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This up-and-coming Genovese shipyard gets all the little things right.
You may not be overly familiar with Tankoa Yachts and that’s OK—in fact it’s by design. The Genoa builder prides itself on only building a few yachts a year with a very bespoke approach for a small group of sophisticated clientele. For example, the 236-foot Tankoa Casino Royale was built for an American yachting legend (whose name shall not be disclosed but IYKYK).
The builder constructs its yachts using steel and aluminum, and its range spans from 147- to 246-feet long, with both semi-displacement and full-displacement hullforms available. The yard was founded in 2007 by the Italian industrialist Guido Orsi in concert with former members of Baglietto’s upper-management team. Meanwhile the CEO, Vincenzo Poerio, had a long run at Benetti, so the pedigrees certainly run deep at Tankoa—as do the reasons to own one.
Due to highly stylish designs, savant-level of attention to detail, and scarcity, Tankoas perform very well on the brokerage market. If you decide to build or buy one of these yachts, you can rest assured that when the time comes, you’ll be able to unload it rather easily.
Tankoa’s aesthetic appeal can largely be chalked up to one man, the designer Francesco Paszkowski. The Florence-based designer has worked with such outfits at Heesen, CRN, and ISA, but some of his best work is on display with Tankoas like Kinda and Grey. Paskowski’s famous low-profile and masculine lines are often nicely complemented by less common paintjobs like grays and blacks.
“Tankoa is a special yard in that they offer some of the highest build quality to be found in Italy,” says Boomer Jousma. “That’s a testament to their smart management team, their highly skilled craftsmen, and an army of hard-working employees that create a product they feel can compete with not just any yacht made in Italy, but made anywhere in Europe too. I really respect this relatively new builder’s ambition, and have come to really like their boats too. With the lines and the paintjobs, when you bring a Tankoa into port you are really making a statement about your style and experience as a yachtsman.”
Currently, the Italian Yacht Group has a 147-foot Tankoa under construction in Genoa. The yacht, which is named Go, is part of Tankoa’s T450 line. It is defined by its modern lines and generous exterior entertainment spaces, encompassing a massive cockpit, a spacious flybridge, and a sundeck with a hot tub, bar, and shaded dining area. The yacht also has a beautiful foredeck lounge that should be a hit when the vessel is underway or docked stern-to in the Med, where it will split time with the Caribbean. Go also sleeps 12 in six cabins, including a main-deck owner’s suite. The main salon features a dining table for ten and 270-degree lines of sight through enormous windows.
Jousma is particularly proud of this project. “We are really pleased to be working with Tankoa on Go,” he says. “This is an impressive yard and a project that we think everyone, owner, builder, and broker, will really be proud of once it gets out into the world. And we really enjoy working with Tankoa specifically because of their professionalism, ingenuity, and a real emphasis on getting the little things perfect.”
That’s a very strong vote of confidence for a relatively young and boutique shipyard. But it’s warranted thanks to Tankoa’s unblemished track record of consistently turning out yachts that are as dazzling as they are well built. This is a brand that anyone with a serious interest in yachts should be thinking about.
