Luca Dini designed a 55-metre platform with the look of a sports car, with which Tankoa is shaking up the segment of aluminium formats under 500 Gross Tons. The second T55 Sportiva celebrates the open aft deck with pool, party terrace and DJ booth. It is not called "Loewe" by chance.
There it sits, a work of art of a television. Standing in front of the glass front of the upper deck lounge and yet somewhat in the walkway on the port side. The set attracts attention, and it should. The yacht name "Loewe", with oe and in a familiar font, makes it the elephant in the room. Put one and one together? In this case, there is no need to make any assumptions about the identity of the owner. In fact, the 55 metres are managed by the CEO of the consumer electronics manufacturer. Loewe continues to manufacture premium devices such as the Iconic Inspire in its Upper Franconian factory.
His floating stage is based on a similar production approach. Tankoa Yachts built "Loewe" in Genoa as the second model in the new T55 Sportiva series, for which they collaborated with Luca Dini Design & Architecture for the first time. The Italians see themselves as a "boutique shipyard" for formats over 45 metres long - small, fine and in line with northern European standards, as they say. This probably primarily refers to loyalty in terms of deadlines, details and customer relationships. Founded in 2008, the shipyard, whose name is derived from the Genoese word for scorpion, has always been owned by the Orsi family. Industrialist Guido Orsi owned Baglietto for almost ten years, while his son Guido Jr. is now Vice President and welcomes customers in the cockpit in German.
New series is rich in features
Orsi speaks German because of the family company's business there. With a smile, he asks for the tour to be conducted in English. "Just a few weeks ago, Loewe headphones were presented here, which were created in cooperation with Jacob & Jacob," he reports, once again confirming the connection between Benamsung and the owner. Football star Mbappé, who has a stake in Loewe, also came on board. After the detour, the yacht named "Loewe" returned to its origins. In Genoa, the yacht builders prepared the new model for the trade fair in Monaco.
With the T55 Sportiva, Tankoa wants to build on the S501, which has been built six times since 2018. The new model continues the design and dynamic lines and yet sets itself apart, which is immediately clear from its slender stature. The S501 has a width of 9.40 metres and is also five metres shorter. Tankoa is also taking an interesting route in terms of interior volume. Up to 760 gross tonnes is not untypical for the length segment, whereas Tankoa's 55 metres remain under 500 gross tonnes. The Genoese pushed for an even more richly equipped base for the new Mini series, although the well-constructed aluminium platform is typically heavily modified by Tankoa owners. Luca Dini and his team had to combine the appearance of a sports car that is deep in the water and expresses speed with its flat, angular, fluid silhouette with a wealth of features that are otherwise offered by more voluminous displacement formats.
Aft deck splendour as a calling card
"The beach club has amenities such as a sauna, hammam, gym, massage area and Nemo Lounge. And the lift is rather unusual for yachts under 500 gross tonnes." Features that the charter market is likely to honour. The "Loewe" owner had commercial use in mind from the outset and requested a layout with six guest cabins instead of the original five. Ocean Independence organises week trips in the Mediterranean from 400,000 euros. Orsi starts the tour at the bottom aft. The pool, which is around four metres long, is almost level with the waterline and leads past bulwarks and through fully glazed doors into the interior.
As construction number two, "Loewe" entered her element just a few weeks later as "Rose". They can be easily distinguished by the opposing underwater windows. The sisters were built in parallel, a rather unusual decision for a new model. Normally, shipyards start by courting buyers with build number one. Tankoa's custom mentality is also evident in the twin approach: "Of course, this generally takes more time. On 'Rose', the Nemo windows are on the port side, which means that the folding platform remains on the starboard side and therefore on the side of the passerelle. That was a considerable amount of extra work for us," says Orsi, referring to the movable dropside, an element that has almost become a matter of course in this size segment and initiated the trend towards open stern architecture. The credo of the al-fresco movement: Seeking closeness to nature and not isolating oneself in raised cockpits.
On "Loewe", the view from the hammam wanders into the underwater world. If the steam room windows mist up too much, it is worth taking a seat on cushions or sun loungers directly in front of the arm-thick laminated safety glass. "It's a kind of unique feature, a statement that we really wanted to make," says Giovanni Parronchi, Concept and Exterior Designer at Luca Dini Design & Architecture, emphasising the relevance of the Nemo niche. Parronchi and Orsi take us outside, where the studio from Florence had to realise an important requirement of the "Loewe" owner. The cockpit is closed off aft by a permanently installed DJ booth, which has a 20 square metre dance floor at its feet when the pool floor is raised.
Party, water sports or relaxation
The arrangement is made for a party boat and yet multifunctional: benches on the sides cleverly conceal the Muring harness and open up sheltered retreats behind the glass bulwarks. Two Seadoo GTX Limited 325s as well as Seabobs, three e-foilers from Fliteboard and an e-surfboard are available to guests for water sports activities on and around the inflatable dock. Water skiing and wakeboarding is done behind an Axopar 37 Cross Cabin, which sails in the shade or towed by the mother ship. A 505 diesel jet is parked in the open tender bay of the foredeck, which guests on the top floor can see from the rectangular Jacuzzi with glass coaming. If a helipad is desired, Tankoa can also build the T55 with a closed foredeck, says Guido Orsi. The Vice President adds: "The open-plan concept runs through all the outdoor areas, and everything on the sun deck can also be rearranged. The owner loves to throw parties." The saloon continues the airy, clear design line as a representative of the interior. The mirror motif on the ceiling, which Luca Dini and his team placed at the top of all living areas at the owner's request, immediately catches the eye. In the ten-metre-long room, the textured glossy surface creates a sense of expanse through blurred reflections. "The interior reflects the spirit of the owner and his company very well. We have three colours: Grey, white and black. Everything is very clean, coherent and sporty," explains Carlotta Malatesta, Head of Interior at Luca Dini, in the salon. The contrast of the exterior is created here by light-coloured Italian design furniture and black-framed panoramic windows. An undulating crystal chandelier marks the location of the dining area. Those wishing to dine outside can use the spiral staircase behind the airy, laminated panelling or the lift amidships. Forward, the main deck is occupied by the galley and owner's cabin, which interior designer Malatesta shows off. As in all the guest cabins, the bed headboards and bedside tables are customised, while the floating bed on the upper deck is flanked by a hybrid chaise longue and sideboard and another large sliding glass door.
The walking deck is transformed by gates and the whirlpool into a private balcony. As an alternative to the pool, Tankoa has created an office, which is then located on the starboard side in the entrance area. On the port side on all decks is the passageway for the crew of ten, who occupy the forward lower deck. The captain occupies a small cabin in the bridge alignment. From the first cabin on board, guests can quickly go aft or all the way up from the balcony, with a bow lounge inviting them to linger on the way there directly in front of the bridge. The majority of the open spaces are furnished with sofas in bright colours. Carlotta Malatesta explains: "They are from Edra. Thanks to a new outdoor fabric, they look like pieces of furniture that have a similar shape indoors."
Dini design: Symbiotic exterior and interior
Exterior and interior blur for good reason, as Giovanni Parronchi explains: "I am responsible for the studio's preliminary designs. I start with the lines, layouts and volume calculations. After 3D modelling, I pass the finished box on to Carlotta and her interior design team." For a semi-custom concept, the T55 Sportiva surprises with a high level of detail and tapered superstructures with chamfers, curves and hard edges. "3D models simplify communication with the shipyard. It quickly becomes clear what is possible and what is not," explains Parronchi. Tankoa and Dini even leave room for individualisation in the exterior design. The curved "back" of "Loewe's" superstructure contains a perforation in a hexagon pattern, which the transom picks up on and which can be understood as a reference to loudspeaker grilles. A masculine design language predominates. There is the evil eye, in which the main deck window band ends, or the bow stylised as a "shark's mouth". The aluminium structure underneath shares another attribute with the powerful hunter: hydrodynamic efficiency. The InNave design only needs two CAT gensets with 1,193 kilowatts each to reach a top speed of just under 20 knots.
There are huge differences in performance between aluminium yachts of the same length: sister "Rose" sails with 831 kilowatt engines, while competitors often install power plants with twice the total output. "Loewe" could cross the Atlantic with full 60,000-litre tanks and a speed of twelve knots and be manoeuvred through the Bahamas by the captain on the other side without breaking a sweat thanks to a draught of just 2.40 metres.
Finally, Guido Orsi emphasises in the engine room: "We always have a control room, even on the new 45-metre formats." Tankoa is currently building three units of the entry-level model, as four- and five-deckers. Following the Otam acquisition, the course in Genoa is still set for expansion. In autumn, a US American ordered 61 custom metres with lines from the shipyard's own design team. This takes us back to our roots and to 2015, when Tankoa launched the 69-metre "Suerte". The nine current orders include 52 metres by Philippe Briand, a 56-metre Mancini design and three one-offs, each 50 metres long. A third T55 Sportiva, due for completion in 2027, is still without a buyer. "Loewe" is an excellent advertisement for the versatility of the new series - and the brand of the same name.
Technical data
- Length over everything: 55 m
- Width: 9 m
- Depth: 2,40 m
- Displacement (full): 455 t
- Gross tonnage: 499 Gross Tons
- Material: Aluminium
- Motors: 2 x CAT C32 Engine power: 2 x 1,193 kW
- Speed (max.): 20 kn
- Speed (travelling): 12 kn
- Range @ 12 kn: 3,800 nm
- Generators: 3 × Kohler 78 kW
- Fuel: 60.000 l
- Guests: 12
- Crew: 10
- Construction: InNave
- Exterior design: Luca Dini
- Interior design: Luca Dini
- Class: RINA, ABS Shipyard: Tankoa Yachts, 2025
- Charter: Ocean Independence
