Editor’s note: Recently, Arcadia Yachts announced The Italian Yacht Group as its U.S. sales team. Our editor, Diane M. Byrne, sat down with Francesco Frediani, the builder’s CCO, to learn more about the plans. Selling its yachts and megayachts stateside “was my dream from the very beginning” when he joined Arcadia Yachts in 2021.
Diane M. Byrne: Arcadia has been making an effort to market much more strongly here in the States. What is the primary message?
Francesco Frediani: It’s probably that if you want to build a special relationship with a shipyard to build a yacht, Arcadia can really be the one. We are very much customer focused. When we design a new project, we imagine what the customer can expect. But we know very well that this market is different, the customers are different. So, we always try to adapt our design to customer requirements, and we work very tightly. We are small but very well organized. We design everything in house: external lines, interiors. While we can work with an external designer if required, they’re always managed by the shipyard. It’s the shipyard’s responsibility as part of the relationship with our customers.
I would say our key words for the United States are comfort, sustainability, and custom-built yachts. The whole design is focused on low fuel consumption. Arcadia designs for maximum fuel efficiency between 10 to 16 knots. Fuel consumption at 10 knots is below 50 liters per hour (13 gph). We use solar panels which produce up to 4 kilowatts on the A96, for instance. It will be improved, but it is enough to spend a few hours at anchor, with generators off and using the main electric drives.
Diane M. Byrne: What drew you to The Italian Yacht Group?
Francesco Frediani: They have a lot of experience with Italian products. They know how to deal with Italians, which is also important. Also, they are a perfect interface between American customers and Italian boatbuilders. That was my dream from the very beginning. Since I joined Arcadia, I’ve been trying to convince them to be our representatives. And, in my opinion, because now I am part of the old generation, they are a good mix. They have the experience of George (Jousma), the energy of Boomer (Jousma) and Vittoria (Santarone). It’s a good mix in their company.
Diane M. Byrne: Because of their experience and maybe even also their energy, is there anything that they can help Americans better understand about Arcadia than you and your team in Italy can?
Francesco Frediani: Absolutely. I’ve always personally believed that a shipyard should rely on people living in the market to get better results. They know the local culture, how to deal with and relate to the customer. When it comes to sign a contract, sometimes customers like to talk to people they know, who are familiar with or share the same culture and experiences. They also have good experience that can help us develop special models for the United States. Just to give you an example, Arcadia was considered a very Mediterranean yacht, mainly because it was designed to share time with guests in open air. It’s what you normally do in the Med, because we only use the boat for four months per year. It’s totally different in the United States. While you like to spend time in the open air, you also like to be in enclosed, air-conditioned areas.
If you look at the A96, normally it was open with the opportunity to close it. Today, it’s a closed area with light, very much based on glazing, a huge patio, flexibility. This kind of transformation is easy to do, and it’s exactly what Arcadia is doing now. We’re following suggestions from different partners in different markets.
Diane M. Byrne: What models do you think are most attractive for the U.S. market? Does anything in particular get the most attention?
Francesco Frediani: The A96 for sure, especially for the South Florida region. The reason is because this megayacht lets you spend a lot of time onboard, yet is fast enough to quickly reach the Bahamas. Even though it’s not designed for speed, we are still able to achieve 24 knots, and 19 knots cruising. On the other hand, we have smaller yachts like the Sherpa 60 and the Sherpa 80. The use of the boat is completely different. You can cruise along the coast, or in nice fjords.
Diane M. Byrne: The A96 will be at the Cannes and Monaco shows this year. Do you have plans to bring it to FLIBS or maybe Palm Beach next year?
Francesco Frediani: We are thinking about Fort Lauderdale, not this year, but next year. One of the reasons is that we have to build for the United States, installing the SCR system. We don’t adapt yachts to U.S. navigation, we build for U.S. navigation. It’s a long-term plan.
Arcadia Yachts arcadiayachts.it
The Italian Yacht Group theitalianyachtgroup.com
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