ING. H. C. FAUSTO COLOMBI
IL FONDATORE
I could have easily continued working in my family’s rubber business, but my true passion has always been boats, which I admired on Lake Iseo ever since I was a child. My first creation was a small pedal boat, silent and eco-sustainable, which I designed and built in the early 1960s. Even while working in the rubber industry, I spent my free time designing and building pedal boats for visitors to Lake Iseo and Lake Garda. This continued until 1989, when I decided to sell the company to the multinational Parker Seals to dedicate myself entirely to my passion.
First, I founded Cantieri di Sarnico, where I designed and built the Maxim 40, 45, 55, and Montecarlo 32 models. With these boats, we achieved an absolute victory in the historic 1996 Venice–Montecarlo offshore race, featuring pilot Gianfranco Rossi and navigator Prince Albert of Monaco. In 1997, I decided to sell Cantieri di Sarnico to join the historic Riva Shipyard—the world’s leading shipyard for quality and prestige. There, I became the plant manager and coordinated the construction of numerous iconic vessels, such as the Dolce Vita 70, Splendida 72, Cantata 85, and Acquariva 32.
In 2005, I began producing boats as a subcontractor for Dalla Pietà Yachts, including the DP 50 HT, DP 58 HT, DP 59 FLY, DP 70 FLY, and DP 72 HT. Later, I became a technical collaborator for Zhejiang Millenium Marine, a Chinese brand and the new owner of the DP Yachts label. For over 12 years, I also served as a professor at the I.E.D. (Istituto Europeo di Design) in Rome, teaching the Interior Yacht Design course. I have a deep love for boats, but also for nature and ecology: this is why I started developing a project aimed at combining high quality with eco-sustainability in marine mobility. In 2009, I filed a patent for a hybrid boat, which was officially approved by the Ministry of Economic Development on November 25, 2011 (Patent No. 0000270182).
I initiated concrete collaborations with major Italian and international brands—Bimotor FPT, Transfluid, Brunswick Marine, Huracan, Tema, CMD Group, and Archimede Energia—partnerships that continue to this day to refine and optimize the product. Those were different times: few people were talking about hybrid boats, and even fewer about electric ones. We were true pioneers. When I began working in this direction, I faced enormous challenges. While cars were relatively easy to produce, boats were heavily penalized because they have to navigate through water and overcome significant hydrodynamic resistance.
Today, finally, all those obstacles have been overcome. Our models—both hybrid and electric—have been showcased at numerous international boat shows: the Cannes Yachting Festival, the Green Mobility Show in Venice, Lode Na Vode in Prague, Navigami Expo in Milan, Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo in Amsterdam, the Locarno Boat Show, and the Eco Mobility Flash Mob in Portofino, an event that Tesla also attended. This last event was organized to celebrate the inauguration of the protected marine area of Portofino, Santa Margherita, and Rapallo. Several of our hybrid and electric models are already navigating the Danube, the Rhine, the Seine, and various European lakes. In Amsterdam, they are also used as tenders for river cruise ships, transporting passengers and visitors into areas where navigation with standard internal combustion engines is strictly prohibited. In 2021, we exhibited our models at the Venice Boat Show and once again at the Cannes Yachting Festival.
My Mentor
ISPIRAZIONE
