wallypower58 - Photo © Gilles Martin Raget
wallypower58 - Photo © Gilles Martin Raget

When you think about an exclusive boat where design is intertwined with technology and performance, all at the highest level, you cannot help but think about Wally. In the collective (nautical) imaginary, the firm has always been an avant-garde icon. Owning a Wally means being a truly different kind of yachtsman. IFDM has gone onboard the very new wallypower58 model, which made its debut in the exclusive context of the Venice Boat Show. We also had a chance to experience the boat’s performance, including the many details that make a Wally a unique design object. As in the previous models, wallypower58 stands out for the sober elegance and purity of style that have made its predecessor wallypower118 a true icon.

“Inside Wally, we often say that our yachts are 20 years ahead of their time, and this one proves the adage: the wallypower58 pays tribute to the innovative image of the wallypower118, nearly two decades after the latter’s worldwide debut,” says Stefano de Vivo, Managing Director of Wally, which since 2019 is a brand of Gruppo Ferretti. “Of course the wallypower58 incorporates all the technical, practical and constructive advances that have been developed since 2003.”

Seen from outside, the squared, almost severe lines remind us of a military vessel, or a dart shooting across the water. “Like the first wallypower, this model too has clean, essential lines, dominated by the double edge of the hull, the well-designed air intakes and the bow that meets the water with a soft, sinuous line,” says Luca Bassani, the founder of Wally (a brand that will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024) and its Chief Designer. The straight bow and deep-V hull provide exceptional performance: the boat can navigate at 35 knots even in rough seas.

. Going on board, we are greeted by a large cockpit with a comfortable sundeck facing the sea; the folding bulwarks make it possible to literally open the boat at the stern, altering the available areas to reach 25 sqm for the open stern zone and 12 sqm for the sheltered and climate controlled cockpit, furnished with a sofa and a dinette zone, as well as the command post.

The interiors receive abundant natural light thanks to a large skylight, flooding the central full-beam living area that includes a day head for guests. At the bow, the owner’s cabin has a queen-size bed and private bathroom, while the guest cabin is at the stern. A new development of great impact, and unique at least for the moment, is the ‘magic porthole’: this is a large ‘false’ porthole that replaces the large hull windows while still offering an outside view.

“Considering the fact that lateral openings usual ruin the aesthetic purity of the hull, we have decided to remove them completely and to install a video camera on each side of the boat, with 4K resolution and cardanic stabilization,” De Vivo explains. “The video cameras are connected to two screens mounted to the right and left of the saloon, and they create wide outdoor visuals even when the portholes are not there. We are very proud of this innovative solution, which requires less maintenance than portholes, while eliminating the risk of damaging the glass during mooring, and above all guaranteeing maximum privacy, at anchor or in the port.”

Extensive use has been made of carbon fiber (which Luca Bassani has taken on board starting from the first legendary Wally megasailers), and can be seen nearly everywhere: the stairs, the details, even the command post created together with Poltrona Frau). And there is plenty of marine teak wood. Finally, the wallypower58 brings together many of the solutions that have made the latest Wally models famous, including the enveloping glazing without posts of the windscreen, which offers a panoramic view unique for a yacht in this category, while improving safety during navigation.

Photo © Gilles Martin Raget, Toni Meneguzzo