Genoa International Boat Show 2014 ‘in recovery’

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 30 Oct 2014 Having visited the show recently, we have now received the official wrap up report from the 2014 Genoa International Boat Show. It made interesting, and very positive, reading, signalling a substantial turnaround in fortunes this year. Hopefully this is an indication of better things to come for the leisure marine industry in Italy.

Organisers I Saloni Nautici Internazionale announced a turnout of 109,200 visitors, with 58% of exhibitors expressing ‘higher satisfaction’ than last year. Certainly, coming from a background of Asian boat shows, Genoa is an impressive sight with nearly 300 boats in the water from 30m superyachts by Sanlorenzo, Monte Carlo and Ferretti all the way down to 5m RIBs from a whole plethora of Italian companies – RIBs are very, very popular in Italy – and another 300-odd boats indoors. The smallest one we found was a 1.8m inflatable that probably had smaller internal dimensions than my bathtub.

Once upon a time, and not so very long ago, Genoa was very much the numero uno Mediterranean boat show, with 3,000+ boats in the water and practically every manufacturer on the planet anxious to be seen there. The combined effect of the financial crisis 2008-onwards and subsequent financial austerity measures imposed by the Italian government, including swingeing taxes on luxury products (such as boats) precipitated a collapse in the market over the last three years. Or not so much as a free-fall… Owners of Very Big Boats moved them off to different countries or re-registered them overseas (or both), displays of superyachts became even more restricted to Monaco, those interested in and building boats of the 40-80 ft variety shuffled off to Cannes, and buyers in the small end of the market were not to be seen. The collapse in the numbers of jobs in the Italian leisure marine industry was spectacular and severe.

Still, compared with anything to be seen in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Korea or China, Genoa is impressive. And everyone wants to talk to someone from Asia! – looking for information on markets, looking to appoint dealers, asking about facilities and what it’s ‘really like’ over here. Quite obviously the European manufacturers have convinced themselves that Asia is a bottomless pit of money populated by people queuing up to buy boats. The reality, as we know in this part of the world, is not quite so gold-plated. It felt almost mean to pass on the information.

However, along the pontoons and quaysides, and in the exhibition halls, there was ‘a new atmosphere’ reported, with ‘satisfied exhibitors as well as visitors.’ The official stats noted ‘a special enthusiasm spreading within the sectors of small and medium sized boats, both sail and motor.’ That makes sense – if an increase in numbers of both exhibitors and customers really is an indication of economic recovery, then the likelihood is that the recovery starts modestly rather than with a big splurge on superyachts. Genoa organisers were also happy to note ‘positive feedback from foreign press.’ That makes sense too – the lukewarm or even chilly reception afforded media at Hong Kong boat shows make a trip to Italy and a 4-star hotel just a €1.80 bus ride from Portofino very worthy of positive feedback!

Italians are Italians. They are enthusiastic and creatively-driven, and long may it stay that way. When Italians say they are passionate about something, including their boats, it is practically an understatement. Meeting Italy en masse at a boat show is very much like reading an Italian press release – the hyperbole is off the scale and has to be sifted carefully to find the nuggets among the fluff.

A couple of examples will serve. Cantieri Capelli have been making RIBs in Cremona 40 years. It is a family-owned and run business that produces stylish recreational vessels from 13.1m down to small inflatable tenders of just 2.1m. But none of them resemble the workaday craft with which we are very familiar. We spend a lot of time bouncing around in RIBs, camera in hand, chasing other boats – and the sort of boats we are familiar with are rather like what the Australians call a ‘ute’, which is short for utility. In America the equivalent would be a pick-up. But Capelli’s elegant little numbers are more cocktail dress than dungarees, nattily styled and presented. The bigger ones have accommodation, a galley, freezer, plumbed-in espresso machine (of course!) and all the other mod cons. They come with inboard or outboard engines, and are designed to be inhabited by leggy girls in bikinis rather than sailing instructors concentrating on righting capsized dinghies and fishing beginners out of the water. They are an entirely different animal.

Joker RIBs come in all sorts of designer colours. Zar go in for some extreme style statements. Avila build boats for various military organisations and then put some comfortable seats in, dress them up in red and white, and conveniently forget to change down the engines or otherwise detune the outfit. Come to think of it, Hong Kong would be good place for a RIB – weekend usage involves relatively short distances in a fast boat (tick that) that is sufficiently seaworthy to take on the coastal chop and swells (tick again), and if you want to stay overnight in Double Haven or Port Shelter then just choose one of the bigger models described above. The only drawback might be taking care of the inflatable hypalon tubes in a tropical climate.

There was everything in Genoa you would reasonably expect at a boat show – navigation and electronics systems, anchors, nautical books and charts, cleaning materials, air conditioning and blinds. But here’s something entirely different: a company that makes nothing but door handles. Razeto e Casareto is another family business (there are a great many of them in Italy, from superyacht builders like Rossi Navi to – well, door handle makers), and they have turned door handles into a significant art form. Their handles and the locks that they open are beautifully engineered, and adorn some of the most sophisticated of yacht interiors. They are easy to spot, once you know. Top of the range is the ‘100k’ handle covered in diamonds and costing - guess? - €100,000. But far more interesting were the translucent handles with LED lights inside. No, really, they are very practical – when the heads (or bathroom) is occupied and the door locked, they glow red. And of course turn green for ‘vacant’ when unlocked. Razeto e Casareto have also perfected the design of perfectly flush handles and latches, so there’s no longer any need to stick a finger in a hole to open a locker, all the time wondering if the boat will roll and you’ll end up with a broken digit. Cool. And neat.

At Asian shows you will likely find an exhibitor displaying just one or two boats, and where the bigger craft are concerned the dealer may well have had to borrow them back from the owner for the duration. There just aren’t that many boats in this part of the world, and they aren’t built here. At Genoa it was different: the exhibitors are the manufacturers, not the dealers or agents.

A friend who was a yacht dealer many years ago tells me that he was sent on a ‘How To Sell a Boat’ course run by one of the major brands – names are omitted to protect the innocent. 'First identify the buying party with control of the purse strings – ie the one wearing the skirt. Then draw attention to the matching cushions, the dishwasher, the cedar-lined wardrobe space lockers (‘hanging lockers’) and so on. There may be just enough to time at the end of the tour to tell the other party about tank capacities and battery amp hours.

Bearing this in mind, Grand Soleil (which, despite the French name, is an Italian builder) had four sparkling straight-out-of-the-box cruising yachts on show, and assured us that they were all very competitive performers. Even so, they looked more suitable for short hops between marinas than a China Sea Race. Very luxe, very stylish, and the sales people were very keen to get us down below to admire the cavernous interiors and the co-ordinated upholstery. On deck, the sunbeds and lounging space in the cockpit were carefully pointed out, but the running rigging and sail control systems received very little attention.

Ice Yachts have not yet arrived in Asia, but are actively looking for a dealer if you are interested. They produce big, shiny cruising boats with cavernous interiors (stop me if you’ve heard this one), but they also build a very good-looking and slippery 33-footer that looks like a sportsboat but just a little more grown up, and sails best (they say) in 6-12kts of breeze. It was originally designed for light airs lake racing, but the performance specs rather indicate that it could do well in this part of the world, racing inshore.

Seeing Med-designed boats en masse was a salutary experience. I have crossed the South China Sea, racing, on many occasions and wondered (as I crashed out on a pile of sails on the cabin sole with my back resting comfortably against the cooker in the galley), 'who on earth designed this thing, and why does it have big double berths with no lee cloths?' Actually, that particular conundrum was answered some years ago when I crossed a finish line in Patmos harbour and the crew immediately set to laying up the saloon table for dinner. It was a great evening, but it made me realise that the majority of boats are designed to flit from one safe and calm harbour to the next, day-sailing, without a thought for blue water cruising or racing – regardless of what the brochure says. So, what do you really want to do with your boat? Caveat emptor.

After six days, I Saloni Nautici declared themselves well satisfied with what was seen as a major recovery by the Genoa Boat Show. According to the ticket count, the 109,000+ attendance makes the Genoa Boat Show (still) the biggest crowd-puller in the Med. Add in the satisfaction rating of the exhibitors, and 'these figures perfectly reflect the operators’ enthusiasm for an exhibition that has gone back to its role as a proper marketplace where boats, accessories and nautical-designated services are actually being sold.' And that, after all, is the name of the game where boat shows are concerned.

The 2014 Genoa Boat Show was the first to be coordinated by I Saloni Nautici SpA. Its 'governance' is based on the needs and the requests of UCINA Associates. Which brings us back to boat shows in Asia, which are essentially either private marina-owner-driven affairs or government funded attempts to kick start a marine industry, neither of which work particularly well.

Back in Genoa, 'the main goal for 2014 was to create a modern and efficient structure for the show, learning from difficulties experienced in the previous editions. A realistic three-year recovery plan has been designed: the calendar for the confirmed 55th edition is scheduled from 30 September to 05 October 2015.'

Remember: the Italians think the Genoa Boat Show has merely retreated one step from disaster. BUT THERE WERE STILL 500 BOATS IN THE WATER. Think about it, Mr Asia Boat Show, when you are fluffing up your feathers and crowing about being the biggest and the best.