The Balducci family has been a part of the history of the naval sector. Not just yachts, but work and military boats with the Effebi brand and technology that is interchanged between the two sectors right through to marine drones.
The owners, Giuseppe Balducci, founder and keystone of the yachting sector, and his children Maurizio and Katia, who today manage the company’s brands, told more about their company.
And so Mangusta ate the Cobra. What has changed since then?
Beppe Balducci: “The Mangusta 80’, launched in 1991, was the first real MAXI OPEN, with space on board comparable to that of a cabin cruiser of the same size. With many models built, it has made a big contribution to the success of the brand and of the company worldwide. Since then the company has grown a lot, as has the fleet, and much progress has been made, above all from an engineering point of view. Today our Mangusta 165E, the 50 m open, is recognised as an absolute icon, a true point of reference in the sector.
Over the years little has changed in our approach to customers, who immediately become part of the family, and little has changed in our approach to construction, which is tackled with the seriousness and care that have always distinguished us”.
MANGUSTA and OVERMARINE GROUP brand
Mangusta was created in 1985 as a Balducci family brand, in the sector since the 1950s and 60s and still running the company, Overmarine Group. Under this brand it produces fast Maxi Opens and vessels with large ranges. The Group also produces peacekeeping and Coast Guard vessels under the Effebi brand.
The traditional line is that of the Maxi Open Mangusta, and in this sector the Group is market leader. It is the Mediterranean boat par excellence which makes it possible to move quickly from one location to another in maximum comfort (in terms of noise, stability and vibrations). The 50 m in the Mangusta 165 E series, of which the 12th model has been delivered, is recognised as an absolute icon for style and performance and is an unparalleled success. The current range goes from 72 to 215 feet.
The same technical content developed for high performance boats and the same concepts of balancing interior and exterior spaces are also applied in the development of the Mangusta Oceano line of long distance metal hull vessels. There is also a stylistic link with the Opens, in the family feeling with its contemporary and timeless design. But this line has very distinctive stylistic details that give it its own strong identity and make it very recognisable. They are vessels optimised for a range typical of explorer ships, of up to 5000 miles, with a beach area that can also become a toys area.
The Mangusta GranSport line was created as a technical and stylistic synthesis of the other two: these are fast displacement vessels, with large ranges, with the best performance in displacement but at the same time the possibility of reaching higher speeds, typical of high-performance yachts, when necessary.
The Overmarine Group has 10 production establishments in Tuscany, in the Viareggio, Massa and Pisa areas, with a total of about 190,000 m² including covered space, and has two quays in the port of Viareggio equipped for final fitting out of vessels, mooring and after sales service.
All work is done inside Group companies, from the design and construction of the mould to moulding and lamination in composite materials to sheet metal cutting and final fitting out, including electronics and systems. The group also has an artistic office to handle all requirements for layout and decor for owners, an avant-garde design office and and after sales section available 24 hours a day. It also has offices in the USA, in Miami, and in Golfe Juan, on the Costa Azzurra, and a network of dealers strategically located round the world to guarantee full before and after sales service.
In 2016 the Overmarine Group obtained two important certifications, the first for its quality management system – UNI EN ISO 9001:2008 (ISO 9001:2008) for the design and construction of vessels in composite materials, and the second for its environmental management system – UNI EN ISO 14001:2004 (ISO 14001:2004) for the design and construction of vessels in composite materials and their fitting out.
What is your strategy for the coming years? Increasingly big boats?
Maurizio Balducci : “More than growth in terms of length, we speak of transverse growth. In fact, in addition to the fast and sporting Open, which are our tradition, today Mangusta also stands for FAST DISPLACEMENT, vessels that combine large ranges with the best performance in displacement and the ability to reach higher speeds and top-level performance when required, and LONG RANGE, displacement vessels with three decks, but with innovative technical content and layouts. All these ships have the family feeling in their lines, they are built with the same care but have different technical characteristics. They are different ways of interpreting the sea, where the vessel is the means with which the owner experiences the sea. In the past two years we have already launched for displacement vessels in the Mangusta Oceano range and very recently also the current flagship of the fleet, the 54 m Fast Displacement in the Mangusta Gransport line. Other vessels are currently being built in a dedicated site in the Pisa dock. However, stylistic and technical evolution of the product and investments in new projects are continuing”.
LAUNCH OF THE FLAGSHIP
April 28 saw the launch of “El Leon”. This was the first model of the new aluminium fast displacement line of the Overmarine Group, vessels that combine large autonomy, the best performance in displacement and the ability to reach high speeds and top performance when required.
The launch ceremony was held in the Navicelli area of Pisa with the owner, his family and friends, city authorities from Pisa and Viareggio, the Balducci family and everyone who head contributed to the build. All were proud and thrilled.
“In the automotive sector GranSport is a synonym for long voyages with high performance and optimal comfort,” says Maurizio Balducci, Overmarine Group CEO. “These principles were the fundamental starting point for creating the new line. We translated them and applied them to our sector, creating a model that is an intelligent mix of these three elements.”
The Mangusta GranSport line is designed by Alberto Mancini. The design gives the vessel a sparkling personality in aesthetic and functional terms, reflecting the dynamic lines of the Mangusta DNA and with the aggressiveness that suits a sporting RPH yacht. The lines of this boat are aerodynamic, balanced and decisive: a stern with great character and dynamism; air intakes designed as sharp cuts in the aluminium; inclined windshields and struts integrated with the rollbar.
The interiors dialogue with the exteriors through large glazed surfaces, in a concept of fluidity and continuity that characterises the entire vessel.
The group is growing and diversifying, not just yachts. Any news?
Katia Balducci : “Actually we have been in the mercantile and military sector for more than 10 years with the Effebi brand. Our experience in working with composite’s and in building high performance opened vessels, together with a flexible and strongly customer oriented approach, aimed at satisfying our customers’ demands, has allowed us to acquire a certain authoritativeness in the sector. Today we are involved in the SAND project, carried out in partnership with Meccano Engineering and IDS Ingegneria Dei Sistemi: this is for the design and production of a marine drone, a remotely piloted device that is completely made in Italy and can integrate several mission systems using the most advanced technologies”.
