Damiano Lancia, manager – responsible for the refitting area, talks about the second refitting of one of the symbol boats Vismara, LUCE GUIDA an 80 feet of elegance and majesty.
How long time have you been part of the Vismara team?
D.L. 3 years
Your role in the company?
D.L. Customer care / service manager, responsible for the refit area
What do you think is the best strategy to conduct a perfect refitting that will satisfy the company and the owner?
D.L. The strategy varies a lot depending on the type of refit, then type of boat and types of work required, but also very much depending on the owner: if I had to define a base line I would go on a discounted cliche that is the respect of timing, quality of processing and optimization of time to commit resources on several fronts at the same time so as not to overlap work and be able to move forward on multiple orders simultaneously.
But what I consider fundamental is the relationship of trust that must be established with the shipowner, both from a human and professional point of view: keeping it up to date, involving it where it is necessary, NOT involving it when it is not needed, giving a formal communication that also includes a a human relationship, always explaining the reasons for the choices made and being ready to listen to it, always assessing how important a request is for him, consistent with the boat’s philosophy, technically feasible and how much it can affect the timing of the shipyard: for that it is fundamental to understand the owner, as he uses the boat and how the boat was born and was designed
The most complex work of this refitting?
D.L. 2 things:
Building a part of the deckhouse that was born from the window and transform it into a continuous area creating 2 new flush-mountings for the aft guest cabins
Replace the original bow thruster with a retractable and more powerful model: we had to modify the sailor cabin, obtain a new wheel and a new access ladder to make room for the more cumbersome machinery, closed the existing tunnel by re-gluing part of the hull
The funniest thing about this refitting?
D.L. The crew
And joking aside I had a lot of fun designing and designing personally (which I rarely do now) is all the new tenadalino and spray hood that will follow the tapered line of the deckhouse and the new stern sundress strongly desired by the owner and designed so that is: usable as locker, then openable, easily removable (for example in the case of a regatta) and with a perimetral led band at the bottom for a scenic effect on the quay
To this I add that every boat, despite the stress and complexity here we are faced by the whole refit team in a serene atmosphere that gives way to have moments on board in which there is occasionally some laughter: it’s the beauty and the luck of be part of a team of professionals who like to do this job, perhaps the real added value to be able to be “unique” in this kind of transformation
