Custom Line Just Unveiled Its New Saetta 128 Superyacht
Custom Line has long been defined by its elegant semi-displacement Navetta yachts, but the new Saetta 128 could mean wider recognition—and a larger following—for its planing superyachts. With the first delivery scheduled for 2026, the first 128 is being built at the Ferretti Group’s Ancona superyacht facility and two others are on order.
Having announced the concept at the Monaco Yacht Show, executives from the Ferretti Group recently added more details about the new Saetta (meaning “arrow” or “dart” in Italian) and how it will be a reset for Custom Line’s faster series, formerly known as the “Planing Line.”
The upper salon delivers another social area on the third deck but adds to the vessel’s sleek profile.
Custom Line
The much more compelling Saetta moniker is more than just a name change. The 128’s athletic lines and expansive, highly livable decks stand apart from Custom Line’s traditional semi-displacement Navetta series, which are more about long-range cruising, extended time aboard and voluminous interiors. But it’s also very different from the Saetta 106, 120, and 140 models, the three vessels that comprised the former Planing Line. “We want to offer Custom Line owners ever-higher standards of wellbeing, liveability and personalization of the onboard experience,” said Giordano Pellacani, the Ferretti Group’s new chief commercial officer, on the webinar.
As the first tri-deck in the Saetta series, the 128 has adopted a different design path from its sisterships. “The main request from the shipyard was to create a true three-deck yacht with a 20-square meter [215-square-foot] salon in the upper deck,” said Matteo Sassone, founder of SY Design, who worked with the Ferretti Group to create a sleek profile for the tri-deck—not an easy exercise for yachts that traditionally look boxy by definition. During the webinar, Sassone pointed to design elements such as the trapezoidal exterior, a Z shape on the superstructure, and chrome railing that distinguish the 128 but also root it in the Custom Line family. The central mast, for instance, is a new feature that resembles a shark’s fin while the rear “spoilers” track with the other Saettas.
The “Perfect Mood” interior aims to be contemporary, simple and elegant, featuring copious space and natural light.
Custom Line
The distinctive sloping stern and sweeping superstructure give the vessel its aerodynamic profile, which is underscored by swathes of glass that provide copious natural light to the salon and staterooms. The interior was designed to synch with the exterior. “The flowing design of the window frames and ceiling cut-outs, taken together with the sleek lines of the custom-built furnishings, gives the project a strong sense of dynamism,” said ACPV Architect’s Patricia Viel, who oversaw the interior design, on the webinar. “The clean, pared-down lines tap into tradition, reinterpreted through contemporary language and elegance.”
That rather esoteric and unmistakably Italian phrasing boils down to a choice of two interior designs, which Viel calls “moods.” The Perfect mood includes chocolate and mocha-colored lacquer and walnut joinery, with maple-parquet flooring matched with white Savec marble and ivory-colored wallpaper. By contrast, the Classic mood incorporates a more plain-looking oak and wallpaper that incorporates more linear patterns.
The designers took advantage of the long forefoot to create a large social area.
Custom Line
The yacht’s renderings show large, well-lit and rectangular spaces with floor-to-ceiling windows and “floating” freestanding décor that Viel compares with the yacht’s ability to plane. (It can reach a top end of 22 knots.) The full-beam primary suite (there are five other staterooms) has a specially designed oversized window that matches the exterior of the yacht while allowing exceptional views from the large suite.
One of the 128’s most compelling areas is the sky lounge on the upper deck. It opens on all sides and connects directly to dining area aft on the outside of the boat. As mentioned, having this large social space was a primary marching order for the SY Design team, but it also adds to the sleek look of the profile. A large social area on the bow, with a Jacuzzi option, makes good use of the boat’s long forefoot.
The well-proportioned design carries across the vessel.
Custom Line
Custom Line’s Navetta series has become its signature in the yachting world, while the Planing Line seemed to settle into the role of under-achiever. The new Saetta 128 promises to change that, especially with new models in the works. At the Monaco press conference, Pellacani said the new planing line would be “full of investments and new ideas.” We can’t wait.
