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Comfort is Key to Securing New Sailing Owners, says Nautor’s Swan CEO Giovanni Pomati

27 May 2020 • Written by Holly Overton

Comfort is the key to securing new sailing yacht owners, according to chief executive of Nautor’s Swan, Giovanni Pomati.

Speaking in the latest episode of our lockdown series At Home With BOAT, Pomati said that comfort is becoming an increasingly important part of yachting. With sailing yachts accounting for just 10-15% of the large luxury boat market, “comfort can be a key for us to bring more and more to sailing yachts.”

“We have to find a way to get sailing boats to be more comfortable and to be more luxury-oriented, but we cannot give up our DNA that is elegance and performance.”

Before joining Nautor’s Swan in 2018, Pomati spent 20 years in the automotive sector. He believes the yachting industry can learn something from luxury car manufacturers. Today, he says, SUVs are a key business driver for Porsche accounting for over 50% of sales, which comes down to one thing: "comfort, comfort, comfort."

“Our racing boat must have a little bit of comfort and luxury and our cruising boats must have a good performance.” And Nautor's Swan's latest offerings aim to provide just that.

There are seven models currently under construction at the Finnish yard including the first 30 metre Swan 98, which is set to debut at the Monaco Yacht Show, as well as the first Maxi Swan 120. “The new hulls are helping us a lot because they are wider, with more volume, they heel less, and the new boats are also faster, which is helping us to bring more people in.”

The 120 bears particular importance to Nautor's Swan, representing a new era of larger, luxury and ocean-capable cruisers. “This is a comeback to the big bluewater boats."

In the episode, Pomati says that the future of Swan will rely on new models. "You need to have new products. New products create business.

“Like in the car industry there are product cycles and we need to start today for what will come in four and five years. You have to grow a new generation of sailors.”

When asked if a catamaran could be on the cards for Nautor's Swan, Pomati said, "for the time being we think we still have something to say in monohulls."

For more At Home With BOAT interviews, click here.

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