Bacci pursued Fabio Buzzi for inspiration, shadowing the Italian racing legend and engineer during the Venezia-Trieste-Venezia offshore race

Venice is where Alessandro Bacci was born and raised, and it is there that he says everyone has a boat. He started his career working alongside his father, finishing propellers and setting running parameters. A course in yacht design at the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology, the American school with a century-long history of training naval architects, was where his mother enrolled him. After that, he went on to study engineering. The formal curriculum rarely involved boats in the early years. He preferred to learn by doing.

 Bacci pursued Fabio Buzzi for inspiration

The focus of his education outside the classroom was one figure above all others. Bacci pursued Fabio Buzzi for inspiration, shadowing the Italian racing legend and engineer during the Venezia-Trieste-Venezia offshore race. Buzzi founded FB Design in 1971, going on to accumulate 40 world speed records and 55 world championships before dying in a crash while attempting to set a new speed record in Venice in September 2019. For Bacci, that association proved formative.

The FTS Hull

That research resulted in the FTS (Flow Trimming Step) hull, a design concept that Bacci has spent his career developing and refining. The FTS comprises two geometrically distinct sections: a deep-V bow that is polyhedral and convex, with two or more runners on each side, and a constant, V-shaped stern without runners. The boat's design allows it to plane quickly and reach high top speeds while maintaining an optimal angle of trim with the smallest wetted surface possible. This reduces fuel consumption and improves cruising range without sacrificing handling.

Hull performance is complemented by propulsion tuning.

Experts in marine performance emphasise that choosing the most suitable propeller – taking into account load, pitch, diameter and blade configuration – can considerably improve acceleration, fuel efficiency and maximum speed. Manufacturers and marine service professionals recommend matching propeller design to the operating profile of the vessel, and advanced diagnostics can further refine propulsion efficiency. Integrating propulsion tuning with hull innovation can help to realise the full potential of designs like the FTS. Boating + 2

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The fastest single-engine monohull in the world,

The concept has been hailed as the fastest single-engine monohull in the world, according to the Crouch and Keith performance prediction formulas. This is according to Bacci. The Crouch formula is a standard tool in naval architecture used to predict the performance of a planing boat from its power, weight, and hull characteristics. However, Bacci has not cited an independently ratified speed record, and at the time of publication, Powerboat News had not been able to verify the claim through third-party sources. The last Rialto Sette50, weighing 1,500kg, with a 250hp Mercury Verado and a 27-inch four-blade Mach propeller, has been confirmed to exceed 70 knots.

The Rialto Superboats range,

The Rialto Superboats range, a family of four motorboats spanning 7 to 17 metres, all capable of speeds well above 60 knots, is based on the FTS. The largest model, the Infinity, has a top speed of 80 knots and features two separate night areas. With a length of 38 feet, the Rialto Undici50 can reach speeds of 110 knots thanks to its twin Italtecnica V6 engines. It features a full-height bathroom, which is a rare feature in this size range. All hulls are built in Kevlar and can be customised with different layouts and fittings to the owner’s specifications.

The Next Steps for the Work

In pursuit of enhanced efficiency, Bacci's work is shifting towards a fresh approach. He has recently finished the design of a 60-foot semi-planing hull that displaces 20 tonnes and is capable of reaching 25 knots on only 880 horsepower. If these figures are confirmed, the power-to-speed ratio will represent a considerable improvement for a hull of that size and weight. This kind of performance is important for commercial, charter, patrol and leisure craft applications.

Bacci is also working on a fully integrated project for a 41-foot motorboat, designing the hull around the powertrain from the outset rather than treating it as a separate engineering problem. Bacci says he remains available for design consultancy and collaboration.

( Note : Further details of the 60-foot project will be covered by Powerboat News as they become available )

Source : Powerboat News

# Alessandro Bacci #Venetian Design #Rialto Superboats range # Westlawn Institute #The World’s Fastest Single-Engine Monohull #FTS # FB Design #Italian racing