There are birthdays that are celebrated and birthdays that are recounted. Custom Line’s falls into the latter category: thirty years is not a milestone to be framed, but a story to be leafed through. It all began in 1996 with the idea of taking high-end yachting towards made-to-measure superyachts. In that year, I too began to write about yacht design. Since then, I have seen style, sizes, materials and key players change. But few companies have contributed to shaping the evolution of the superyacht with the same consistency as Custom Line. In nearly thirty years of work, I have had the privilege of following this growth at close quarters, visiting the shipyard and meeting planners, designers and managers. It is by observing the work behind each new vessel that one comes to understand how the brand’s chosen definition – “the synthesis of all the arts” – is much more than a mere statement of intent.
It is a collaborative endeavour that begins at the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard in Ancona, is enriched by the contributions of Filippo Salvetti Design, ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, Zuccon International Project, Paszkowski Design and SY Design , and finds its culmination in the Custom Line Atelier. Perhaps this is the lesson that Custom Line imparts to us. In an industry where trends change rapidly, true luxury remains the ability to listen. And this is probably why, after nearly thirty years spent chronicling the evolution of yacht design, I continue to regard Custom Line as one of the brands that has best succeeded in transforming owners’ desires into a genine design culture. Because there are anniversaries that are celebrated. And others that, above all, deserve to be told.
Matteo Zaccagnino
For thirty years, Custom Line has been bringing to life the joy of experiencing the sea in all its dimensions. Founded in 1996 as part of the Ferretti Group, the brand has broken new ground in the high-end yachting sector, specialising in bespoke superyachts with highly customisable interiors. Custom Line’s philosophy is encapsulated in a single phrase: ‘the sum of all the arts’. The art of transforming design research, functionality and innovation into emotion, comfort and harmony.
Every yacht is conceived long before it touches the water, in the eyes and minds of owners, designers, engineers, architects and master craftsmen who bring to life a contemporary yet timeless vision of yachting. Interior customisation is in the brand’s DNA. It is a form of ‘Made in Italy’ craftsmanship in which aesthetics, innovation and craftsmanship coexist in perfect balance, and which finds its home at the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard in Ancona. Today, the range comprises three closely related yet distinct lines: the Navetta line, a displacement-type range dedicated to elegant and relaxed cruising characterised by spacious interiors and long-range capabilities; the Saetta line, an expression of power, performance and cutting-edge aesthetics; and the aluminium Superyacht line, spearheaded by the Custom Line 50.
There is a precise moment when a hull ceases to be a design and becomes a place to live: it happens when light filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the horizon opens up beyond the cockpit, and those who have come on board simply find themselves at home. Even in the middle of the sea. It is this moment — intangible yet measurable in every proportion, every reflection, every silence — that Custom Line has been pursuing for thirty years. Since 1996, the brand has been shaping a way of experiencing the sea in which absolute comfort, harmonious sailing and advanced technology coexist in perfect balance, transforming the desires of those who sail into spaces of well-being. A story of great beauty and pure passion, which today celebrates its thirtieth anniversary under the banner of ‘Made to Pleasure’.
It all began with an intuition: to give expression to an identity. In 1996, Custom Line joined the Ferretti Group with the ambition of breaking new ground in the high-end yachting sector, specifically in fibreglass superyachts with highly customisable interiors.
The first yacht was the Custom Line 94’, unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998, followed by the 112’. In the semi-displacement segment, the journey began in 2000 with the first Custom Line Navetta 27, marking the brand’s entry into the segment, followed in 2001 by the Navetta 30, developed with the shipyard’s technical team – the first 30-metre yacht in the range: vessels that immediately defined the brand’s international positioning, capable of ensuring continuity for owners already loyal to the Ferretti Group whilst also winning over a cosmopolitan clientele.
Over the years, the range has developed into two complementary strands. On the one hand, the planing line — now known as the Saetta — designed for high performance, sportiness and dynamism; on the other, the Navetta, available in semi-displacement and displacement versions, which prioritises range, comfort and stability during long stays on board and long-range cruises. These hulls experience the sea in different ways, yet are united by their liveability, privacy and the freedom to personalise the interior architecture, with every detail meticulously crafted by the engineers and architects of the Ferretti Group’s Engineering Department. This steady growth has established Custom Line as a benchmark in the production of composite superyachts ranging from 26 to 42 metres, leading up to a significant development by the end of 2024: with the debut of the Custom Line 50, the aluminium superyacht line is launched, expanding the range into new dimensions and possibilities.
Today, the fleet — comprising over 400 yachts sailing across the globe — is characterised by three lines that are similar yet distinct. The Navetta line embodies elegant and relaxed cruising, featuring spacious interiors and maximum comfort even on long voyages. The Saetta line embodies a dynamic and contemporary spirit, for owners seeking power, performance and cutting-edge aesthetics. The aluminium Superyacht line, represented by the Custom Line 50 — the brand’s flagship — offers a masterpiece of naval architecture, engineering and customisation, capable of navigating with versatility even in shallow waters such as those of the Caribbean.
Three ways of looking at the horizon, three different responses to a single desire: to live on the sea as one would live in a villa, with natural ease and elegance. Light-filled spaces, refined volumes, panoramic decks and bespoke finishes make every vessel a unique creation, in which every choice — from materials to lighting, from proportions to silence — is designed with a single purpose in mind: the pleasure of those who live on the sea.
Behind each of these hulls lies a design and construction expertise that represents the brand’s true hallmark. Every Custom Line yacht comes into being long before it touches the water, through a multidisciplinary process in which technical, managerial and creative expertise work together. At the core are three complementary functions: Project Management, which coordinates the project and oversees timings and costs; the Engineering Department, which develops and verifies every technical aspect; and the Custom Line Atelier, specialising in interiors and décor.
The process begins with proposals from architects and naval designers, which are validated in terms of hydrodynamics, structure and volume, then refined within the Product Operational Committees — cross-functional working groups where the concept gradually takes shape, from the exterior architecture and general plans right through to the interior layout. Once the project has been finalised, the detailed design phase begins: hull structures, the engineering of composite components, and on-board systems and installations, all guided by a precise visual plan that marks each milestone. It is in this balance between calculation and material, between method and craftsmanship, that the brand can describe itself as ‘the sum of all the arts’.
This convergence of expertise brings together the designers who have shaped the brand’s stylistic evolution, each with their own distinctive sensibility. Over time, the brand’s language has been enriched by the contributions of design studios such as Filippo Salvetti Design, ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, and SY Design, who interpret its contemporary stylistic evolution, alongside Studio Zuccon International Project and Francesco Paszkowski Design, who defined the language of its first generations.
Giuliana Fratnik
