Zuanelli: serving the shipowner for three generations

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Sailing, the great excellences of the sailing world tell their stories and reveal their projects. In this column, discover all the companies and people who have made important contributions to the multifaceted world of sailing, which enables us all to go to sea in all forms and contexts.

In this installment, we take you on a tour of the history and news of Zuanelli, one of the most innovative and multifaceted companies on the Italian nautical scene, founded in 1972 and now a benchmark in the industry.

A long history of quality and craftsmanship. Welcome!

We take you on a tour of a boatyard founded in 1972 that is now a benchmark for craftsmanship in new and restoration boats.

An artisanal, family-owned business for three generations that devotes itself to just a few projects a year, aiming for quality without compromise and complete service to the owner. This is the strength of the Zuanelli shipyard in Padenghe sul Garda (Brescia), a historic brand that is highly renowned for the high quality of its boats. The company has in-house carpentry, area for molding, laminating, resin coating and painting. But Zuanelli also specializes in refitting and beautiful “custom” projects, often signed by great designers.

leggi anche

Michele Molino, nautical engineer with the sea in his vein

Peter’s passion and “custom” strategy

Founded by Pietro Zuanelli in 1972, the son of fishermen with a great passion for the lake and boats, the shipyard began by devoting itself to garaging and soon evolved toward repairs and interior fittings for other shipyards. In 1975 the company acquired a nice “know-how” from the famous Alpa of Offanengo, specializing in the construction of fiberglass sailboats. This is the beginning of the “custom strategy.” In the early 1980s come the first models signed Zuanelli. The first boat is the Z40, a 12-meter sloop designed by Sparkman & Stephens. In 1986 Pietro left the leadership of the shipyard to his children Mario and Francesca, still remaining present as support. With the second generation, during the 1990s and 2000s, the shipyard develops and grows. Some iconic models come out, such as the FAX designed by Alain Jézéquel and the two designs Z49 and Z52DH signed by Roberto Starkel. “We are an autarkic shipyard,” explains Mario Zuanelli. in the sense that 80-90 percent of our boats are built in-house by our own workers. We do all the work ourselves, from construction to launching, we assemble the engines, the mast and the bulb. In this way we are able to have total control of the workmanship. We have over 50 years of history and some of our craftsmen have been with us forever. Our blacksmith, for example, I have known since I was 12 years old. There are also young people, but it’s hard work and you need a lot of passion. Then we can also rely on solid external collaborations, but we want to be autonomous. We like it that way.” .

Boats built around the owner

Beginning in 2010, the third generation of Zuanelli, represented by Mario’s children-Andrea, Paolo and Sara, who began to participate more and more actively in the company’s processes, came into play. During this period, Zuanelli became increasingly involved in commissioned projects. “Our good fortune is to work with very demanding shipowners,” Mario recounts further. but also very passionate people whom we often invite to the site to watch the workmanship. We listen to them and advise them. This constant dialogue and our support, which continues even after the launch, results in well-made boats that fully meet the needs of the clients. There are no ugly boats, but there are happy owners. We aim for that.” . Alongside the production of new boats, the Zuanelli shipyard has also become a point of reference over the years for
refitting activities. “We are elastic and have to adapt to an ever-changing market, although our values never fail,” says Mario. we reivent in refitting during the great crisis of 2009 and it was a great experience, we went into the other yards, caught what they were doing right and what they were doing wrong, because even renowned yards make mistakes. Most of all, we learned new things. From classic deck teak, for example, we moved on to working with laminates and even synthetic teak.” .

So many successful projects

A key role of Zuanelli is also the “custom” service that allows owners to personalize their boat. Projects in recent years include the interior design of the Stadship 54 AC “Aluaka” by Davide Zerbinati and a 47-foot aluminum prototype made by a startup in collaboration with the Bologna Polytechnic. Plus other cabin cruisers, such as “Over”, a racing project signed Starkel or “Tea Salt”, designed by Umberto Felci for the Mini Transat, or even “Aluaka”, an aluminum racer i winner of the 2019 Arc+. In recent years, the yard has explored the use of new materials and technologies such as aluminum, which is recyclable and environmentally friendly, and infusion, a system for molding fiberglass boats that reduces polluting emissions. In 2024, the shipyard built the C32, a day-sailer designed and marketed by Comuzzi Yachts. “We still proudly carry on my father Pietro’s philosophy: never stop, always evolve,” Mario concludes. And he is to be believed.

leggi anche

1985. The sails of the future are being born. The GdV is in, with Lowell North

Via G. Marconi, 54 25080 Padenghe sul Garda (BS)
Tel. +39 030 9907337
in**@******li.it
www.zuanelli.it

• At this link, all the mythical stories from the 50 years of the Sailing Newspaper

50 years of the GdV: an opportunity not to be missed. Also for your brand

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Il Giornale della Vela is organizing the largest communication campaign in its history, which will reach a total audience of 2,000,000 “sea lovers” interested in the world of sailing.

How? Deploying all its communication channels: magazine (paper+digital), websites, E-mail marketing, social (facebook/instagram). The certainty is that 2 million interested people will be reached to whom you can tell your company’s story.

• Request Info

Why you’d better embark with us
The Newspaper of Sailing proposes that all companies interested in the boating target audience tell their story, just as the GdV tells its own. Don’t worry, our journalists are on hand to help you produce attractive and effective text and images to reach two million “sea lovers.”

• Request Info