








When designing lifts for superyachts, aesthetics and functionality must come together, say the CEOs of ICM Lift Marine and Bertazzoni Lift Marine. Thanks to advanced engineering they create bespoke products like the lift on the Codecasa F80 Pleiades, which is concealed under a sofa
by Samuela Urbini - ph. courtesy by ICM Lift Marine and Bertazzoni Lift Marine
The complexity of a design doesn’t always depend on how big a yacht is – the specific requirements of those who are to experience it also play a crucial role. Massimo Bezzi and Gianluca Bertazzoni, CEO of ICM Lift Marine and Bertazzoni Lift Marine respectively, are well aware of this. These two Italian companies have been collaborating for over twenty years in the design, construction and installation of tailor-made lifts for superyachts.
The most striking recent example is the lift created for the F80 Pleiades, a 33-metre Codecasa yacht (used as a tender for a megayacht over 100 metres in length). The owner, who had special mobility requirements, needed a vertical connection between the beach club and main deck. There was, however, only a minimum of space, and the aesthetics had to remain immaculate. “The client wanted nothing to be visible on the deck”, says Bezzi, “but the lift shaft had been sunk to the limit of the keel”. The only possibility was to develop a new system from zero. The result was a lift whose cabin – self-supporting and perfectly stable – emerges beneath a sun lounger. When it’s hidden there’s nothing
The lift designed to measure for the Codecasa F80 Pleiades rises from the beach platform to the main deck, but when it returns it disappears beneath the aft sofa. Opposite page, Gianluca
Above and to side, the Codecasa Pleiades. A disappearing lift was specially designed for the yacht at the request of the female owner. Next to this, a circular lift, typical of Benetti yachts, with white finish complementing the craft’s aesthetics. Opposite page, a model for the latest Sanlorenzo Perla Lunar
to betray its presence. When it’s in operation it transports guests discreetly and in comfort. It was a complex engineering challenge, one that was solved by the synergy between the two teams - ICM for the design and construction of the product, Bertazzoni for the installation.
Extreme projects with unusual specifications are just business as usual for these two companies. Take, for example, requests for special aesthetic personalisation where the engineering aspect of the system must also reflect the finish required by the client, like project 596 by the Italian Sea Group – the first yacht by Armani – where the use of special laminated glass with an integrated metal mesh for the lift shaft and doors demanded a special effort
from the R&D team to identify the best solution. Or when the owner requests a yacht with all-white interiors, so the circular lift, too, has to be painted white where normally it would be finished in a metallic colour, like steel, for example.
Another special demand involved the lift panel buttons – instead of having the floor numbers on them, the owner wanted each button to bear an icon of the activity associated with its respective deck, like the gym, cinema room or bedroom. Or a lift with heated marble floor, making standing on the stone barefoot more comfortable. The numbers speak clearly – over 250 systems produced and installed, an order book stretching into 2027 and collaborations with the world’s largest shipyards - Azimut|Benetti, San Lorenzo,
Ferretti Group (in particular CRN and Riva), Codecasa, Rossinavi, The Italian Sea Group, Gulf Craft, Bilgin Yachts, AES and Mengy, for example, plus the new entry Tankoa Yachts.
For us the market last year grew significantly”, says Gianluca Bertazzoni. “Between June and August 13 yachts featuring lifts will be launched”, he concludes.
Many of these will be on show at the next Monaco Yacht Show, where it will be possible to see the unmistakeable signature of two companies that can make technology invisible without compromising on beauty.
www.bertazzoniascensori.com www.icmliftmarine.com