Thirty Years of Recreational Boating: How Boats and Owners Have Changed. Five Key Figures Share the Industry’s Evolution

A slightly remote “yesterday” for those born in the middle of the Short Twentieth Century, a completely different era for those who grew up after the Y2K bug. Looking back at them with the nostalgia of those who lived through them, or with the detached interest of those who have only heard about them, the nineties appear decidedly “different”: in music, fashion, technology, and cars. And what about pleasure boating? How has our way of experiencing the sea changed over these thirty years? We asked ourselves this while walking among the boats moored in the center of Genoa, at Marina Porto Antico. And not by chance: thirty years ago, this outlet to the sea was returned to the city, beginning to welcome boaters from all over the world. Where today there are docks that accommodate watercraft, motorboats, and superyachts (as well as restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels), for a long time there were only abandoned warehouses, decay, and high fences, creating an impassable barrier between the sea and the city center.

Having reached its thirtieth anniversary, the marina in the center of Genoa has lived through and accompanied the rapid changes in Third-Millennium pleasure boating, becoming a benchmark for the development of effective urban marina facilities at both national and international levels. We therefore took the opportunity to reflect on the recent history of boating with Andrea Barbagelata, President of Marina Porto Antico; as well as with four other key figures in Italian pleasure boating: Roberto Perocchio, President of the Italian Marine Industry Association Assomarinas; Alberto Osculati, Executive Director of the Italian nautical accessories multinational of the same name; Pietro Angelini, General Manager of Navigo, the consortium with the largest network of nautical companies in Tuscany; and Giorgio Casareto, CEO of Portosole Sanremo with extensive experience at Azimut Benetti. Several valuable perspectives to reflect on the changes this sector has experienced over the past three decades.

Yesterday’s Yachts, Today’s Superyachts: The Dimensional Evolution

The first and most obvious change in pleasure boating over recent decades has to do with boat size, an aspect that naturally becomes central when speaking with those who manage berths every day. “In our marina in Genoa, we provide berths for hulls up to 75 meters, and more generally, we are a point of reference for those seeking superyacht berths in Liguria: we have thus experienced firsthand the progressive growth in boat sizes,” explains Barbagelata, recalling that “back in the nineties, a boat around 15 meters could still be considered a luxury yacht.” This threshold, psychological and otherwise, has raised significantly: “I think it can be stated, without fear of being wrong, that nowadays proper luxury boating is discussed above 18 or 20 meters, in a market that has seen an increase in both length and beam in every category.”

This dimensional evolution was certainly not sudden; rather, there were many milestones that led to the dimensions we know today. The rules were largely broken by a few models launched in the years immediately following the creation of Marina Porto Antico: think, for example, of the iconic 17-meter Novamarine HD Seventeen—the one with which Roberto Cavalli popularized the concept of the luxury maxi-RIB internationally in 1999—or that end-of-the-century icon, the Swan 80, the gentle giant designed by Frers, with an overall length of nearly 25 meters.

The dimensional growth of boats has had a particular impact especially on marinas built between the 1970s and 1980s, an era when a “maxi” hull measured little more than ten meters or so. As pointed out by Roberto Perocchio, President of Assomarinas, “older marinas had to undergo a painful transformation: from the perspective of water basins, but also regarding seabed depths, onshore yards and parking areas, haul-out and hoisting equipment, up to increasing electrical power supply.” The gigantism of boats has also produced other effects in the marina industry. “Mirroring the global social structure, we now see boating splitting into two worlds: on one side, units around 10 meters, the ‘people’s boats,’ if you will,” explains Perocchio, “and on the other, units above 24 meters, those belonging to the new global upper class. In a context like this, marinas today find themselves having to choose, also based on their location and core focus, between these two worlds.”

Italian shipyards certainly play a leading role in this trend, producing over half of the world’s yachts over 24 meters. Pietro Angelini, General Manager of Navigo—the largest network of nautical companies in Tuscany and among the main ones in Europe—knows this well. “The progressive growth of boats represents, so to speak, a natural extension: think of the composer Giacomo Puccini, who with his 12-meter Baglietto owned one of the largest pleasure boats of the era,” highlights Angelini, going on to clarify that “driving this extension is first and foremost a quest for greater livability, followed by owners’ desire to have the highest-performing and also largest object.” As is well known, the Viareggio district specializes in the 30 to 50-meter range, producing nearly 40% of global production above 30 meters, with a strong push coming during the COVID years: “in the years prior to the pandemic, there was a tendency toward even larger sizes, whereas from 2020 to today, the most requested size is the one we offer, because production times average 2 to 2.5 years, whereas 80-meter boats require 4 to 5 years or more,” clarifies Navigo’s director. The desire to own a value-driven, masterfully built Italian boat in a shorter timeframe “has therefore slightly slowed down pleasure boating gigantism,” explains Angelini, “without overlooking the fact that today’s 40-meter yachts carry amenities of an almost 50-meter boat, with dual pools, fold-out terraces, and so on. All on more dynamic hulls.”

Less Seafaring Vessel, More Floating Villa: How Boats Have Changed

There is no doubt: nowadays, designers tend to dedicate increasing attention and budget to livability at anchor and in port. As recalled by Giorgio Casareto, CEO of Portosole Sanremo with extensive experience in the Azimut Benetti group, “in the eighties, boats generally had a different use, as the owners themselves were different on average: the boater was more of a sailor, and the boats were more seafaring vessels.” Precisely because of this, Casareto emphasizes, “many people did not approach the world of boating, believing they lacked sufficient skills to handle and manage a boat.”

Today, the scenario has shifted. “Boats, especially motor yachts, are built with a living design logic that is increasingly similar to real estate: volumes have grown, bathrooms have gotten larger, and layouts have changed.” All of this, Casareto elaborates, is reflected in how units are used and managed: “I see so many owners enjoying their boat over the weekend without even leaving the port, managing their vessel as if it were a holiday home. This shift in approach to boating is a consequence of the fast pace of daily life: people seek an escape from stress, and the fact of having a boat in a specific location—where I can simply go, even in slippers, to get away from everything and everyone, or to meet friends—can make all the difference. Ultimately, this is the true value today for anyone buying a boat.”

More floating homes, slightly less transportation vehicles. Alberto Osculati, executive director of the Italian nautical accessories multinational of the same name, shares this view, commenting: “Boats built primarily for cruising are certainly still around, but they are fewer and fewer, designed for a niche of purists. It’s the same thing that happens in the automotive industry: on one hand, people can’t wait for cars to drive themselves, while on the other, we still see high-end and super-sports cars produced with manual transmissions.” And in looking at the evolution of modern boating, some don’t stop at comparisons to floating homes, going a step further: “The vision we have for boating today and tomorrow is that of a boat that effectively becomes an island,” illustrates Angelini, summarizing the perspective of the Tuscan district. “The resulting relationship with the sea is different from the past, especially regarding stern life, which is loved by younger owners who consequently favor beach areas and drop-down side terraces.”

The Era of Dayboating and Convenience

For marina operators, the metamorphosis of the modern boat owner is crystal clear: “Today’s boater is less devoted to long cruises, purely due to scheduling reasons or a lesser inclination toward traditional seamanship, and is instead more inclined toward fragmented boat use—for shorter, faster trips,” highlights Barbagelata. In short, this is the era of dayboating, confirmed by the massive success of day cruisers and maxi-RIBs, which are becoming increasingly luxurious and sought-after. “Furthermore, we cannot overlook that today’s boater is often more interested in the overall experience than in navigation in the classical sense: whereas in the past we had owners always involved in both steering and maintaining the boat, today an increasing number of boaters rely on professional skippers and outsource routine maintenance to third parties,” Barbagelata points out.

Perocchio also confirms that chartering is becoming increasingly central: according to the president of Assomarinas, two main factors drove this trend—the resurgence of passion for the outdoors sparked by the pandemic, and greater spending awareness. “This led to the explosion of the sharing economy, with enthusiasts looking with growing interest at chartering and renting rather than buying.” Simplifying a bit, Perocchio explains, “on one side, small cabin cruisers developed for the middle class, and on the other, massive cabin yachts grew for the upper class; in between, we see the growth of rental and charter options, with boaters seeking convenience and cost optimization.”

How Pleasure Boating Has Changed: Prioritizing Comfort and Ease of Use

Larger, less seafaring, and decidedly more comfortable. As summarized by Alberto Osculati, over recent decades boats have experienced a “crescendo of comfort.” Today’s boaters—partly due to the advancing average age of owners—demand greater comfort in both naval design and equipment options. “A prime and particularly telling example is the boat boarding ladder, which has become wider, with deeper steps: from a purely functional element for climbing back on board, it has evolved into a concrete symbol of onboard comfort, minimizing effort and physical exertion,” explains Osculati, adding that this process led to the evolution of many other onboard accessories: think of the classic deck shower for rinsing off, which today dispenses hot water and comes in sophisticated designs; the traditional bimini top, which after seeing various configurations has been joined by complex, even motorized overhead cover systems; or the marine toilet, now almost universally electric, even on smaller hulls. All of this knowing that today we can find onboard comforts that were simply unthinkable in the nineties. “The most demanding boater aims for a boat equipped with air conditioning, an electric galley, an oven, and a silent generator,” lists Osculati.

Indeed, thirty years ago, when Marina Porto Antico opened, people lived in a completely different technological era. For reference, who remembers what cell phones were like in the late nineties? “Today it is hard to find a pleasure boat that doesn’t feature a screen on the console, whether small or large: it is fair to say that the technological catch-up experienced by pleasure boating in recent decades is largely the child of the same desire for comfort that drove larger dimensions, combined with the pursuit of enhanced safety,” summarizes Barbagelata. And touchscreens on the helm console are certainly not the only proof of onboard electronics: from GPS to joystick systems that ease docking maneuvers, through depth sounders all the way to perimeter sensors. But as the president of Marina Porto Antico points out, technology in boating goes far beyond the helm. “On the most modern vessels, electrification is pervasive: think, for example, of what can be done today with advanced home automation solutions.” All of this, besides significantly increasing onboard well-being, inevitably increases power consumption.

A Look Toward a (More) Sustainable Future

“Thinking about it, it seems almost paradoxical to say that today’s pleasure boats are more energy-intensive than those of the eighties and nineties: innovations like electronic fuel injection and IPS pod drives, combined with the ever-increasing efficiency of marine engines, would allow for cruising with lower fuel consumption,” reflects Andrea Barbagelata 

“but these benefits have been practically offset by the increase in onboard volume and weight.” Instead, electrical demand has surged dramatically due to the massive presence of onboard electrical systems and devices: anchor winches, gyroscopic stabilizers, air conditioners, watermakers, and so forth. “It is no surprise that the multiplication of ‘electric comfort’ has led to higher energy consumption even while moored in port: for this reason, our marina in Genoa features power pedestals capable of supplying up to 400 amps; these same dispensers allow for highly accurate metered billing, encouraging greater user responsibility and reducing the environmental footprint of boating within the marina.”

Major investments have been made in recent decades to decarbonize boating; however, obstacles facing electric powertrains remain obvious, particularly regarding long-range propulsion. “Simply put, that type of demand hasn’t materialized yet,” explains Perocchio, adding however that “we still believe electric boating has a future for quiet, zero-emission cruising that is fun to experience. All this without overlooking the fact that, given the range requirements typical of pleasure boating, methanol and hydrogen represent more promising solutions.”

However, pleasure boating’s path toward greater sustainability cannot be reduced solely to engine evolution. As indicated by Angelini, “it is worth emphasizing the importance of the manufacturing process itself, paying close attention to this phase of a boat’s lifecycle: in our case, for instance, over 90% of the supplies we use are domestic, and nearly 75% come from Tuscany.” A vessel’s level of sustainability would look vastly different if builders instead turned to supplies sourced from other countries or continents, given the environmental impacts linked to less regulated manufacturing processes and subsequent international shipping.

Another topic that shouldn’t be overlooked, as suggested by Osculati, is End-of-Life management: “Among the biggest challenges in boating today is undoubtedly boat end-of-life disposal, an issue that is still far from a real solution. I believe this is the main issue to address on the sustainability front, followed by the urgent need to protect the seabed and improve blackwater management—an aspect that is all too often neglected, which has caused and continues to cause significant damage along our coastlines.”

The Unchanging Core: Boats Were and Still Are Made by Hand

Instinctively, when looking at the evolution of pleasure boating over these decades, one is inclined to emphasize what has changed. Yet there are elements that have remained identical, often in the background, less visible, though essential. This is highlighted by Casareto, whose long career in the nautical industry began as a factory worker at Azimut: “One thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that boats were and still are made by hand; there is still little to no automation in this process. And in the times we live in, this is a very important aspect that unfortunately isn’t emphasized enough. A boat is a large, significant object that requires a huge amount of labor, and that will never change,” explains Casareto. Unfortunately, as the CEO of the Sanremo marina notes, “in communicating with its target audience, the boating world often aligns itself with the luxury sector: perhaps from a marketing standpoint this approach works well, but it certainly attracts some resentment. From my perspective, too little emphasis is placed on the sheer amount of craftsmanship behind building boats: I think of fiberglass work, carpentry, and so many other processes that require time as well as specialized skills.”

How Pleasure Boating Has Changed: Thirty Years of Evolution, Three Decades of Certainty

Boat owners have changed, boats have evolved, and marinas have adapted: every shift generated others, leading to a pleasure boating landscape fundamentally different from that of the nineties. Yet, as we have seen, both small and large aspects have remained unchanged amidst this rapid transformation. In fact, here at Marina Porto Antico, just a few steps away from the most modern and cutting-edge hulls moored in the superyacht berths, stunning Ligurian gozzi and charming Genoese leudi still catch the eye—deeply Mediterranean hulls that have proven they can remain timeless.

Alongside questions about the changes of recent decades, we also secured a glimpse into the future of boating from our expert speakers. Their answers varied widely, offering pieces of the mosaic that will define boating in the coming years: with Perocchio, the discussion touched on demographic decline, which will lead to a reduction in produced hulls as well as a rethinking of layouts. With Osculati, the focus shifted toward the increasingly leisure-driven and less professional side of boating—a factor that will pose a new challenge for builders pushed to rethink hulls for boaters who are increasingly vacationers and somewhat less traditional mariners. Angelini outlined the essential features of tomorrow’s boat, which will be increasingly shape-shifting, altering its appearance to offer different opportunities whether cruising, in port, or at anchor. Casareto highlighted the challenges posed by increases in boat dimensions and energy demands, suggesting that the focus shouldn’t necessarily be on building new ports, but rather on supporting existing ones to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s boating.

Finally, we asked our host for his view on the future of boating. “From a marina operations perspective, among the most pressing questions for the years ahead are certainly those relating to powertrains,” states Barbagelata, explaining that “the emerging energy mix for pleasure boating—between biofuels, hydrogen, and electric—confronts harbors with choices regarding which refueling or recharging services to offer boaters.” Furthermore, according to the president of Marina Porto Antico, another major topic for the sector in the coming years will be artificial intelligence, the inevitable elephant in the room in any conversation about tomorrow. “Managing a modern marina in the age of AI means updating staff skills as well as ensuring we can meet new boater expectations: the development of new apps and AI-driven systems will spur unprecedented requests, such as access to chatbots that, aided by sensors, can provide detailed real-time information about a moored boat at any moment.”

Lastly, Barbagelata draws attention to an aspect that is already beginning to reshape Italian marinas today: “In Italy, marinas have traditionally been tied to a single family or business. Due to the increasingly substantial capital required to build and develop marinas, this landscape is shifting. Following its presence in shipbuilding, the financial sector has entered the marina market in an increasingly marked way, leading to the emergence of the first marina conglomerates.” This shift—especially when compared to the history of harbors like Marina Porto Antico and considering the hurdles slowing down various port projects—will also contribute to making tomorrow’s boating distinctly different.

FAQ on the Evolution of Boating