Ferrari means speed. And red. The red of single-seaters, kerbs and race days. A colour that has accompanied the Prancing Horse around circuits around the world for over seventy years. But now the scenario is changing. No longer just asphalt, but the ocean. The new challenge is called Ferrari HyperSail. A project that promises to take the culture of performance beyond the boundaries of the automobile. A 100-foot monohull designed to fly over the water thanks to foils, where every gram, every surface, every design choice becomes part of a delicate balance between aerodynamics, hydrodynamics and structural strength. In this context, even colour takes on a different meaning.
What colour will the flying monohull be? On this point, secrecy is still absolute, but more will be known in a few weeks. What is already certain, however, is the partnership between the Maranello-based manufacturer and Boero Yacht Coatings, which has been called upon to contribute to the development of the most suitable coating system for a project of this magnitude. But limiting the discussion to a simple choice of colour would be misleading. There is much more behind this agreement. This is what emerged during the meeting organised by Boero and Ferrari Hypersail at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello.
The event, moderated by Matteo Zaccagnino, editor-in-chief of Top Yacht Design, was attended by Giovanni Soldini, Team Principal of Ferrari Hypersail, Riccardo Carpanese, Chief Marketing Officer of the Boero Group, Carlo Palazzani, Head of Pilot Design Projects at Ferrari Centro Stile, and Marcus Reynolds, Senior Brand & Product Manager of the Boero Group. It was an opportunity to delve into the technical heart of the project. Because, although it has the shape of a boat, Ferrari HyperSail is first and foremost a research platform.
A floating laboratory in which innovation is the true stylistic hallmark. ‘Ferrari HyperSail was created to explore new frontiers of performance through a fully integrated engineering approach,’ said Marco G. Ribigini, Ferrari Hypersail Team Leader. ‘In this context, the collaboration with Boero Yacht Coatings has allowed us to develop and integrate a complete coating system, designed to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability in the extreme conditions in which the boat will be required to sail. Method, rigour and attention to detail are common elements shared by Ferrari and Boero.’
Translated: an extraordinary opportunity also for Boero, a company that is one of the most advanced in the sector in terms of coatings, particularly those applied to the nautical industry.
‘This partnership is a natural extension of our understanding of industry and innovation,’ explained Riccardo Carpanese. ‘It is the result of a rigorous process built up over time, consisting of research, testing and continuous improvement: exactly the context in which our industrial culture is able to generate concrete value. Projects of this type allow us to strengthen our method, develop skills that can be transferred to other areas of application and consolidate our position as a partner capable of supporting complex, high-performance projects over time, going far beyond a single product or initiative.’ It is worth remembering that Boero is now a leading player in Italy and ranks among the top five operators worldwide, with a strong focus on international growth. In this sense, Ferrari HyperSail represents a clear statement for the company in terms of brand association and positioning.
This is also because the paint plays a far from secondary role in the Ferrari HyperSail project. In fact, it is one of the elements that, together with the shape of the hull and deck, has a direct impact on both hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. Not to mention the weight factor, which on a boat designed for extreme performance becomes a determining variable. ‘What is really striking about this partnership is the depth of the collaboration,’ explained Giovanni Soldini. ‘There are no shortcuts: every choice is discussed, verified and tested together. The feeling is that of being part of a single, extended team, focused on the same goal.’
What makes Boero the right partner, added Soldini, is above all its working method. “The company combines solid technical expertise with an approach very similar to ours: experimenting, working under pressure and considering precision as an essential requirement. Boero did not come up with ready-made solutions, but with a willingness to adapt, develop tailor-made engineering solutions for this project and take full responsibility for them. It is precisely this level of rigour, reliability and shared commitment that makes the difference when operating in such a complex and high-performance environment,” said Soldini.
On a technical and experimental level, new horizons are truly opening up. On the one hand, the 100-foot boat redefines foil navigation on an ocean-going monohull; on the other, Boero’s contribution introduces a new paradigm in the way hull painting is conceived. ‘At the heart of the work is a careful optimisation of formulations and application processes,’ explained Marcus Reynolds. ‘The goal is to use the minimum amount of filler and primer before the final surface preparation stage, while ensuring uniformity and continuity between one layer and the next.’
When working on a project of this magnitude, performance and hull protection become essential elements. For this reason, the Research and Development team analysed each raw material in detail, evaluating its properties, weight and technical behaviour, with the aim of achieving an extremely precise final result in terms of overall weight. ‘In this context, the concept of “thin film” does not mean reducing material or compromising,’ continued Reynolds. ‘On the contrary, it means designing each layer to work more efficiently, ensuring that every micron truly contributes to the performance, protection and durability of the coating.’ This is where the premium top coat developed for this project comes into play. More than just a final layer, it becomes the true interface between engineering and the environment, between technology and the sea. Reducing the thickness of each layer without sacrificing effectiveness and protection means contributing to the overall efficiency of the system. This is far from a minor detail when the hull is designed for an extreme challenge: flying over water.
‘The real value lies in transferring this experience,’ Carpanese emphasised, adding, ‘What we develop and test by tackling extreme challenges in a research-driven environment becomes part of our industrial heritage and is progressively translated into solutions for the yachting and superyacht market.’ This means offering customers not only products, but the result of a research-based approach: coatings and systems developed with the same rigour, discipline and ambition that drive a cutting-edge project such as Ferrari HyperSail. ‘It is precisely this continuous drive to exceed our limits that allows us to bring truly high-end solutions to the market, capable of looking ahead and anticipating the needs of the sector,’ concluded Carpanese.
And then there is colour, of course. But here too, nothing is left to chance. ‘On Ferrari HyperSail, nothing is simply an aesthetic choice,’ explained Carlo Palazzani. ‘Even the colour must meet specific technical requirements and integrate into the overall performance logic of the boat. In this context, it becomes part of the research and development process, not a stylistic intervention decided at the end of the project.’
Matteo Zaccagnino
