modular designs make up ferretti’s riva, pershing and itama debuts at cannes yachting festival

ferretti group reveals new models at cannes yachting festival

Ferretti Group unveils nine yacht and boat models, including from Riva, Pershing, Ferretti Yachts, Itama, and Wally, during the Cannes Yachting Festival. Between September 9th and 14th, 2025, visitors to the coastal city were able to hop on a total of 26 boats, six of which were brought over for a public debut. The premieres have shown how the group is working on new hull layouts, updated propulsion, and onboard systems, depending on the type for cruising, sport use, and sustainable boating, but the design star that reigns is the modular designs of most of the models. The Riva stand showed a large number of boats, starting with the Aquariva Special, an updated version of the classic runabout, and the Riva Cento, a limited edition based on the Rivamare, which introduced upgraded systems on board. Another launch was the Riva 58’ Capri, a sport open yacht, and the Riva 112’ Dolcevita Super with wide interior areas and a design made for direct sea access. 

Visitors also saw the Riva El Iseo, the Group’s first fully electric boat built by the Sarnico yard, as well as the Ferretti Yachts 800, a flybridge yacht with a layout built for privacy and open views, and the Itama 54, an open boat made for fast cruising with large outdoor areas. Two models presented earlier in Venice were also present, including the Ferretti Yachts 940 with large glazed walls and the Pershing GTX70 sport utility yacht that links indoor and outdoor zones. In sailing, the Wallywind110 was displayed in the Port Canto section, displaying its updated design for performance sailing. It has been a challenge unveiling nine models in one event, but it is the kind of test that the Group has confronted well. During the roundtable interview designboom was a part of at Cannes Yachting Festival, Alberto Galassi, the Ferretti Group’s CEO, says, ‘In ten years, we’ve come a long way. We’ve been launching five or six models every year – sometimes eight, sometimes nine. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way. You have to innovate and keep up with new tastes. If you compare boats from 20 years ago with today’s, there’s a huge difference; a world apart, as we say. You have to please the customer. You can’t tell them, Buy my boat because I think it’s right. You need to listen: to customers, to competitors, to trends, to where fashion is going.’

all images courtesy of Ferretti Group

Ferretti Group’s Riva unveils four reconfigurable models

Riva leads the most number of premieres from the Ferretti Group: the Aquariva Special, Riva Cento, Riva 58’ Capri and Riva 112’ Dolcevita Super. Each boat model uses layouts and fittings that can be changed or combined, developed with Officina Italiana Design. Across the four projects, Riva combines fixed hulls with parts designed to be replaced, folded, or rearranged. Swim platforms, tables, sunpads, garages, furniture, and skylights use hinges, hydraulic lifts, or tracks so that users can change a space from storage to seating or from dining to sunbathing. The modularity supports different activities without changing the boats’ main structures, and it also lets the yard offer options to the owners in terms of colors, powertrains, and layouts. The result is a fleet where each model keeps its size and propulsion data but lets buyers set furniture, deck covers, and service areas, to name a few. 

The Aquariva Special and Riva Cento have a momentous place in the Ferretti Group’s portfolio. The former continues the line of the Aquarama, while the latter, a limited edition, celebrates the 100th Rivamare unit. For the Aquariva Special, the designers introduce small elements that can be configured. The swim platform at the stern is wider and can receive extra steps or ladders, while the helm station lets owners choose between analog instruments or a digital panel. Seat cushions are available in several colors, and the windscreen frame allows for different glass shapes if required. With the Riva Cento, the deck shows clear modular work. The stern platform is an electro-hydraulic structure that folds down to form a beach area. Inside it holds fenders, Seabobs and a gangway. The central cockpit has a C-shaped sofa under a bimini top built into the seat frame. An electric table can be raised for dining or lowered to make a sunpad, and below deck, a dinette follows the hull form and converts into a double bed. Cushions onboard the water vehicle are offered in biscuit or in a mix of aquamarine and white.

bow of Ferretti’s Riva 58′ Capri at Cannes Yachting Festival 2025

Foldable design elements on board the new boats

Riva continues with the 58’ Capri, which is the start of a new line of sport open yachts. Its structure is based on the Rivale platform, but parts come from the 68’ Diable, showing an interchangeable method. The deck has a fixed hard top covering the whole area, and inside it a retractable bimini runs on electric controls for shade options. A powered intake forward supplies ventilation and can be opened or closed. Then, there’s the Dolcevita Super, a flybridge yacht built at La Spezia. Its decks use modules that enlarge or change shape, and at the stern, the 35 m² beach club links to folding terraces, expanding to 59 m².

Behind a sun sofa, lockers with ventilation hold two Seabobs. The flybridge has freestanding chairs, a bar, and a retractable television facing a central sofa, and these pieces can be moved or replaced without changing the base deck. The interior also follows a modular scheme: the main lounge can be set with dining aft and a lounge forward, or with sofas at the entry and dining in the center.

the Riva 58’ Capri is a sport open yacht

The other models that the Ferretti Group unveiled during the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 include Itama 54, Pershing GTX70, Ferretti Yachts 940, Ferretti Yachts 800, and Wallywind110. Each boat uses layouts, furniture, and fittings that can be adapted, folded, or removed, starting with Itama 54’s bulkheads and furniture that can be reconfigured between storage and living use. Its main deck introduces a double-cockpit layout with two C-shaped sofas, and these seats form two separate areas but can also be joined for one larger zone. A large sunpad is set flush with the deck and can be fitted with cushions or left free to enlarge the walking space. 

The top cover is removable, guests can access the bow through the windshield next to the pilot’s open-air helm, and the passarelle to access the water vehicle is retractable. With the Pershing GTX70, the compact sport utility yacht uses separate modules on the main deck. Its stern has two levels: a beach area that expands when side terraces are opened and a cockpit shaded by the sportfly. A folding door and an up-down glass panel slide to combine this area with the galley and living room for a single open space or several closed zones. Above, a sundeck is split into three modules for sunbathing, dining, and a helm station, and furniture can be shifted or removed according to use. Below deck there are three cabins with en suite bathrooms, separated by light partitions that allow optional storage fittings.

view of Riva 112′ Dolcevita Super

The Ferretti Yachts were also present at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025. The Ferretti Yachts 940’s exterior zones are organized in modular sections that can host seating, sunbathing, or dining, depending on the kind of event. Furniture on the aft deck is freestanding, so owners may change its position or replace items, and large glass surfaces form the sides of the saloon and can be combined with sliding doors for different degrees of openness. Downstairs, movable panels make the guest rooms usable as offices or lounges. As for the Ferretti Yachts 800, a modular stern platform is offered in two sizes, and inside, the saloon may include an optional sliding door on the starboard side. The flybridge also uses detachable furniture and a rail system for shading panels, letting owners configure dining, lounging, or navigation stations.

The Wally Yachts also revealed the Wallywind110, a sailing yacht built from carbon fiber. Its deck contains a sea terrace that folds out from the hull, increasing usable space. The cockpit seating is mounted on tracks and can be moved for social or navigation use, and below deck, the plan includes four cabins, with the VIP suite designed as a flexible module that converts between twin and double layouts and includes an office area. Light panels, carbon supports, and oak finishes form an interior system that can accept future fittings without changing the structure. The carbon mast and rig are built as independent elements connected to the hull with high-strength mounts, allowing upgrades or replacements without a major rebuild.

deck view of Ferretti’s Riva 112′ Dolcevita Super at Cannes Yachting Festival

Modular designs show prominence in the models that the Ferretti Group introduced at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025,  and Alberto Galassi lets us in on the design well the team draws from when they produce a new model. ‘I love being ‘contaminated’ by friends from other industries,’ the Group’s CEO says during designboom’s roundtable interview with him at Cannes Yatching Festival 2025. ‘I talk with contemporary artists, designers, and people like Domenico Dolce (of Dolce & Gabbana), who is like a brother to me. He shares trends, shows me how top clients behave, and tells me what they want, which informs us on how to design our models.

It’s also incredible when a contemporary artist or architect shows you where style is heading, from fashion to buildings to furniture. Things change at the speed of light, so we adapt. Even the car brand Ferrari gives us insights about trends in sports cars, and the team’s feedback is priceless. How do we make this feedback happen? By constantly evolving. It is also by hiring young people, listening to what they like. My own taste can’t evolve that fast, so I also listen to the younger generation because they inform our design choices. You need to listen: to customers, to competitors, to trends, to where the fashion is going.’

the foldable bulwarks extend the platform to make the guests closer to the sea

Riva Cento’s stern platform is an electro-hydraulic structure that folds down

inside the stern holds fenders, Seabobs and a gangway

the compact sport utility yacht uses separate modules on the main deck

the stern has two levels: a beach area that expands and a cockpit shaded by the sportfly

project info:

group: Ferretti | @ferrettigroup

brands: Riva, Itama, Pershing, Ferretti Yachts, Wally | @rivayacht, @itamayacht, @pershingyacht, @ferrettiyachts, @wallyyachts_official 

models: Aquariva Special, Riva Cento, Riva 58’ Capri Riva 112’ Dolcevita Super, Itama 54, Pershing GTX70, Ferretti Yachts 940, Ferretti Yachts 800, Wallywind110

event: Cannes Yachting Festival 2025

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