"We do not build castles on the water": Nautor Swan CEO on Sanlorenzo, powerboats and American ambitions

The past seven months have been seismic for Finnish builder Nautor Swan. Beginning with its acquisition by Italian yachting giant Sanlorenzo, the yard has since celebrated a joint venture with American Magic, two key launches and a new 40-metre-plus sailing yacht series in collaboration with Edmiston. BOATPro sits down with its CEO, Giovanni Pomati, to find out more.

Sanlorenzo's acquisition of Nautor Swan was one of last year's most unexpected developments. What's the crossover between a heritage, Finnish sailing brand and an Italian yard known for semi-custom motor yachts? The answer is actually pretty simple, according to Nautor Swan's CEO, Giovanni Pomati: technology. "This industry needs more innovation, but the size of the company affects how much you can invest in research and development," he explained. "[With Sanlorenzo], it wasn't simply a matter of selecting a financial partner, but gaining the right kind of expertise and organisation."

Seven months on, and the two brands are still in a fine-tuning phase, with Nautor Swan keen to maintain operational independence while "exploring group synergies". It's a balancing act, but one that appears to have paid off. The Finnish builder has since launched two definitive projects: its first hybrid sailing yacht, DreamCatcher, and its flagship powerboat, the 23.2-metre Solleone.

A slick black exterior and 40 knot-speeds made Solle One one of the standout debutantes at the 2024 Cannes Yachting Festival – but was there something of Sanlorenzo's influence in this new model, now the flagship of the Nautor Swan powerboat division? Not quite. "We decided to diversify [into motor yachts] a couple years ago," said Pomati. "It's easy to think of sailing yachts and powerboats as two entirely different things, but they both share a proximity to the sea, which Nautor Swan understands very well. We do not build castles on the water." 

However, Pomati went on to clarify that the powerboat is part of a "larger collaboration" with Sanlorenzo, whose closest comparative product is the Italian yard's Bluegame brand. "Really, [Nautor Swan's powerboat division] is an offering that neither of us had up until this point," added Pomati. "Though for Nautor Swan, it will only be offered as a niche within our product range."

This is because powerboats are a powerful market, and Pomati is wary of it either dominating the yard's production or diluting the Nautor Swan brand. Still, it's "always nice to have an alternative", according to Pomati, particularly when it targets three key demographics. The first is sailing yacht owners, who are loyal to the brand but "beginning to grow older" and prioritise comfort. There's also the younger demographic, with powerboats the gateway into the wider world of Nautor Swan and finally, the big fish: the United States.

To catch this latter clientele, Nautor Swan has a two-pronged approach. Powerboats are a useful niche, but the yard's ultimate (and much more ambitious) aim is to re-energise sailing in the United States.

"Before Nautor Swan, I worked in the automotive sector, where you have to grab market share from competitors," Pomati explained. "The motor yacht industry, particularly powerboating, operates in the same way. But sailing yachts? You have to create the market."

Interest in sailing yachts is generally on the decline, according to Pomati. Luckily, Nautor Swan is not one to shy away from a challenge, summed up neatly in his next sentence: "The market that has dropped the most is America, so that's where we need to put our focus."

This is how the yard's collaboration with American Magic – the US challenger for the 36th and 37th America's Cup – came to be. One of the biggest announcements at this year's boot Düsseldorf was that the pair would be developing a new regatta series, as well as a fleet of ClubSwan 28 boats to debut in a series of US regattas planned for early 2026. Production will be outsourced to the Floridian city of Pensacola, though the facility is capable of "much bigger builds", with Sanlorenzo's Bluegame line also under discussion.

Since this starting bid, Nautor Swan has surged ahead with its American ambitions. The close of Q1 saw the Finnish brand announce a partnership with Edmiston to produce a range of sailing yachts, breaking into a new market segment both in terms of size (40-metre-plus) and the material used (alloy). In a full-circle moment, Pomati credits Sanlorenzo for the expansion. "Since the integration [with Sanlorenzo], we have gained access to new resources in aluminium boat construction. This, combined with our ambition to grow in size, has made transitioning to the material an inevitable choice."

British-based Malcolm McKeon is at the helm of design, but the heart of promotional and sales activity will be Newport, Rhode Island, chosen for its deep roots in the sport of sailing. The models are still in the development stage, with Pomati confirming the possibility of a 50- and 60-metre model – but also dashing any hopes of on-spec construction.

"This is a market segment where each owner has specific needs, [which means] building on speculation is not always an operational advantage," he explained. "What I will say is that Nautor Swan already offers owners a starting platform. It's in the shipyard's DNA. And starting from this solid base usually reduces project and production times."

As the largest consumer market in the world for superyachts, Nautor Swan shouldn't have to wait long for a US buyer to bite. Until then, it's business as usual for a builder that seems keen to do things differently.