Barche: The factory of ideas / Italy 2017
Article written by Alessia Cherubini for the magazine BARCHE (May 2017) on the ambitious project RIVALE ’78, a sailboat projected into the future.
Valerio Rivellini has designed a sailing boat projected into the future, without breaking tradition. A Vintage style enriched by modern solutions
Sometimes you need to have the courage to be daring. This is obvious to Valerio Rivellini, the Neapolitan designer who since 2009 has managed his own studio, specialising in engineering, yacht design, refitting and composite materials. «In my designs I always try to go beyond patterns and challenge tradition, but this doesn’t mean I look only to modernity. I believe the best ideas arise from mixing styles, even seemingly contrasting ones».
And it is precisely a clever mix of modernity and tradition that results in Rivale 78’, a yacht that blends contemporary minimalism and sleek retro lines in 24 metres. The guiding concept is actually contrast: a straight bow and a slender stern relate to the classically styled gunwale, giving a dynamic, high-performance vessel. On deck, modern and functional design elements are harmoniously juxtaposed with more traditional solutions, such as the deckhouse, for instance, designed in the style of nineteenth century skylights but made in carbon fabric and prepreg.
There are numerous hi-tech innovations and solutions: the stern folds down to allow access to the water and disembarking, while the single central helm is designed to blend functionality and easy on-board living. «I’ve always loved big helms in the centre of the cockpit, they’ve always given me a feeling of nobility and safety, but you pay the price in terms of the cockpit’s liveability. The area becomes less user-friendly and it creates a real division between the stern and the central cockpit». So the spokeless helm wheel with gears concealed in the deckhouse is the ideal solution, allowing the space to be fully exploited.
«Sailing is where my passion for the sea was born and bred. I began sailing as a child and since then I’ve never been away from yachts». One of Valerio’s latest projects is the 38 Blue Ice, which will be previewed at the Cannes Yachting Festival.
Alessia Cherubini
Barche May 2017