of rupture when speculations about a possible future have become real steps towards a concrete future. The protagonist of this change is Luca Bassani and in particular his creation, Wally shipyard.
With Wally, Bassani began to rewrite some of the rules that in the nautical world seemed doomed to immutability.
The starting points of his vision were technological innovation and design (Wally has won the ADI Compasso d’Oro award from the Italian Design Associoation, twice). Points that Bassani developed with a view for boats that were no longer designed just to face the “perfect storm”, but also as a means to enjoy the sea, sail fast and easily, live in full comfort. In short, a radical change of approach.
The Wally phenomenon
Do you remember the first Wally yachts? It all started with sail boats in the 90’s, joining also power yachting in 2001. For the first time we’ve seen carbon fiber on a pleasure boat: Wallygator is a 25-meter sloop launched in 1991.
A few years later the brand introduced submarine anchors, then buttons and pistons to maneuver the sails and allow the helmsman to manage large yachts single-handed. Then again, hydraulic lifting keel with bulb.
But Luca Bassani didn’t stop there: he achieved to overturn the deck- and interior- layout. Being in touch with the sea becomes crucial, for instance, on Tiketitan (1998): the stern is cleared to create an infinity terrace on the water which also overlooks the salon (first time again, placed to stern).
1998 Tiketitan makes it possible to live the yacht even at stern and at sea level
It is the first step towards the beach clubs we see everywhere on today’s large yachts. And in 2012 this concept was further reinterpreted on the displacing Wallyace, whose layout features the owner’s suite and the aft VIP cabins opening onto the terrace. Meanwhile, the decks become cleaner and more uncluttered, and the design more extreme and unmistakable.
The Wally decks become more and more essential. Genius of the Lamp is from 1995
At the beginning of 21st century there’s another revolution: Wallytender and WallyPower 118 mark the shocking debut in motor boating
Impossible to forget about. Nowadays Wallytender is an icon, and at its time it created a market that didn’t exist: that of megatenders.
As for WallyPower 118, her radical and futuristic design, and her over-the-limit engineering enter the provocation territory. Three turbines in the engine room push her north of 60 knots, and the use of structural glass abounds like never before (the edgy superstructure is an example). To bow, there you have a cockpit, while the first collapsible bulwarks are nowadays a must for many yachts. We can’t say she was a market success – only one was built – but the whole world talked about it. Wallytender 118 has been featured in a science fiction movie (The Island), and in the cult TV show Top Gear, where she was compared to Pagani Zonda hypercar.
Wallytenders generate a new market segment, that of luxury mega-tenders
The wow effect is granted with Wally Power 118, both in navigation and at anchor
Wally and Ferretti
Today, Wally has become a style. An icon. An idiom. And, it has become a brand of Ferretti Group as well. In mid-January, 2019 Wally entered the Ferretti galaxy, along with Pershing, Itama, Mochi Craft, Riva, CRN, Custom Line and Ferretti Yachts). And the new development plan has already started: in June the re-designed Wallytender 48 will touch the water.
New in 2019: 48 Wallytender, an icon improved by Ferretti Group
