Wally Yachts

Wally Yachts is a Monaco-headquartered luxury yacht brand founded in 1994 by Italian entrepreneur Luca Bassani. The company began with sailing yachts and later expanded into motor-yacht design, establishing a portfolio that spans performance-oriented sailing boats, large cruising and flybridge sailing yachts, and distinctive high-speed motor yachts. Its identity is closely associated with strong visual design, performance, and the integration of advanced construction materials and technology. The brand’s early and continuing focus on sailing produced a range of yachts at very different scales. At the smaller end, the Wallynano 37 was presented as a day sailer measuring 37 feet. At the larger end, Wally developed the 166-foot Better Place, a carbon-fiber flybridge sloop. This range illustrates the brand’s movement beyond a single standardized yacht format: Wally has worked across compact sailing craft, large custom or semi-custom sailing yachts, and motor-yacht projects. Wally is particularly associated with the use of carbon fiber in yacht construction. Carbon fiber can support lightweight structures and performance-oriented design, although the material’s use is part of a broader technical and architectural approach rather than a product category by itself. Wally’s public identity has therefore combined naval performance with a deliberately modern exterior language and an emphasis on innovation. A prominent example of the motor-yacht direction was the 118 WallyPower. The vessel attracted attention beyond the yachting sector through its appearance in the 2005 film The Island, where it was incorporated into the film’s futuristic visual world. It had also appeared on the British television program Top Gear in a 2004 episode. These appearances helped make the yacht recognizable to a wider audience, although they were media features rather than evidence of a separate entertainment business. On 31 January 2019, Ferretti Group acquired Wally Yachts. The transaction placed the Monaco brand within one of the major international groups in the yacht industry while retaining Wally as a distinct brand identity. Wally’s known scope remains centered on the design and production of sailing and motor yachts. Publicly available reference material does not establish a complete current product roster, annual sales figures, ownership structure beyond the Ferretti Group acquisition, or a comprehensive list of current executives. Accordingly, those details are left unspecified here.

Wally Yachts was founded in 1994 by Italian entrepreneur Luca Bassani. The company initially concentrated on sailing boats, developing a brand identity around distinctive design, performance, and the use of advanced construction techniques. Rather than limiting itself to a conventional production-sailboat range, Wally worked across several scales and formats, from relatively compact day sailers to large sailing yachts. The Wallynano 37 represents the smaller end of the sailing portfolio. At 37 feet, it was conceived as a day sailer, making it an example of the brand’s application of its design language to a comparatively accessible yacht size within the luxury sailing market. At the other end of the scale, Wally developed Better Place, a 166-foot carbon-fiber flybridge sloop. The contrast between these vessels demonstrates the breadth of the company’s sailing work and its interest in combining sailing performance with contemporary superyacht design. Wally became especially associated with carbon fiber as a yacht-building material. Its use of carbon fiber formed part of the company’s effort to reduce weight and support performance-led yacht architecture. The material also contributed to the brand’s reputation for technical experimentation and modern construction. Public reference material identifies Wally as a pioneer in the use of carbon fiber in yacht building, although it does not provide a complete chronology of every material or engineering development used across the range. After establishing itself through sailing yachts, Wally expanded into the design of motor yachts. One of the best-known projects from this phase was the 118 WallyPower. The yacht’s distinctive appearance and performance-oriented concept attracted attention well beyond the yacht industry. In 2004 it was featured on the British television program Top Gear, and in 2005 it appeared in The Island, a film starring Ewan McGregor. In the film, the yacht was used as part of the story’s futuristic visual setting. These appearances reinforced the public visibility of the 118 WallyPower but were media exposure rather than separate Wally business lines. Wally was headquartered in Monaco, an important location for the international yachting sector. Its activities encompassed sailing-yacht and motor-yacht design and production, with examples ranging from day sailers and large sailing yachts to advanced motor yachts. The available reference material does not document a full chronology of individual launches, shipyard partners, sales, or annual financial performance, so those elements cannot be stated reliably here. On 31 January 2019, Ferretti Group acquired Wally Yachts. The acquisition brought Wally into the Ferretti Group portfolio while preserving the brand as a distinct name. This corporate change marked the clearest documented ownership milestone in the available material. Wally remains identified as a luxury yacht brand associated with innovative design, carbon-fiber construction, sailing yachts, and motor yachts.

1. 2019Ferretti Group acquisition

   Ferretti Group acquired Wally Yachts on 31 January 2019.

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2. 2005118 WallyPower appears in The Island

   The 118 WallyPower appeared in the film The Island, extending the project’s visibility beyond the yacht industry.

   Source
3. 2004118 WallyPower appears on Top Gear

   The 118 WallyPower was featured in an episode of the British television program Top Gear.

   Source
4. 1994Wally Yachts is founded

   Italian entrepreneur Luca Bassani founded Wally, initially focusing the business on sailing boats.

   Source

A design-led luxury yacht brand combining sailing and motor-yacht development with performance-oriented engineering, modern styling, and advanced materials such as carbon fiber.

• Wallynano 37Sailing yacht

  The Wallynano 37 is a 37-foot day sailer associated with the smaller end of Wally’s sailing-yacht portfolio. It illustrates the brand’s application of modern styling and performance-oriented design to a compact sailing platform rather than only to large superyachts.

• Better PlaceLarge sailing yacht

  Better Place is a 166-foot flybridge carbon-fiber sloop. It represents Wally’s large-yacht sailing work and its use of carbon fiber in the construction of performance-focused, contemporary sailing yachts.

• 118 WallyPowerMotor yacht

  The 118 WallyPower is a prominent Wally motor-yacht project. It became widely recognizable for its distinctive design and was featured on Top Gear in 2004 and in the 2005 film The Island. The available reference material does not specify production volume or current availability.

• 2019Ferretti Group acquires Wally YachtsM&A

  Wally had developed a recognizable luxury-yacht identity across sailing and motor yachts, including projects associated with carbon-fiber construction.

  What changed. Ferretti Group completed the acquisition of Wally Yachts on 31 January 2019.

  Aftermath. Wally became part of the Ferretti Group portfolio while continuing to be identified as a distinct yacht brand.

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• 2019Ferretti Group acquires Wally Yachts

  Ferretti Group acquired Wally Yachts on 31 January 2019, bringing the Monaco-based yacht brand into its corporate portfolio.

  M&A
  Source
• 2005118 WallyPower appears in The Island

  The 118 WallyPower was featured in the film The Island, giving the motor yacht visibility outside the specialist yachting press.

  Other
  Source
• 2004118 WallyPower featured on Top Gear

  The 118 WallyPower appeared in a 2004 episode of the British television program Top Gear.

  Other
  Source

1. Wally Yachts
2. Wally official website