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FB Design

FB Design is a company established in 1971 by Fabio Buzzi, mechanical engineer and offshore pilot, with the purpose of studying and building high performance motor boats as well as marine transmissions known as Trimax drives, now produced in partnership with the German ZF Corporation. After 30 years in business the boatyard and its R&D department have grown together and the firm continues to develop more and more sophisticated new products.

To create the first and only Center in Italy fully dedicated to the nautical research"; around this idea by Fabio Buzzi happened the lucky meeting of capable men. Public Administration, Ecology and Technological Development have found the best possible intend in order to harmonize demands which are usually in conflict. With appropriate colors and minimalist structures, perfectly set in the wild natural setting of the mountains, which plunge "in that branch of the lake of Como", Moregatto is ready to fulfill its new role: research. Scientific methodology requires constancy of the test conditions, which the lake is capable of during every season of the year. Further more, discretion is an important requirement and the secluded place suits this purpose, in perfect harmony with the varied wildlife that enrich the environment.

Fabio Buzzi was born in Lecco in 1943, and is descendent from a family tied for centuries to the art of building and design. His powerboat competition career started in 1960 and he graduated in mechanical engineering in 1971 from the Polytechnical University of Turin where he took a degree in mechanical engineering with a thesis on a self-constructed vehicle. Fabio Buzzi founded his industrial activity in the boating sector in 1972, under the FB Design trademark.

Fabio Buzzi began to compete in offshore racing in 1978, when he won the Italian and European Class 3 Championships. The following year he set the world speed record for diesel boats using a VM engine at a top speed of 191.58 km/h. In 1986 he designed the Seatek engine, founding this company to produce diesel engines with a very high performance. With this engine in 1988 he became Italian, European and World Champion of the Open class. FB Design boats have won a total of 52 World Championships, the Harmsworth Trophy 7 times and have set 40 world speed records. Buzzi himself has won 10 World Championships.

In 1992, using a Seatek-powered boat he again succeeded in beating the diesel record at the speed of 252 Km/h. In 2004 Fabio Buzzi is again world champion of P classes in Key West, wins the Harmsworth Trophy, set two long distance records (Venice-Montecarlo and Tampa-Miami) and wins the Pavia-Venezia race at an average speed of 198 km/h with a hydroplane powered by a gas turbine, at the respectable age of 61! In 2008 FB won the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes of 182 miles, with the restored Cesa 1882 / Red FPT, and he completed the race in 2h 18' 5' at an average speed of 91 mph. In 2010 Red FPT (with Fabio Buzzi, Emilio Riganti and Simon Powell) won both heat 1 "Cowes 100" and heat 2 "Cowes-Torquay-Cowes" of the UIM Marathon World Cup races.

On Tuesday July 12th, 2016, the crew headed by entrepreneur Fabio Buzzi and composed of Mario Invernizzi, Antonio Binda, Eric Hoorn, Stefano Gibelli, has succeeded in setting the new record between Montecarlo - Roccella Jonica - Venice. The previous record, set by Mario Invernizzi in September 2011 with the "Kerakoll" racing boat was 22 hours 13 minutes and 17 seconds. Five years later, with a time of 22 hours 5 minutes and 42 seconds, the boat FB 60’ (a 18-meter, designed for rescue operations and maritime control with two MTU engines of 1600 hp) produced by the shipyard FB Design.

For years the main activity of the company was the competition. In more than 40 years of activity FB Design won a total of 52 World Championships, the Harmsworth Trophy 7 times (1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2010) and have set 56 world speed records established in all existing classes, both UIM and APBA in US.

Due to the decline of the competitive powerboat field, the company took advantage of the experience made in making fast racing boats and began to extend the production also to the military field. In the last 15 years, FB Design has developed a full range of military boats, adopted by the top Military and Coast Guard Organisations worldwide, based on an impressive series of patents, related to hulls, drives, propellers, gearboxes, waterjets and gas turbines.

Even if FB Design production is now mainly oriented to the military, the company is still making very fast leisure boats for very demanding customers that want at the same time very high performances and reliability. Nowadays the company occupies a 12000 sqm site, complete with modern workshops for all phases of production where 40 technicians look after the production of prototypes, racing, and high performance patrol crafts.

FB Design develops new craft and submits them to the stress cycle of offshore racing and winning without charging experimental design costs to the customer. All the hulls, drives and fittings are always tested in the top racing and endurance contests, which are a demanding proving ground that ensures the highest quality.

FB Design is the only yard in the world whose craft have set world endurance and speed records in every existing class, with all types of hulls. At present the main thrust of FB Design’s activity is devoted to the construction of high speed patrol boats on behalf of many naval organisations all over the world, such as the Italian "Guardia di Finanza" and Coast Guard, as well as the South African and Greek special forces, the Turkish Customs and the Hong Kong anti terrorism Police and Custom units.