Maxi Dolphin: a path of craftsmanship that turns each project into a unique piece

A tribute to the companies and people who have made Barche a Motore great over these 35 years allowing it to be born, grow, and become great up to this historic anniversary. In these articles the great excellences of boating tell their stories and reveal their projects, making an important contribution to the knowledge of this world, which allows us all to go to sea, in all forms and contexts.

Maxi Dolphin: sailing technologies applied to the engine

Born from passion, become excellence of Made in Italy.

Imagine walking into a 2,700-square-foot shed in the heart of Franciacorta and finding yourself in front of a boat that is still “naked”: carbon hull just out of the oven 40 meters long, interior still to be fitted out, and raw deck waiting for teak. This is Maxi Dolphin, where each boat is a one-off built as if it were the first and last in the series. “Maxi Dolphin was born from the passion of Vittorio Moretti, and I used to race with him,” says Luca Botter, now CEO of the shipyard. The debut came withBellavista’s MD73 Carmen, a sailboat designed by Bruce Farr for Vittorio Moretti himself, which immediately caught the attention of discerning owners. Collaborations with legendary names such as Germán Frers, Luca Brenta, Giovanni Ceccarelli, Mark Mills, and Botin & Partners followed. Acting as the glue, the passion for construction technology: pre-preg/ Sprint 84°, vacuum post-cured carbon epoxy resin.”
In 2016, the site passed to MD Technologies, with Botter and engineer Giovanni Pizzatti at the helm. “We haven’t changed anything about our path,” Botter emphasizes. “It is always the same: custom boat and service with the customer.” Each Maxi Dolphin is born from a synergy between designer, owner and shipyard, a handcrafted path that turns each project into a unique piece, sewn on the customer like a tailor-made suit.

The MD Power range is developed

The initial idea was simple: make a motorboat in series, all the same, changing only the colors. “We made about 10 of them, no two are alike,” Botter says with a smile. After theMD51 Power comes theMD53 Power (15.95 meters), with a rounder stern and hard top to protect the bridge. Again, three cockpit versions and different interior organizations: with two cabins, with only one large master cabin or open space. 2018 saw the debut of Nauta Tender 48′ (MD48 Power), a 14.62-meter design commissioned by Pier Luigi Loro Piana as a tender for his My Song 130-footer. Designed by Nauta and hulled by Francesco Rogantin, the boat is intended to be versatile in a wide range of uses depending on what the owner’s needs are: anchorage scouting, guest transport, refueling and short autonomous cruises. The size leap comes with theMD70 Power (21.20 meters), a fast luxury cruiser born of a request from a loyal MD53 Power owner, who was looking for a larger motoryacht to use as a support boat for his new 70-meter megayacht. Designed by Maxi Dolphin in collaboration with Studio Rogantin for the waterlines and Advanced Mechanical Solutions for the structures, the first example is scheduled for delivery in summer 2021. On board are two 1,300-hp Man engines with a maximum speed of 40 knots and cruising at 37 knots. Construction in pre-glass, carbon fiber and epoxy, interior in Nomex sandwich and linen. “Now we are working on a new project, a 63-footer that is somewhere between the 70 and the 51,” Botter announces. “A versatile boat that can also be used as a chase boat, as was the case with theMD70.” A design that maintains the distinctive Maxi Dolphin lines and construction philosophy that has made the yard famous.

Maxi Dolphin. Technology that makes a difference

“When we built the first 51-foot powerboat, we used the same technology we use to build sailboats,” Botter proudly points out. “Carbon, vacuum glass, epoxy resin, lightweight to fit lighter engines and consume less, and still go fast.” This is not traditional fiberglass with vinylester or polyester resin, as traditional boatyards do: “the hulls of our powerboats are all epoxy resin, as if they were sailboats, made in a vacuum and baked at 85 degrees. The technology is identical.” This approach allows for variable-geometry sprint hulls developed with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis programs, optimized for the best trim and seakeeping at sea. The Sprint (Sp Resin Infusion Technology) system ensures total control of the construction process, minimizes the input of parasitic resin, and allows for the highest quality product. Post-firing takes place in the site’s 40-meter kiln, at temperatures of about 85 degrees. A complex and expensive process, but one that makes a difference in performance, durability, and environmental impact.

Maxi Dolphin custom approach: no series, only unique pieces

“We are born custom, that’s all we can do,” confesses Botter. Customization is made possible by the advanced construction techniques employed: the hull comes out of the mold without the bulkheads, which are added later, allowing elaborate structural changes to interior and exterior layouts. Customization involves materials, fabrics, lighting and electronic equipment. “Every owner has his or her own requirements; we don’t make standard boats, we build to custom order,” Botter explains. “At the beginning of the project, if the owner has a designer he keeps him, otherwise, we propose one and go all the way together.” This philosophy comes at a cost: “It is much more difficult to do a custom boat than a production one, for a number of reasons, cost and organization,” admits Botter. Still, this is Maxi Dolphin‘s trademark: making each boat a unique piece, sewn to the owner.

Not just sailboats

“We don’t want to focus solely on sailing, we want to build motor boats as well,” Botter clarifies.” The shipyard’s capacity is limited only by logistics: “we can build boats up to 105 feet, transporting them to Marghera, Ravenna, or ports in the Tyrrhenian Sea for fitting out and launching. We can’t build motoryachts with large superstructures or large sizes, not because we don’t have the capacity but because we don’t have the right logistics for transport,” Botter explains. In the 50- to 70-foot range, Maxi Dolphin has also found its ideal size in motor yachts: fast, elegant, lightweight boats built with racing technology, but designed for the pleasure of sailing and total customization.
With its philosophy of craftsmanship applied to cutting-edge materials and processes, Maxi Dolphin continues to represent a unicum in the international nautical scene, from Franciacorta to the seas of the world.