At 32 years old, Aldo Silvestroni is a young entrepreneur who has been creating “The Boston Guy” project for the past couple of years. His mission is to restore old Boston Whaler models of all sizes and give them new life. A successful idea that is filling him with satisfaction.
The Boston Guy
There are those who still today cannot resist the fascination of these speedboats (read the full article on their history here) and wants to bring them back to life. Like Aldo Silvestroni, aka “The BostonGuy,” a 32-year-old Italian born in Rome who for the past couple of years has been creating a startup dedicated to restoring old Boston Whalers. A simple and brilliant idea that is filling him with professional satisfaction and is a perfect testimony of a path that combines passion, courage and entrepreneurial skills. Aldo Silvestroni, despite his young age, already has a brilliant career behind him.
Before throwing himself heart and soul into his project of restoring old Boston Whaler, he graduated from London with a degree in Accounting and worked for 8 years in a famous listed tech company. But then that dream nurtured since childhood when he sailed the sea of Sardinia with his grandfather and father came back to bite his soul and convinced him to drop everything and try to make it a reality. Still traveling between Europe, the United States, the Arab Emirates and the Orient to present his project “The Boston Guy,” we caught up with him by phone in Paris and asked him to tell us his story, which we are sure will inspire many of our readers.
Aldo, why specifically the Boston Whalers?
“I have always loved them. They are fun, fast, essential and marine, easy to handle and cheap to maintain. They fish little, allow you to slalom in even crowded bays and put yourself in the front row. Moreover, they are still full of charm. After being at the top of small and medium-sized boating since the 1970s, their boom was supplanted in the 2000s by other famous brands, such as Pershing, Itama and Sunseeker. Those who had a Boston left it in their backyard or in storage sheds, and even today it is full of these hulls that have been decommissioned but are ready to be salvaged by those who understand their gifts, charm, and quality. My job is to breathe new life into old boats, refurbishing and updating them by taking advantage of modern technology, but without betraying their spirit and adding a touch of “Made in Italy” style, which even on products so strictly stars and stripes is a plus much appreciated by customers.”
How and when did you get into boating?
“The passion was passed on to me from my family. From my father first of all, but even earlier from my grandfather who in the mid-1960s during a vacation in Sardinia met the Aga Khan while he was creating the Costa Smeralda, and was convinced to build a house in Cala di Volpe. In that wonderful place I spent my childhood, every summer and vacation time, falling in love not only with the natural beauty, but also with the charm and international jet set atmosphere that animated it every season. To better enjoy the sea and that heavenly stretch of coastline, my parents discovered boating. They first purchased a Boston Whaler, then a Bertram, then again an Itama and finally a Tornado. We always had small boats, nimble and fast powerboats that allowed us to reach virtually every beach and cove in great freedom.”
And how have you experienced this nautical apprenticeship?
“When I was 13 years old my father gave me a Boston Whaler 11. We used it mostly as a service tender on the Itama, but for me it was the first real form of independence. I used to sail it alone, and since it had no propulsion but only oars, I even contrived to equip it with a small makeshift sail thanks to a half sailor and a sarong from my mother! A few years later I switched to a Boston Whaler 13, this one instead equipped with an engine, first an Envirude and then a Yamaha, with which I sailed almost everywhere. Not only that, I was in charge of maintenance and making small modifications over time I got to learn more about the construction of these boats, the materials, the fittings, especially in the models prior to the 2000s, so the first generation.
In short, I grew up in the myth of Boston Whalers, which have versatility and agility qualities that cannot be compared to larger powerboat models, are ideal for sailing below the coast, and then absolutely easy to handle even in maintenance, which makes them practically suitable for everyone. Within a size of 22-25 feet you can easily carry them by yourself, you have everything in hand, you have no problems at anchor and mooring. To me they are better even than many current dinghies because they offer at least 30 percent more livable space.”
And the idea of restoring these boats when did you come up with it?
“I was 18 years old and before I even enrolled in college I wanted to set up a small boatyard with the idea of restoring these boats. Unfortunately in that year my father passed away and out of a sense of responsibility to my mother and sister I decided to move to England to study Accounting to pursue a more secure career. During my university studies I also started an entrepreneurial business. Together with my roommate, Giorgina Clavarino, I created a fashion and lifestyle blog that was very successful and allowed me to support myself, learn about the digital world and work with several luxury brands.
From there I joined Triboo, a company that in a few years reached a turnover of more than 100 million euros and went public. Ten years after my father’s death, however, something in me snapped. My responsibilities to the family had changed, my mother, the cornerstone of my life, Elisabetta Dessy, at 67 has become one of the most famous models in the world, my sister is an established television author. So I decided to drop everything and resume that little dream I had put aside, restoring old Boston Whalers, and that’s how it all started.”
How did the project “The Boston Guy” get started?
“I started from my great passion and those youthful experiences, but they were certainly not enough to create a business from scratch. You needed in-depth manual skills that I didn’t have at the time. I didn’t lose heart, though, and got right to work restoring first a Boston 13 and then a 17-footer. In the process I got to know some workers who introduced me to this kind of workmanship and more importantly motivated me to keep going. Already in the first year I started earning money with several orders even overseas and reinvested it in the restoration of a 22-footer, structurally much more complex, which further broadened my technical “know out.” On the strength of my digital knowledge, I created the project’s website and social channels in parallel, and then using my professional experience in fashion, I designed a line of lifestyle gadgets, such as key chains, windbreakers for glasses, hats, T-shirts and sweatshirts, which represent the essence of the Boston Guy.”
What do you do in practice?
“The Boston Guy is a project that has at its core the complete or partial refurbishment of old Boston Whalers of all sizes. The business has a dual direction. On the one hand I personally go in search of decommissioned boats both in Italy and abroad, buy them, refurbish them and resell them. Then on the other hand there are the owners themselves who entrust me with their boat to salvage, upgrade or customize it. So basically whether you already have a Boston or you don’t, you can come to me and find the hull you’re looking for because I either refurbish it for you or supply it.
As far as technical work is concerned, at the moment the company relies on several sites stationed in Sardinia, but the goal is to soon have a site of my own with both long-term and young workers. Every week I get requests from young people who like the project and would like to come to work learning this amazing craftsmanship behind it. They prefer a construction site to the office, where they can get their hands dirty and learn a noble craft. Then having so many requests also from the United States there is the idea of developing in the future a nautical base with a show room in New York where they can start work from scratch or complete the work already started here in Italy.”
What are the typical steps of a complete restoration?
“The first step is to check the hull and make it safe. The boat is opened and we thoroughly examine the condition of the microcellular polyurethane foam, which is the key element in making the hull unsinkable. Once that is restored, we close the hull cavity with fiberglass, fix additional cracks or critical points, and finally paint the entire structure. Next, teak is inserted on the deck, which originally would not be there on the Boston Whaler. To conclude we fit the new mahogany layouts, the coachroof, steel bollards, fuel tank and all the rest of the fittings with various customization possibilities decided with the customer.”
What is the target audience of “The Boston Guy”?
“My clientele is very transversal both geographically, age-wise and even gender-wise. There is the die-hard romantic who loves the nautical forms of the past and wants a vehicle full of charm to enjoy the sea with family and friends, but also people who see the restoration of an old Boston as a practical, versatile and low-cost nautical solution. There is the dad who wants to revive the joys of the past for his children and young people who simply don’t give a damn about today’s ‘plasticos’ that are expensive and full of gadgets, but without soul. I get requests from all over the world, Europe and Italy of course, but also from the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Lately, I have had several owners of boats over 70 m commissioning me to make several tenders so that they can go ashore and be more agile in transporting people and restocking the galley. One thing that surprises me is the response to the project from women. So many of them follow me on social media and write to ask me for advice and explanations about running these boats, maintenance, restoration work. They would like to own one, to live on their own or with their partner or friends. This I honestly find extraordinary.”
What do Americans say about your project in the Mediterranean?
“In the United States there are several projects similar to mine that are already started and renowned. After all, we are talking about a very famous brand like Boston Whaler, which is like saying Fiat or Alfa Romeo in Italy for automotive. Every American boating family has owned or admired at least one of these boats in the past and they represent a hotbed of memories and memories that are still alive. So many boat owners try to restore them to relive those experiences, perhaps transfer them to their children, and look for professionals to help them with the work. This transference is crucial because the new generations do not know Boston Whalers, their history, and are rightly attracted to newer models. However, my experience excites and intrigues them precisely because it was born in the Mediterranean and adds a touch of Made in Italy that they really like. Then I am young and make the most of new forms of communication, something that some old artisans completely lack. Instead, today it is the real driving force behind these businesses.”
“The Boston Guy” seems to ride an increasingly popular “vintage” trend in boating as well, does it?
“Absolutely. Boating reflects this recovery and appreciation of the past, of products built in another way, with quality materials and concepts, with no expiration date. I have always been projected in vintage, even in the way I dress, I wear sideburns, I wear pants with pence and stripe, leather jackets and Persol glasses Onassis style. This is my training and education. The challenge with the restorations of the Bostons is to recover their tradition and immerse it in the present by updating, for example, the fittings, from the modern teak decking to the LED lights, from the latest generation of instrumentation to the fabrics and upholstery with fine and innovative materials. Without, of course, betraying its spirit.
Some purists of course come down on me for these forms, even mild ones, of revisiting, but this is my way of working, my signature of authorship, if you will, my vision that most clients, on the other hand, like very much. My work after all is not one-sided, but is based on continuous confrontation with the practical and aesthetic needs of those who entrust me with these vehicles and want to live them in our time. Some even ask for extreme or daring modifications, and even then I offer advice based on my experience in the field. I always try to direct them toward the best solution. I have always loved these boats, they are still beautiful and more and more are now part of my life.”
David Ingiosi
