Giving the T52 refined style and substance

The yacht is the latest instalment in a collaboration between Francesco Paszkowski Design and Baglietto that dates back to 1992, when the pair came together to create a 29-metre fast open yacht now named Oceanis. Yacht design has evolved significantly since then in terms of space, speed, better views and improved outdoor areas. For the T52, the designers have been careful to incorporate the latest must-haves, while skirting delicately around trend traps.

For example, the current craze for the wide-open beach club is present, but they’ve kept enough structure aft to maintain a balanced profile. The pool du jour on the aft deck is there, stretching 3.7 metres and holding around 4.5 cubic metres of water, but it doesn’t have to be the focal point of the space because when the pool is drained the floor can be raised to become a part of the living area.

The designers also took environmental factors into consideration, noting that owners are increasingly conscious of the risks of sun exposure. “Just look at the open-air areas on most boats. They are located where they can be shaded,” points out Francesco Paszkowski. Together with the yard, the designers worked to conceive a solution that would go beyond “awnings and fabrics”. The result is an upper deck “pergola” with a solid roof and three glass sides that can be fully retracted to form an interior-exterior hybrid space. “We didn’t want it to be like a main saloon, that is really an interior room,” says Margherita Casprini, who worked in collaboration with Francesco Paszkowski Design on the interior. “We decided to propose a veranda feeling [without] losing the contact with the sea. I think it works.”

She’s certainly right if the numbers are anything to go by. The T52 had sold eight units well before its official debut. Granted, the T52 is a sensible evolution of the yard’s existing T-line, but that’s still eight owners who have signed on the dotted line for a never-before-seen 50-metre-plus. But the yard isn’t feeling too much pressure, says Fabio Ermetto, Baglietto’s CCO.

“The size represents the core business of Baglietto, the ‘trend spot’ of our production,” he says. “It is also a market segment in which Baglietto has always excelled.” The yard still describes itself as boutique – “an atelier, as we say in our communication,” says Ermetto, “and this permits us to still have the client at the centre of our business and offer [them] a very high level of customisation.”

Customisation for hull No 1 means a traditionally maritime feel. The owner is a repeat customer of both Baglietto and Francesco Paszkowski Design, so the yard and designers were au fait with the owner’s lifestyle. “He really likes to have a boat instead of a ‘floating home’,” confirms Casprini. “He thinks the boat is meant to cruise, and cruising is what he wants to do. Being at sea is the priority for him.”

To keep the sea as “the protagonist”, Paszkowski and Casprini have deliberately made the interior sober and soft and allowed the surroundings to stream in through vast windows in the saloon and owner’s cabin. The saloon is made even airier with the introduction of a skylight that runs from the sundeck through the upper deck, stealing natural light from these open-air spaces.

In keeping with the nautical theme, teak is used liberally throughout the boat in decks and doors. Some of the teak on the walls is carved into decorative points, which cast dramatic shadows in the glow of spotlights. This level of detail is repeated in the legs of the dining table in the pergola. “The four sides of each leg are not the same,” points out Casprini. “Two sides are flat; two are striped. Moreover, they are placed differently.” If you look at the legs from one side of the table, you see the flat side of one leg and the striped side of the other one. “Details always make the difference although not everybody [will notice] all of them,” she adds.

The hybrid package – which includes twin 2,000-horsepower MTU engines – is controlled from a spaceship-style wheelhouse that sparks a string of “wows” from visitors poking their heads in. Glass windows form a full 180-degree crescent, flanked by three solid 85-centimetre-high touchscreens. “I love car design. I always have,” says Paszkowski. “The wheelhouse is the technical heart of a yacht. Aesthetics is important but functionality is a primary concern. Nevertheless I think you can find the right balance between elegance and the technical aspect if you use the right materials and the proper style.”

That balancing act feels like it’s been achieved throughout the T52. Walking the line between modern and mature, progressive yet proven has led to a yacht that’s flying – very smoothly and quietly – off the shelf.

First published in the October 2023 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.