Christian Grande and the genesis of the Rebel 50G: “The freedom of an inflatable, the comforts of a boat”

With Christian Grande aboard the Rebel 50G

A true innovator is one who does not stick to established patterns, but rather traces an unbeaten path to give the world something new, something that no one knew about yet. This is true in technology, design and many other fields, including boating, where we are used to using classic labels such as “sailboat,” “catamaran,” ” inflatable,” “yacht,” and so on. Sometimes, however, it happens that the pencil of an enlightened designer draws the outlines of a model that, refusing to conform to any categorization (or stereotype), actually creates a new industry segment. This is certainly the case with Sacs Tecnorib’s new Rebel 50G, which, in addition to being simply wonderful, succeeds in synthesizing the best features of a yacht with those of large inflatable boats, definitely overcoming their limits.

We talked about that with Christian Grande, the man who conceived and designed it.

“The Rebel 50G unequivocally aims to be appreciated and recognized by the market – says Christian Grande – It is a boat that is exactly halfway between a motorboat and an inflatable boat; more precisely, the Rebel 50G is a fully-fledged boat that, however, does not disdain being called a RIB. In fact, this term evokes stylistic and emotional principles that evoke adventure, freedom, exploration, safety and, above all, comfort, not only on board but also of mooring, without suffering the limitations of a traditional boat. Basically, with the Rebel 50G we have created a boat with the great flexibility that only an inflatable boat can give, with all the strengths of a classic motor boat, starting with the livability of the spaces on board.”

To achieve this, the designer explains, “we broke down the structural constraints of the inflatable boat given by the tubular, whose section we significantly reduced by moving it completely outward. As a result, we obtained a high, expanded and powerful rubbing strake, which made it possible to significantly raise the bulwarks. This is why, when looking at the Rebel 50G, there is a feeling of great proportionality, unlike classic inflatables where the profile is very low. Instead, in our case, raising the edge gives us an offset in height that represents an extremely important aesthetic strength, as well as positively affecting the interior, both on the main and lower decks.”

A boat that is therefore very spacious and voluminous, since, Christian Grande continues – “the goal of this new creature from Sacs Tecnorib is to wink at the owner accustomed to superyachts or large boats, who wants a smaller second boat but is used to the spaces, sizes, volumes, thicknesses, seating and finishes of larger units. Well, this owner will find in the Rebel 50G just what he or she wants: in fact, he or she will not have the perception of having chosen a small and uncomfortable craft, but rather will enjoy the typical heights of his or her usual spaces; only with a shorter length and fewer rooms. We want to appeal to this type of customer, who perhaps want a second craft to be steered single-handed, without the help of a crew, but at the same time are not inclined to mooring and cruising and therefore are looking for a boat that is easy to steer fearlessly”.

To arrive at this extraordinary creature, Sacs Tecnorib and Christian Grande took a gradual path. In fact, the designer recounts, “Rebel 50G is the evolution of the species, being a RIB that moves the bar of nuance even further toward the boat. In that span of differences between inflatables and boats, there’s usually a gap in the middle: a gap full of undecided people who like inflatables but want the comfort and size of a boat, and that’s where they find the 50G today. This is a revolutionary, dare I say disruptive product that did not exist before. We were very conscious of this market need, and in order to meet it we took a gradual path, starting with the Rebel 47, continuing with the Rebel 55, and now coming to completion with the 50G. We have succeeded precisely because we started with a Rib and not a boa: that is our secret. Sacs Tecnorib is a brand of inflatable boats, we know how to make them and we like to make them; as we gradually faded more and more, we came to create an inflatable boat that looks like a boat. After all, the name ‘Rebel’ is not accidental.”

As a result, the Rebel 50G is a truly fascinating boat: not the usual rough and aggressive RIB, gray or black in color, but a craft that invites the sophistication and romance of the boat and opens up that world with subtlety, offering something unique. Indeed, Mr. Grande concludes, “entering a marina aboard a 50G is something that satisfies those who like to stand out, because with such a beautiful and distinctive Rib, it is impossible to go unnoticed.”