Technology and design on display

By Valerio Paolo Mosco - 6 September 2023

Wally represents a real and continuous revolution for boating. In the early 1990s, Luca Bassani created a new concept for large sailboats: sleek lines, minimal rigging, considerable use of hydraulic and electronic devices for fast assisted navigation – all with maximum comfort. This formula is now an international success, and Wally, winner of two Compasso d’Oro awards, is a synonym of innovative design in boating. The brand, now part of the Ferretti Group, entered the motorboat market in the early 2000s, translating its sailing experience and style to another type of boat. Thus, their extremely innovative motor yachts were born, also featuring sleek and essential lines. The design strategically refuses to hide the technological components, instead enhancing them and rendering them protagonists of the boat. The wallywhy150 can be considered a paradigm of the brand’s style.

The boat plans were designed by Wally’s design team, led by Luca Bassani, the brand’s founder and now Chief Designer, while the interiors were curated by Michelangelo Vallicelli of Vallicelli Design. The boat looks like a compact object, as if it was drawn with a single pencil line. The general image is reminiscent of an explorer, that is, a boat for exploration, solid and tall on the water, and this conformation allows its articulation over three decks.

The side walkways leading to the main deck were eliminated: this choice made it possible to significantly increase the internal volumes in the transverse sense, reaching – in the hall – an area comparable to that of a boat over 40 m in length. Entering the main deck through a wide stern platform, which has an adjustable position over the water, one enters a two-floor living area. The first level, which in some places reaches a height of 2.75 m (incredibly unusual for a motor yacht of its size), houses the dining and relaxation areas, and is enclosed by a double sequence of ribbon windows: one upper and one lower, at the level of the dunnage, which creates unique relationship with the sea. The teak paneled canopy has been calendared as to provide a sensation of enveloping continuity between the two deck heights. This workmanship is also reiterated in the transverse direction.

wallywhy150 - Gilles Martin-Raget - courtesy of Wally (Ferretti Group) Il wallywhy150 è stato progettato per offrire spazi esterni estremamente ampi e variegati per uno yacht di 24 m: a bordo si può infatti pranzare sul sundeck, rilassarsi nella zona prendisole o nell’area lounge ombreggiata.

The rightmost door leads to the large master cabin at the bow. This cabin, with a 270-degree panoramic view of the sea, is a peculiarity of the wallywhy models, with its strategic location and very comfortable experience. The cabin features two large ovoid columns, which contain the anchor drops. Vallicelli explains that this detail is significant because it reiterates the philosophy behind the interiors design of wallywhy150 – inspired by Wally’s design codes, it gives esthetic dignity to the technological performance components of the boat. The lower deck, slightly below water level, houses the other cabins and is illuminated by continuous windows lengthwise. On the upper deck, the sundeck is equipped with a bar, lunch and grill area. There are essentially two materials in the interiors, including: teak, used in the dunnage, ceilings, floors, and furnishings; and econabuk, used for the bedframes, walls, headboards, and for some lacquered panels with a metallic finish. These are not random choices – it is typical Wally style to contrast the natural with the artificial, the soft with the hard, the grainy with the smooth. This contrast is never accentuated, but is almost evoked, in such a way that it brings out that which has characterized Italian design for decades – namely, a gracefulness capable of resolving differences, and at times conflicts, without overstating them.

wallywhy150 - Gilles Martin-Raget - courtesy of Wally (Ferretti Group) | The wallywhy150 was designed to offer extremely spacious and varied outdoor spaces for a 24-m yacht: on board, one can have lunch on the sundeck and relax in the sunbathing area or shaded lounge area.

wallywhy150 - Tony Meneguzzo - courtesy of Wally (Ferretti Group) | The yacht offers direct access to the sea, at the cockpit level, without the need for stairs.

wallywhy150 - Tony Meneguzzo - courtesy of Wally (Ferretti Group) | A distinctive feature are the double-height windows that provide the interior spaces with natural light.

wallywhy150 - Tony Meneguzzo - courtesy of Wally (Ferretti Group) | The master cabin is located on the bow side, given the significant height of the ship, and features a 270-degree panoramic view of the sea thanks to the large windows. The lower deck can accommodate different cabin configurations according to needs.

Completion: 2023
Owner and Exterior Designer: Wally (Ferretti Group)
Interior Designer: Vallicelli Design

All photos courtesy of Wally (Ferretti Group)

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