Fifty years ago, Cantiere del Pardo was born. His powerboats today set the standard

3 million lira. Thanks to Raul Gardini, not yet famous for the Moor of Venice, who lent three million lire (1,500 euros) to 29-year-old Giuseppe Giuliani Ricci in 1972, Cantiere del Pardo was born, 50 years ago. Also because of that today we can admire the iconic Pardo Yachts.

The Romagna shipyard that invented previously unseen powerboats turns half a century old, a unique milestone in European shipbuilding. Big party to celebrate the anniversary on the seashore of Sistiana Bay (Trieste) where the nautical elite was there for the occasion.

We take the opportunity to be told about the history of Cantiere del Pardo and the reasons that made Pardo Yachts a case history, the subject of study.

Let’s start with the most curious fact. From 1973 to 2016, Cantiere del Pardo had never built a motor boat. Sailboats only. But as the president, Gigi Servidati, tells us, “The thought of doing a powerboat had been there for a long time, because our boating passion has always been all-around.”

How the Pardo 43 project came about

The successful history of Pardo Yachts began in 2012 at Cantiere del Pardo when Fabio Planamente came to the top as CEO and Gigi Servidati as president. The first thing the management couple thinks about is how to grow the site. And so the idea of entering the powerboat world, bringing all the experience gained in the sailing world, takes shape.

To enter as “rookies” into an all-too-new market for Pardo needed something to make the powerboats instantly recognizable. Here’s the idea. Servidati recounts, “I have always been very attracted to reverse bows. So we immediately thought that the first motor boat from the Pardo Shipyard should be with an inverted bow and walkaround.”

Then it was natural to transfer the elegance of form that everyone recognizes to sailboats and some “tricks” to make them sleeker than the competition. Such as the “beauty line,” which is nothing more than a thin line with a different color from the hull positioned above the junction between the hull and deck that adds elegance and momentum to the hull.

In September 2017 at the Cannes Boat Show, the Pardo 43 (12.80×4.20 m) was unveiled, here is what Servidati says about that moment:” Against all odds, especially those who told us we were crazy to believe in such a ‘racy’ project, with the aggravating factor that we had no experience with motor yachts, we sold 30 examples right away.” To give you an idea of the success of the irreverent Pardo 43, more than 270 examples have been sold in six years.

A mention also of innovative technical aspects. The hull is specially designed for Volvo Penta IPS propulsion, the weights are concentrated amidships so as to reduce rolling when stationary in the roadstead, and the interior spaces are much larger than in competing boats. And the finishes are of the highest quality, in the tradition of the shipyard since 1973.

From walkarounds to Endurance shuttles

Servidati and Planamente are pushing on the accelerator; they have realized that their formula is working. Just transfer elegance, design, and attention to detail typical of their Grand Soleil sailboats into the Pardo Yachts motor yachts. They no longer stop.

2018 saw the birth of the Pardo 50 (16.25×4.96 m), and the year after that the smaller sibling Pardo 38 (11.90×3.60), which in addition to IPS motorization can adopt outboards, which are so fashionable.

But what more was there to innovate yet in the world of powerboats?

Pardo E60 di 18 metri è la barca da crociera di ultima generazione

Servidati tells us again, “From an analysis of the market, we realized that there was a void in the shuttle market: there was a lack of cruising boats with a well-designed hull, efficient at 10 as well as 20-plus knots of speed, and at the same time comfortable and refractory to rolling when there is to be standing at anchor.”

With this, again, innovative philosophy in 2021 the first model of the Endurance line, the Endurance 60 (18.08×5.12 m) was born, and in 2024 the Endurance 72 (22.00×6.66) will be launched.

Close the Pardo and give birth to the GT line.

Completing Cantiere del Pardo’s meteoric growth is a third line, the GT line born in 2022 with the GT 52 (16.58×4.96 m).

Let’s hear what the idea of the Pardo GTs is: “This model,” says Servidati, “was born out of the walkaround experience: many people asked us for a closed version of the Pardo, one that did not force them to choose between being below deck or on the open deck, but one that offered more livable interiors, with a nice dinette and three cabins, while maintaining the shipyard’s family feeling.”

Pardo GT52 (16.5 m) è puro stile italiano. Test del crossover da crociera

Again, nothing is taken for granted. The boat uses the same hull as the Pardo 50, but in the GT 52 the master cabin bed is located at the broadside and not at the bow. the superstructure and to the raised deck in the forward part has considerable volumes and heights and is windowed all around, fitted with a large skylight. Also in the GT line, a big brother, GT 75 (22.86m x 5.99m), is already being born.

This is the story of Cantiere del Pardo’s successful adventure as it turns 50 years old in the world of powerboats where in just seven years it has become a major player in the market. And it doesn’t want to stop growing.