About AB Yachts shipyard
About AB Yachts
Italian AB Yachts was founded in 1992 by naval architect Angelo Arnaboldi, who had also been head of Studio Arnaboldi since 1984. The shipyard chose the niche of innovative sports yachts from the very beginning. A powerful impetus for its development was its entry in 2001 into the FIPA group (Fabbrica Italiana Panfili), which appeared in 1980 as Francesco Guidetti and Mirna Santucci’s family business and was initially produced components for shipyards. Over time, it grew into a yacht-building holding. In 2021 FIPA changed its name to Next Yacht Group and at present comprises three yacht brands: Maiora, AB Yachts and CBI Navi.
AB Yachts is the sportiest of them and is best for those looking for dynamic boating without compromising on comfort and even luxury on board.
The yard specializes in building production and and semi-custom yachts of 24-45 m, mainly with planing hulls. There are plans to add projects of 50-71 m, too.
Today, AB Yachts production facilities are in Viareggio and the city of Massa (Tuscany region). In addition to yacht construction, AB Yachts also provides after-sales service, leveraging the capabilities of Next Yacht Group. This includes yacht maintenance, refit, storage, emergency operational assistance (thanks to a well-developed partner network, technical issues can be resolved worldwide) and management assistance: from yacht certification and registration to crew selection and flag changes.
Highlights
AB Yachts' signature feature is waterjet engines: it was the first company in the world to fit all its yachts with them, achieving impressive speed figures from 46 to 58 knots on different models. In addition to efficiency and smooth operation, water jets are easy to maintain and due to the shallow draft allow access to shallow water.
AB Yachts was also the first to introduce computer modelling programs into production, which made it possible to optimize both the contours and each element of a yacht.
Another key innovation of the shipyard is the production of composite hulls, the structural elements of which are connected with special adhesives that reduce vibration and increase the strength of the structure (technologies borrowed from the aerospace industry). The shipyard uses modern composites, resins, GRP, carbon fibre and Kevlar.
All AB Yachts models stand out for distinctive sporty design and remarkable power, combined with a smooth ride and a flexible layout – customers can choose a flybridge or hardtop version and customize the deck plans to suit their tastes.
Achievements
The yard’s largest yacht to date is the 44.6-metre AB145 Fast & Furious, delivered in 2015. In 2016 she was shortlisted for World Superyacht Awards and ShowBoat Design Awards.
Right after her premiere, the AB 100 Superfast (30.5 m) at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2021 won the World Yachts Trophies for “Best Exterior Design”.
In 2025, the AB 110 (33.7 m) was recognized as the best at the World Superyacht Awards in the category of “Semi-Displacement or Planing Motor Yachts” of 30-39.9 m
