This Elegant Italian Cruiser Just Debuted at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, and You Can Drive It ‘Off the Lot’
With demand for high-end boats still outstripping supply, visitors to this week’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show are facing the reality of delivery dates stretching two to four years from now.
But there’s one boat quietly making its North American debut at the show that can be “driven off the lot” today, and at a price that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars less than the competition.
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The classic Gagliotta Lobster 35, from Naples shipyard Cantieri Gagliotta, is the first US spec example from the Italian builder. And to create a little buzz, it’s being offered with a highly competitive sticker price of $799,000. That compares to well over $1 million for most diesel-powered inboard rivals.
“We’ve been building boats in Naples since the early 1950s using true Italian artisans,” Claudio Sergio, head of US sales for Gagliotta. “We’re not a volume yard. We make around 15 boats a year, of which only eight or nine are Lobster 35s.”
Seeing an Italian-built boat that mimics the most classic of American designs—the lobster boat—is unusual, but having it at America’s largest boat show is even more of a testament to the builder’s faith in its product.
This Down East-styled 37-footer was first introduced in Europe and Gagliotta tested the US waters at the 2018 Newport Boat Show in Rhode Island. But with the onset of Covid, the plan to take on US builders like Hinckley and Sabre from Europe was quietly dropped.
After a chance meeting between Gagliotta ’s Sergio and Walter Johnson and Leeann Iacino, who head up global real-estate agents Engel & Völkers’ Yachting division, the Italian builder decided to give America another try, with Engel & Völkers as its exclusive broker.
“Interest in Down East-style dayboats is really high right now,” Johnson told Robb Report. “Many of the luxury waterfront properties we specialize in have a dock ready for a new boat. It’s a great synergy.”
Inspired by those classic Maine lobster boat lines embraced by the likes of Hinckley, MJM, Sabre and Alden, the 35-footer features an imposing bow, raked-back windshield, sweeping pilothouse sides and miles of varnished teak and mahogany.
Powered by a pair of 270hp Mercury 3.0-liter V6 diesels with Bravo outdrives, the Gagliotta has a top speed of 36 mph and cruises comfortably at 30.
Its deck layout is designed for family fun on the water, with an oversized cockpit with seating for eight and a table that powers up out of the floor. There’s also a compact galley under the hardtop, and a large swim platform at the stern. Up front on the cabin roof is a sunpad for topping up that tan.
For nights on the hook, the cabin has a double berth in the bow, and a large head with stand-up shower. And there’s quality and craftsmanship throughout, with steam-bent solid mahogany trim, curved, leather-covered walls, Corian surfaces and solid stainless-steel fixtures.
Early next year Gagliotta will unveil its all-new Lobster 53 flagship and has plans for an outboard version of the 35.
In the meantime, there’s that 35 at FLIBS, just looking for an American owner. “It’s unusual in today’s market that someone could buy a boat like ours and literally drive it away,” said Sergio. “Of course, we’d kindly ask them to wait until the show closes before they take delivery.”
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