To paraphrase the famous slogan “Power is nothing without control”, one might say that a brand is nothing without its DNA. If this is true for creative sectors from fashion to design, it is even more so in the world of yachting. Here, a shipyard’s identity is not defined solely by a brand but by something deeper: a design culture, a technical tradition, a way of conceiving and building boats passed down through generations, and, above all, passion.
It is from these very foundations that the new Tuxedo 40 takes shape, the aluminium yacht by Tuxedo Yachting House that marks the return of the Ceccarelli family to the large yacht segment, a symbolic transition where a family history returns to the size category that had first defined it. Achieving this moment, however, was far from straightforward. Laura and Francesco Ceccarelli have chosen to proceed with caution, out of respect for a significant legacy.
Rather than returning straight away to the world of superyachts, they preferred to start afresh in 2020 with the more compact Tuxedo White collection, entering a broader and extremely competitive market segment in which, however, they were the only competitors offering aluminium vessels. “We wanted to test ourselves first with a different type of vessel,” comments Laura Ceccarelli. The industrial strategy was also a personal challenge. “Building small boats is not easy,” admits Francesco Ceccarelli. “We wanted to apply the construction philosophy of larger boats to more compact sizes.” A philosophy built on attention to detail, a focus on quality and a clear vision of what a boat should be: an object designed to cruise.
This led to the Tuxedo 40, an aluminium hull that was also a contemporary evolution of a tradition rooted in over sixty years of boatbuilding experience: the Ceccarelli family was, in fact, among the first in Italy to believe in aluminium’s potential.
This design saw the collaboration of Francesco Paszkowski Design for the exterior lines alongside Sebastian Martinez, while the interior prototype was developed in collaboration with architect Margherita Casprini. The naval architecture was penned by the Names studio, led by engineer Francesco Rogantin.
The boat’s origins are somewhat serendipitous. After years of knowing one another, the decisive moment came during last year’s Blue Design Summit. “We’d been mulling it over for a while, but our discussion with Francesco provided the final push. It was May 2025, and that meeting sparked a dialogue which, within a few months, led to the project taking shape,” recalls Francesco Ceccarelli. “Our idea was to start from tradition to arrive at something new,” explains Francesco Ceccarelli. “To take the stylistic elements of our historic boats and reinterpret them in a contemporary key.” A reinterpretation consistent with today’s market, which Francesco Paszkowski has interpreted to perfection. The result is a 40-metre yacht with elegant, understated lines, designed to maintain a strong sense of identity without sacrificing modernity.
“When designing the lines of a new model, it is essential to create stylistic features that make it instantly recognisable,” explains Francesco Paszkowski. “Here we have the stern, which, in addition to the two side staircases, offers large open spaces for mooring manoeuvres, the wheelhouse’s sloping glass panel towards the stern, the polygonal roll bar uprights, and the two trapezoidal sections enclosing the flybridge,” continues Paszkowski, who might not say so himself, but is extremely proud of the bow, inspired by a car’s grille, perfectly integrated into a nautical context.
Other features that make the Tuxedo 40 recognisable at a glance include the stern struts reinforcing the upper deck, seamlessly integrated into the sofa backrests, the tensioned glass and polished aluminium gunwale, and the handrails that accompany the exit from the main saloon onto the main deck, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior.
“I find it very rewarding to be part of such an important initiative for the shipyard; it’s something that really inspires me,” Francesco explains, hinting at his delight at having contributed to the Ceccarelli family’s superyacht revival. Naturally, considerable attention has also been paid to functionality and build quality. For the Ceccarelli family, aesthetics can never be separated from technical substance. “We are designing a boat, and first and foremost this must be a boat,” emphasises Francesco.
When Laura Ceccarelli first saw the project renderings, she was left speechless. “It was the first time I simply said: ‘That’s fine as it is’.” A rare moment for someone accustomed to scrutinising every detail with great care.
According to Francesco Ceccarelli, this just goes to show how quickly the designer grasped the spirit of the project. “He started from our history and was able to translate it into a new boat. A project we truly feel is our own.” Not just a new boat, but the continuation of a culture built on experience, passion and attention to detail, as well as a special relationship with clients that has always characterised our family’s way of working. “Here, meetings and discussions take place directly with the owners,” explains Francesco. “This really makes a difference for many clients and has defined our entire history.”
A history that continues to this day with the same passion as ever. With a new yacht on the way and a new chapter ready to be written.
Giuliana Fratnik
