Visiting the latest boat shows, one fact became starkly clear: small boats are no longer to be found. There are several factors at play. Yards find it more convenient to work on larger square footage, partly because the high demand in recent years has forced them to make choices and reason about production. But who said boats have to be big? Although the market trend is seeing an increasing number of long, wide, and increasingly taller boats with flybridges that increasingly resemble terraces, models with smaller dimensions endure. And they are often in high demand by potential clients who find little supply on the market. Many designers find it more challenging to measure themselves against smaller square footage, looking for innovative solutions, such as those conceived aboard theExcess 11, the smallest catamaran at Milan Yachting Week. A unique example is theEcoRacer 25, precisely 7.69 meters long, a sport boat for racing, manufactured by Northern Light Composites using environmentally friendly and recyclable materials. Finally, there is Coral View 250, an 8-foot rowing boat on which an electric outboard can also be mounted. Its special feature? It is completely transparent!
Coral View 250 – The transparent boat-tender
Verga-Plast has been producing vessels between 2.20 and 6 meters for more than 60 years. Some of the boats he produces, because of their small size, can be used in place of a rigid tender, or independently for short trips. The latest addition is called Coral View 250, a boat with a V-shaped hull that makes it very stable, weighs only 37 kg and is…transparent! Coral View 250, like its length, 2.50 m x 1.27 wide, comes with scales and a pair of oars, but if desired can be equipped (already at the time of purchase) with an electric outboard motor up to 3.9 hp. Its main special feature is certainly that it is completely transparent, thus allowing total visibility even under the hull. If you want it, you can order it from the comfort of your computer and receive it at home in one click!
Ecoracer 25 – The eco-friendly sportboat
TheEcoRacer 25 is a small recyclable sport boat built using a composite made from flax fiber and thermoplastic resins. Matteo Polli’s design of modern, sporty water lines envisions this boat competing in Open and Minialtura circuits. Length 7.69 meters, width 2.80 meters, and a weight just over a ton. Northern Light Composites’ boat is fully recyclable at the end of its life due to the materials chosen for construction, while the mast, fin, and rudder are made of aluminum and steel. An all-Italian project that was noticed abroad as well, and earned a nomination for European Yacht of the Year.
Small Boats: Excess 11 – The smallest catamaran at the show
TheExcess 11 is among the smallest boats on display at Milan Yachting Week, certainly the smallest of the catamarans. At 11.33 meters overall length by 6.59 meters maximum beam, it equally manages to impress with its interior volumes. The Nauta Design studio managed to carve out spaces worthy of much larger boats, just think that in the owner’s quarters we find a 2×2 meter bed. Designed to introduce potential new owners to the world of catamarans, the Excess 11 is designed to be easy to maneuver while cruising: stability and safety are the watchwords. It is available in two versions, with three or four cabins, always with two bathrooms.
