Rossinavi: The Art of Creating One-of-a-Kind Superyachts
Miami Living speaks with Federico Rossi, Chief Operating Officer of Rossinavi, about the Italian shipyard’s heritage, custom superyachts, and the future of yacht building.
In the world of luxury superyachts, individuality has become the ultimate expression of exclusivity. Italian shipbuilder Rossinavi (www.rossinavi.it.) has built its reputation around this philosophy, specializing in one-off, fully custom yachts conceived around the vision, lifestyle, and ambitions of each owner. Unlike series-built vessels, every Rossinavi begins with a blank sheet, allowing designers, naval architects, and engineers to create something entirely original. From the yacht’s architecture and interior spaces to its technical systems and performance capabilities, each element is developed specifically for the project, resulting in a vessel that is never intended to be replicated.
Behind this approach is a remarkable combination of traditional Italian craftsmanship and advanced engineering. With roots in metal construction, Rossinavi has developed the technical expertise to transform ambitious concepts into sophisticated yachts ranging from approximately 50 to 80 meters.
The shipyard collaborates with internationally recognized designers and naval architects while maintaining close control over engineering, production, and project management. Understanding how an owner intends to experience life at sea is central to the process, whether that means creating expansive entertaining spaces, accommodating different cultural preferences, or developing highly specialized onboard environments.
Innovation is equally important to Rossinavi’s identity. The company continues to explore new approaches to electrification, propulsion, energy efficiency, and intelligent onboard management systems. Rather than treating sustainability and technology as separate features, Rossinavi considers how hull design, batteries, power generation, propulsion, and digital monitoring can work together to improve performance and reduce unnecessary energy consumption. Its research-driven approach allows new technologies to be evaluated and integrated according to the unique requirements of each yacht, without compromising the owner’s expectations of comfort, luxury, or performance.
Despite its international reputation and increasingly complex projects, Rossinavi remains a family business, with a strong sense of continuity, personal responsibility, and commitment to its heritage. For Federico Rossi, Chief Operating Officer of Rossinavi, the company’s evolution is inseparable from his own life. Having grown up around the shipyard, he has witnessed its transformation into an internationally recognized luxury yacht builder while helping shape its future.
In this exclusive interview with Miami Living, Rossi shares the story behind the brand, the challenges of creating truly one-of-a-kind yachts, and the experiences and passions that continue to inspire him.
The Story Behind Rossinavi
Miami Living: What inspired you to create the Rossinavi brand?
Federico Rossi: Rossinavi was born quite spontaneously, rather than from a specific ambition to create a brand.
During the financial crisis of 2008, we were building turnkey yachts for other companies. When the market came to a standstill, we found an opportunity to enter it directly with our own yachts, working with clients under our own name.
At that point, we needed to give those yachts a brand identity, and that is how Rossinavi was born. The name combines our family surname, Rossi, with navi, the Italian word for ships.
You grew up around the shipyard. When did you realize this was the path you wanted to follow?
I don’t think I ever had that particular moment of realisation.
I often describe it as getting on a train that was moving very slowly. Gradually, it began to accelerate, until it became almost impossible to get off.
The company’s growth happened alongside my own, both personally and professionally. Over the years, I worked across different areas of the business and eventually took on the responsibility of guiding it towards internationalisation and shaping it into the company Rossinavi is known as today.
We have been through so many different phases, both the company and I, that I have never really felt as though I was doing the same job. Everything has constantly evolved.
In a way, the company’s decisions have always been my own decisions too. It may sound strange, but I have always felt that Rossinavi and I were one and the same.
What still excites you personally about creating yachts today?
What continues to inspire me is the challenge of creating a yacht that remains completely true to its purpose.
I believe a yacht should never lose its connection with the sea, with the spirit of yachting or with its traditions. At the same time, it must be able to respond to different ways of living and different interpretations of luxury around the world.
Finding that balance between nautical authenticity and the expectations of different cultures is something that still gives me enormous motivation and inspiration.
From Vision to Yacht
What does the one-off, full-custom approach allow you to create that would not be possible with a series-built yacht?
A fully custom yacht allows us to remain at the forefront of design and innovation. It gives us the freedom to create something genuinely contemporary, sometimes even futuristic.
The easiest way to explain this is by comparing it with series production. A yacht designed to be reproduced needs to remain commercially relevant for several years. The first or second unit might feel extremely current, but by the time you reach the tenth, fifteenth or twentieth, the market may already have moved on. The product becomes increasingly optimised, but its original concept inevitably belongs to an earlier moment.
A full-custom yacht is different. It is designed for the present, and often anticipates what will eventually influence series-built yachts.
There is also the question of cultural differences. The way people use their yachts varies enormously around the world. In some cultures, owners prefer fewer cabins and much larger spaces dedicated to entertaining, for example.
With a series-built yacht, you often have to adapt an existing layout to accommodate these preferences. With a full-custom yacht, the entire project can be conceived around them from the very beginning. Nothing has to be retrofitted or compromised to fit an existing configuration.
Once you meet a new client, what happens next? Can you walk us through the process from the first conversation to delivery?
The first meeting is really about getting a sense of each other. To use a slightly animalistic expression, we are almost sniffing each other out. We need to understand whether we can work well together.
Once that initial connection is established, we begin developing the project. As we exchange ideas and present the first conceptual proposals, we gradually build a relationship based on understanding and mutual respect.
This is also when we begin discussing the owner’s wishes alongside the technical boundaries that a shipyard like Rossinavi must maintain.
There are certain things we are simply not prepared to compromise on. For example, we insist on significant redundancy in our onboard systems and on professional-grade equipment. This requires properly sized technical areas, and those requirements must be respected regardless of the design.
Once we have established a shared understanding of these principles, the development process becomes progressively more detailed.
We begin with broad conceptual sketches, then gradually refine the design until we arrive at a precise representation of the yacht we intend to build.
At that point, we start populating the design with all the elements that make the yacht function in reality. On the exterior, this means considering everything from exhaust outlets and anchors to manoeuvring areas, furnishings, seating arrangements and wind protection.
Every decision introduces practical considerations that have to be addressed. The same process takes place throughout the interiors, where we progressively define the spaces, furnishings, systems, materials and colours.
It is a continuous process of moving from an abstract vision towards something increasingly tangible, until every element has been considered and integrated into the yacht.
How long does it typically take to develop and build a fully custom Rossinavi yacht?
It depends considerably on the size and complexity of the project.
We build yachts ranging from approximately 50 metres to almost 80 metres, and the difference in scale is enormous. In terms of volume, an 80-metre yacht can represent the equivalent of more than four 50-metre yachts.
For a yacht of around 50 metres, below 500 GT, with a relatively conventional configuration for its category, the entire process typically takes a little over three years.
Larger and more complex projects naturally require a different timeframe.
How much can the original idea change between the first meeting and the finished yacht?
A great deal.
The initial idea is almost like a dream. It is perfect, pure and unconstrained by reality.
As the project develops, we gradually begin to rationalise that dream and give it a physical form. Inevitably, this process brings changes.
In a more philosophical sense, I see it as the relationship between dreams and life itself. A dream represents an ideal, perfect version of reality. Turning it into something real means finding a way to preserve its essence while making it possible.
And tell us about some of your most challenging yacht projects.
Every project has brought its own particular challenges, but two very different examples come to mind.
One was recreating a yacht from the 1930s. The difficulty was that virtually none of the original components were available on the market anymore. We had to manufacture almost everything ourselves.
It may sound surprising, but recreating something from the past can be extraordinarily demanding.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, there is our catamaran project, which represents a completely different kind of challenge. It is an extremely high-tech product, looking towards the future.
In that case, the difficulty comes from the fact that some of the solutions you need do not yet exist on the market. You have to conceive them, develop them and find ways to make them work.
So, in one case, you are trying to recreate something that no longer exists, while in the other, you are creating something that does not exist yet. Both are equally fascinating challenges.
What do you think clients often underestimate about building a completely custom yacht?
I am not sure that underestimation is quite the right word. I think what clients often experience initially is fear.
There is an understandable concern when you are building something that will exist only once. You might wonder how many mistakes a one-off project could carry with it, precisely because it has never been built before.
That uncertainty can be intimidating at the beginning.
But as the project progresses, clients begin to understand the extraordinary amount of work behind it: the research, the development, the repeated checks, the attention to detail and the creative process.
All these stages gradually build confidence.
So, in a sense, the experience is the opposite of what you might expect. Rather than starting with very high expectations that reality might eventually disappoint, clients often begin with a degree of uncertainty and gradually develop a much stronger sense of confidence as they see the project take shape.
Beyond the Business
What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?
Perhaps that my background and my approach are much more technical than managerial. My knowledge of the product itself is really what has brought me to where I am today.
On a more personal level, I am someone who enjoys moving between extremes. I like sudden changes of pace.
When I am working towards a goal, I love working hard. Really hard. I can dedicate an enormous amount of time and energy to achieving something.
But once I get there, I also believe in celebrating properly. There is a tremendous sense of personal satisfaction in being able to say, “I’ve earned this.”
And when that moment comes, I really know how to have a good time!
What do you enjoy doing when you spend time in Miami? Any favorite places or things to do?
What I find fascinating about Miami is how much the city has evolved culturally.
It has absorbed influences and people from all over the world in a relatively short period of time, and that has made it an incredibly dynamic, almost disruptive place.
You can see this energy everywhere, even in the way people express themselves artistically.
I enjoy walking around, exploring the more artistic neighbourhoods and interacting with people from different backgrounds.
For me, it is not so much about particular places. What I really enjoy about Miami is the people.
Do you play any sports? And are you reading any good books or listening to any music you are enjoying right now?
For exercise, I practise a lighter form of calisthenics.
When it comes to music, I am a big rock enthusiast. I listen to all kinds of music, but rock is definitely what I enjoy most. It is the music I have the most fun with.
As for reading, I particularly enjoy non-fiction. I like books that give me the opportunity to learn something new.
Lastly, what is your typical morning routine like?
When I am at home in Viareggio, I wake up very early and start the day with a full workout.
Then I have a very substantial breakfast. I tend to consume a large part of my daily nutrition in the morning, so breakfast is an important part of my routine.
After that, I head to the shipyard, and I am usually in the office by around 8:00 or 8:30 a.m.
Of course, I travel a great deal, and travelling completely disrupts this routine, especially with different time zones and schedules.
So I would say I have a morning routine about 50% of the time. The other 50%, when I am travelling, it pretty much disappears!
Learn more at: www.rossinavi.it
Instagram: instagram.com/rossinavi