Hydro Tec

Inside CdM's M/Y Gatto, with exteriors by Hydro Tec and interiors by Francesco Guida Design.

TowBoatUS recently announced two new Florida locations and the major European shows will see two new builds with naval architecture by Hydro Tec's Sergio Cutolo.

If there were any doubt that the owner of Percheron—the second Darwin 86 from Cantiere delle Marche (CdM)—really intended to use his expedition yacht for long-range cruising, there should not be any now. Percheron was launched in time for the 2012 Cannes Boat Show where I had a chance to get aboard. It was mid-September and she was already raring to go.

Italian builder Palumbo Shipyards introduced a new series of “green” yachts with hybrid propulsion at an elegant cocktail party at the Hôtel de Paris during the 2012 Monaco Yacht Show. The Columbus Sport Hybrid line, which ranges from 65 to 213 feet (25 to 65 meters), will be constructed entirely of aluminum on a displacement hullform designed by Sergio Cutolo of Hydro Tec.

In an innovative departure from the typical brokerage pitch, Steve Reoch of All Ocean Yachts is offering the 175-foot (53.3-meter) research/expedition vessel Proteus for sale with a conversion proposal conceived by noted designer Sergio Cutolo of Hydro Tec. The project, dubbed Proteus II, proposes to turn the research vessel into a long-range luxury explorer.

To build this yacht, IAG expanded and widened the mold created for its debut yacht, Primadonna, a 127-foot (38.7-meter) project built on spec and now sold. The hull was designed by naval architect Stefano Rossi of Rossi Engineering Design & Services, working with IAG. Sergio Cutolo of Hydro Tec focused on the weight study, tunnels and propulsion.