As much as yacht owners appreciate contemporary design, a certain segment of buyers cannot resist the looks of the past. Neither can Luca Dini of Luca Dini Design. “If you know me, you know that I’m very curious, not only in the yachting business, but in general,” he says. “This in my opinion was a niche of the market that was missing.” He’s referring to the 79-foot (24-meter) Picchiotti Gentleman 24 yacht. She’s the first of a few motoryachts whose looks unmistakably harken to a bygone era. Simultaneously, the yacht embodies the essence of being a hands-on owner, fully immersed in the cruising experience.
“The idea comes from 1960, 1950, what we call the classical style,” Dini continues. That era is present in more than just the looks. In fact, two clients who owned large superyachts really got the design started. According to Dini, they had a few problems with crew, plus they didn’t really benefit from the feeling of being true yachtsmen. “It’s happened to me,” Dini shares, explaining that he’s designed yachts that are beautiful yet don’t lend the feeling of being truly on a yacht. “You feel that you are in a nice apartment or in a nice bedroom, in a five-star hotel,” he says. Clients pick sofas, tables, and more that, as striking as they may be, “you can find everywhere.” By contrast, the Picchiotti Gentleman 24 yacht “is something that has almost disappeared today. …Everything has been designed specifically to form a boat. That’s the inspiration: purity.”
It complements the historic nature of Picchiotti Yachts as well. The brand name comes from the Picchiotti family, who as far back as the 16th century were boatbuilders. Subsequent generations plied their trade with iron, wood, steel, and aluminum. Furthermore, Picchiotti built yachts for private clients, the Italian navy, and merchant ship owners.
With construction entirely in aluminum, plus mahogany and time-honored colors like blue and red, the Picchiotti Gentleman 24 yacht “has been inspired by the past, but has modern technology,” Dini says. For instance, a true beach club with a large glass entry is aboard. The indoor-outdoor way of living today comes easily with the saloon and long aft deck. The proverbial icing on the cake, though, is the limo tender. From stem to stern, she’s a mini Gentleman 24. “That is a real jewel,” Dini says proudly. He purposely designed it to sit prominently on the aft deck—for passers-by to see it, much like the old days of yachting. “You must have the pleasure to see this kind of limo tender,” he asserts.
Hull number one, which appeared at the Cannes and Monaco shows last month, is for sale. The asking price is €8.9 million.
Luca Dini Design & Architecture lucadini.com
PIcchiotti Yachts picchiottiyachts.com
More About the Picchiotti Gentleman 24 Yacht
LOA: 78’6” (23.96 meters)
Beam: 21’3” (6.5 meters)
Draft: 4’6” (1.4 meters)
Guests: 8 guests in 4 staterooms
Engines: 2/1,300-hp MANs
Range: 1,800 nautical miles at 9 knots
Builder: Picchiotti Yachts
Stylist: Luca Dini Design & Architecture, Picchiotti Centro Stile
Naval Architect: The Italian Sea Group
Interior Designer: Luca Dini Design & Architecture