Ice Yachts, where high-quality cruiser-racers and cats are built
There would be nothing hallucinogenic if, in the boundless countryside of the province of Cremona, Italy, we saw in the distance the silhouette of an Ice 60 gliding quickly over the fields as on the waves of the open sea. There is nothing sci-fi because we are headed to a shipyard, one of the best in Italy, that is capable of making the dreams of the most demanding owners come true. Yes, because ” we choose our customers – Ice Yachts CEO Marco Malgara explains – They must be demanding but also perfectly aware of the boat they want and highly experienced“.
Experience, in fact, is certainly not lacking in the men and women of Ice Yachts that, in the small agricultural town of Salvirola, in the province of Cremona and in the heart of the Po Valley, build high-level boats with great expertise and passion. The range includes sailboats up to 100 feet in length and catamarans up to 72 feet, whose building quality is on a par with the best shipyards of Northern Europe within a segment, that of the cruiser-racers (or racer-cruisers, depending on the perspective) that has fallen off the radar in recent times and seen many brands pull back in the face of prohibitive production costs.
“Quality is the distinctive feature of Ice Yachts – Roberto Marchesi, Technical Director and “soul of the shipyard” as Mr. Malgara defines him with a certain pride in front of our notebooks – Every boat we design has a double quality: manufacturing, which involves the use of innovative materials, and technological, starting with the hulls that we build in carbon and hybrid fabrics, in vacuum infusion, to make them sturdy and lightweight at the same time”.
At Ice Yachts, therefore, extremely high craftsmanship is perfectly combined with sophisticated design systems, “in a process – Mr. Marchesi explains – where everything should be foreseen, planned and defined before production”. The primary agents of these architectural and engineering masterpieces (joiner, carpenters and installers) work and alternate in the same department using wood, carbon and fiberglass elements. The result is a fleet of elegant, comfortable and dynamic boats, designed for those who do not set any navigation limits and want to cross the oceans in total comfort and, above all, safety.
“I build very custom boats – Mr. Malgara says – I build them as I were building them for me because I fully identify with the owner who chooses Ice Yachts to make his wishes come true. My mission is to allow him to sail many miles on board a fast, seaworthy and performing boat, suitable for both cruising and racing. Furthermore, at the end of the warranty period, we are there and continue to assist the owner all over the world, wherever he is sailing. Our boats, the Aston Martins of yachting, are exclusive and all rigorously Made in Italy ”.
Ice Yachts’ quality lies in the carbon hulls and the high level of craftsmanship
While the production process takes place entirely in-home, the creative source of Ice Yachts’ creations is the pencil of designer Umberto Felci. He traces the winning lines of the Ice Yachts hulls, laminated with layers of quadriaxial carbon fabric. Also in this case, as evidence of the very high level of craftsmanship of the shipyard, the layering is handmade with extreme care and precision.
” We pay particular attention to every processing phase and always try to optimize the processes – says Paolo Ferrari, head of the composite department, nicknamed ” the carbon man ” by his colleagues- We prefer to take care of the hull in first person because, if we entrusted it to external companies, it could come back with a weight even greater than 50%. The same goes for the floors: the floors we produce internally are sturdy, stable and lightweight ”. In short, the search for quality is constant and meticulous. A quality that is “jealously” pursued at home, which borders on perfection.
Ice Yachts builds few yet precious boats a year. Among the bestselling models, Mr.Malagra mentions the Ice 52, a fast cruiser designed for both all-round extreme racing and family cruising, the Ice 60, designed for those who love speed without renouncing comfort, the Ice 62, dedicated to those who look for strong emotions and fun at the wheel, the Ice 70, an icon of style and elegance but also of excellent seaworthiness, and the Ice Cat collection, performaning catamarans with exciting upwind performance.
Ice Yachts’ gems therefore come to life in the middle of the Po countryside, among enormous rural expanses where manual skills come first.
Arms stolen from agriculture? No, arms and brains devoted to yachting. Craftsmen of perfection, creators of dream boats.
