It was a wreck; today it sails again. This is how this legendary Posillipo Bermuda ’62 was reborn.

It was 1942 when some water skiers, regular visitors to the caves surrounding Naples Bay, came to a conclusion: there was no boat on the market that could meet their needs. What did they do at that point? Simple: they designed speedboats that were fast, easy to maneuver, and above all, beautiful to look at. The historic Posillipo shipyards, whose mahogany boats have captivated boat owners and boating enthusiasts all over the world, were being born.

Vulcan, Neptune, Superneptune, Jamaica, Positano, and Bermuda. These are just some of the legendary totally mahogany motorboats that were built by the Posillipo shipyard. Today we tell you the story of a 6.39-meter-long Posillipo Bermuda, reborn nearly 60 years after its launch (1962) as a son’s gesture of love for his father.

In 1962 we are in the midst of the golden years of the Mediterranean Dolce Vita, and this mahogany speedboat at the time represented a top model. In the mid-1990s Orio, the name of the boat, came into the hands of Milanese engineer Paolo Falciola . About ten years later it passed to the Milanese lawyer, Giuseppe Vallino, then the story has a gap until 2020. It was in August of that year, in fact, that Tullio Vallino found and purchased on Lake Maggiore, that very Posillipo that had belonged to his father, who had passed away two years earlier.

Orio, unfortunately, was in poor condition at the time of discovery, rotten in several places. The decision thus was to take the boat by truck to Lampedusa to entrust it to local craftsmen for restoration. Thanks to the support of his wife Carla and friend Nino, the motorboat arrived in the hands of ‘mastro’ Salvatore, a craftsman-fisherman who during 2020 intervened on the Posillipo Bermuda together with Lampedusian ‘doc’ Nino Mannino Selis.

This is how this Posillipo Bermuda was restored.

Among the most important works was the resurfacing of the foredeck (the so-called ”primo‘ in Sicilian seafaring dialect), by about the 60 percent of the mahogany ordinates (especially on the starboard side), of all the serrets and the “handkerchiefs” joining the frames of the frames with the backstays, the construction of new engine planks in solid oak, the complete replacement of the 1-centimeter-thick outer planking and the 2-centimeter-thick transom. An estimated 4500 zinc screws were inserted. Also rebuilt the electrical system and teak deck, supplied by Lombard Nord Compensati. For interior painting, three coats of two-component white paint and as many coats of gray paint were laid, preceded by the application of Cecchi brand C-SYSTEMS 10 10 epoxy resin.

Externally, Nino Mannino instead laid 8 coats of Cecchi’s Spinnaker clear varnish, interspersed every 24 hours by sanding and drying and preceded by 6 coats of 10/10 Systems. The inboard engine is original to the period and is a 195-horsepower Chrysler 318-C gasoline engine with an inline transmission whose overhaul was carried out at the Costantini Shipyard in Reno, Lake Maggiore, which had previously worked on the powerplant when it was called Orio. As a testament to the new life (in spite of superstitions), the boat has been renamed GMV, meaning Giuseppe ‘Mimmo’ Vallino, but also Giulia Marina Vallino, the eldest daughter of Papa Tullio already designated as janitor.

Beyond restoration

After this important restoration work, Tullio Vallino makes the appeal: just as happens with the Rivas, the hope is now to organize a gathering for the mahogany Posillipo as well. In this regard, you can write to owner Tullio Vallino at the following email tulliovallino@hotmail.com

About Cantieri Posillipo

The history of Cantieri Posillipo began in the early 1940s at the caves under the Posillipo hill in the Bay of Naples. The main activity was the restoration of fishing boats and construction of fast hulls, which were widely used by cigarette smugglers. After about two decades, due to production needs, the shipyard moved to Sabaudia and the nearby lake. The motorboats included a ‘single-engine class’ with the 5.20-meter Positano and Positano Super models, the aforementioned 6.39-meter Bermuda and the 6.62-meter Bermuda Super. The ‘bimotor class’ included the 7.52-meter Bermuda Twin and Bermuda Twin Super, and the 8.70-meter Neptune and Neptune Super, while the ‘bimotor motorcruiser class’ consisted of the 8.70-meter Caravelle and the 10.10-meter-long Vulcan. Famous models include flybridges such as the lobster-livered Antigua 34 and 38, Martinique 42, Antigua 25 FB and 38 Fisherman.