Pirelli 44 “Maxi RIB” Maximizes Performance-Oriented Dayboating

Sportscar aficionados know the Pirelli name and its reputation for quite literally keeping racers and high-performance luxury drivers on the road. Increasingly, it’s appearing on high-performance boats as well. The latest is the Pirelli 44, a 44-foot (13.5-meter) RIB that continues pushing the boundaries of inflatables.

Sacs Tecnorib, which makes the Pirelli Speedboats line with Mannerfelt Design Team, developed the Pirelli 44 as a smaller sibling to the Pirelli 47. Like that flagship, which premiered last year, the essence is open-air dayboating married to performance-oriented styling and engineering. That performance edge is immediately understood even at a quick glance. The tube, for instance, has a reproduction of a tread pattern from the Cinturato Blue Full Wet. This is the official Formula 1 tire from Pirelli for wet conditions, especially heavy rain and standing water. Similarly, the design repeats on the seats, where the Pirelli logo also appears.

The strongest performance connection, though, comes below the waterline. Mannerfelt Design Team, with experience designing racing powerboats, has given the RIB a double-stepped hull. This intends to improve efficiency and handling at higher speeds. Although Sacs Tecnorib hasn’t revealed the top speed, some of its models over the years have achieved 40 knots. Regardless, for true high-performance fans, one engine option for the Pirelli 44 is twin 600-hp Mercury Verado V12s. Yet another is a pair of 425-hp Mercury Verado V10s. However, the first hull, which makes its debut at this week’s Cannes Yachting Festival, has triple Verado V10s.

Performance isn’t the entire story, of course. Creature comforts include a big sunpad at the bow, adjacent to an aft-facing settee. A dining spot toward the stern, meanwhile, converts into an extra lounging area complementing the aft sunpad. If buyers want a spot out of the sun to nap, the enclosed saloon converts to a berth. A handy head is down here, too. Finally, your captain will stay dry when speeding across the bay, thanks to a wiper-equipped big windshield.