2005. Carlo Galeazzi: “The boat is born from within.”

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The taste of others

From Boats by Motor 2005, no. 11, April, pp. 84-88.

In the design of moving objects, boats hold a special place for Carlo Galeazzi. Especially the mass-produced ones.

General concept of the boat, exterior lines and interior architecture. This is how to summarize a complex job in three lines. For Carlo Galeazzi to carry out all or only part of these activities depends on the shipyard. If for Azimut and Atlantis he deals only with interior architecture, for Cantieri di Baia and for Rizzardi (the most recent collaboration), Galeazzi intervenes in other aspects as well. They bear his signature the concept and exterior lines of theAtlantica 78 andAqua 54, created in collaboration with the Baia shipyard’s technical department, and those of Rizzardi’s Technema 95 (the previous models are by Studio Zuccon), Or again, in theAtlantis 55 Carlo Galeazzi also takes care of the cockpit layout and suggests the idea of the crystal hard top, the boat’s distinguishing element. There is no fixed rule.

It depends on the boatyard and the arrangements. “By now the boat is such a complex object. that various skills are needed. Since we can’t be at the shipyard all the time, the relationship with the technical department is crucial. We do interior architecture, not decor, we work with computers. The rendering is a working tool, not the final verification element. We discuss it with the site and, if it goes well, we go to the executive. When we design exteriors, we first do a three-dimensional preliminary to submit to the client; if the approach is correct, we develop the full final with the required changes (the three-dimensional is not very ductile).”

The beginnings of the career

“While I was finishing my studies, I cut my teeth at Studio Zuccon, where I worked from 1979 to 1987. There were three of us, with Paola Galeazzi, my cousin and now Zuccon’s wife. All three were architects, graduates of Rome.” Randomness, both in terms of working at Zuccon ‘s and designing boats. “I thought about everything but this industry. If I went back, I would do it again.” In 1987, freelancing, “a forced choice for a professional. I wanted to fly on my own wings, even though by 1984 I had already done my first freelance projects, the Ipanema series of Cantieri Navali del Golfo di Gaeta.”

Interior and exterior

“At Studio Zuccon I was mainly doing exteriors, then I was called by Baia to do interiors. Since then, this strand has developed more, although, slowly, with both Baia and Rizzardi we have returned to doing exteriors as well. Both give satisfaction. Undoubtedly, when the project is global, there is more consistency. I must say that for the Azimut boats a very clear relationship has been established with Righini and we work well: even with two designers, the result is a consistent product. There is no jealousy: he is responsible for the general concept and exteriors, I do the interiors. The amount of work is not indifferent, and one person alone would not be enough.” Today seven architects work in the studio, and the office has become small. Galeazzi does not want to work with too many shipyards in the boating industry; they should not be directly competing facilities, or making similar products. “If we acquire other shipyards, they will not be in conflict with current clients. We were approached by a company that works only in the United States, with products not suitable for the European market. We are looking with interest overseas, but it is too early to talk about that. We would like to expand outside of boating, still in the field of transportation, moving objects; we have had some experience with streetcars. There is little research being done in the nautical sector: trends and technologies can be taken more easily from other sectors, such as automotive, construction and aeronautics, where progress is faster. By working in other fields, we can learn about and anticipate trends that, sooner or later, will also come to boating.”

Continuous innovation

“Working with a shipyard like Azimut you can follow trends, be innovative or even Azimut can now stand out and set trends, in my opinion. TheAzimut 75 represents a leap, something different and new, the starting point for a new path. On small boats the evolution is continuous: the small boat, compared to the big one, ages faster and therefore we can dare more. Renewal is constant and the range is replaced much faster. There is no worse thing than working for a living, doing the same things over and over again. You don’t need a professional for that. When you see innovation, you work with more motivation, because the risk you always run in this profession is boredom.” Since Galeazzi started working in 1979, “motoryachts have not changed substantially in their main structure, lines have been changed, details have been changed, a lot more work has been done on details, on updating external lines to new aesthetic trends, but the relationship inside the boat between the parts has not changed. And maybe it’s about time. The only exception is the open market, where something is changing. In cars, the type of product has evolved, just think of the advent of minivans of different sizes, the offerings have increased, and you don’t just see sedans. I have the feeling that there is still a lot to be done. Perhaps this situation in boating is really due to the lack of research.”

The charm of the series

Over the years, Carlo Galeazzi ‘s interlocutors have not only been shipyards, but also private shipowners. “I prefer to work with the shipyard, in a situation where the parties speak the same language. With them there is more space, you no longer work on a tailor-made suit for a single person. The potential client becomes an ‘abstract unit, and I have to put a lot of effort into understanding the taste of more people, mediating between my own feeling and the common feeling one has to intuit. It is more challenging. With private owners, on the other hand, the personal relationship is important. If you don’t create a very strong feeling, the product suffers. In big boats, the owner’s intervention is always evident. Maybe with the series it is more difficult, but that is what I think I do best. Also, there is more focus on industrialization and technologies, and the product grows better.”

Not just aesthetics

“In a boat, aesthetics comes from a functional discourse. I agree with Stefano Righini, the boat is born from the inside. Sometimes I see boats where, for aesthetic reasons, there are windows where they are not needed and places where they are missing, when they would be useful. It is just one example, but to me it is inconceivable. In theAtlantica 78, technological aspects were important, such as the aft hatches that determined a shape.” Today, the expertise and maturity achieved lead the potential shipowner to carefully weigh a wide range of elements. “The owner looks at a mix of elements, more than aesthetics and speed. He also looks for product safety and turns to shipyards that can give it. I have a feeling that there is less and less room. Before there were many small yards and there were possibilities for everyone, even the small one could say something. Today it seems that only large shipyards can express new products with superior technological and design content.”

by Gabriella Cottignoli

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