RIVALTA SCRIVIA (AL) – The launch of ChallengerPro, a coating system for yachts and superyachts positioned in the high-end segment, provided the opportunity to review Boero’s development plans within the marine industry.

The company opened the doors of its Rivalta Scrivia production site, which covers 120,000 square metres and employs around 140 people, retracing a history that began in 1831, the year the company was founded, while also presenting its growth strategies.

Since 2021, Boero, a historic name in Genoese industry, has been part of the Portuguese CIN Group, previously a minority shareholder. In 2025, CIN closed with revenues of €447 million (+11.8% compared to 2024), driven mainly by its strong presence in the construction sector (58%) and industrial sector (23%), while yachting accounts for 7% of total revenues. Looking specifically at Boero Group figures, the company states it is the tenth-largest coatings manufacturer in Europe and thirty-third worldwide: revenues reached €140 million (+20% compared to 2024), with 500 employees, 3,000 customers and operations in 50 countries. Innovation remains one of the most striking aspects, not only because 3% of revenues are allocated to research, but also thanks to the atmosphere inside the Rivalta laboratories and production halls, where young researchers and modern machinery coexist side by side.

Almost all this activity is managed internally, although collaborations with prestigious institutions such as the CNR, Politecnico di Milano and the University of Genoa also play a role. According to the company, continuous interaction with external stakeholders — from shipyards to owners and captains — is essential.

Since January 2025, the Rivalta site also includes an Academy mainly dedicated to training both internal personnel and client teams using the products, especially applicators. More often, however, Boero technicians travel directly to shipyards to train operators on site.

The group operates in yachting through two commercial brands: Boero Yacht Coatings, focused on professional and naval applications and covering 50% of the Italian market, and Veneziani, mainly dedicated to sailing and recreational boating.

For yachts and superyachts, regardless of whether they are built in fiberglass, steel or aluminium, the protection and coating scheme remains unchanged: the hull treatment cycle still consists of four layers — primer, filler, primer and top coat. This system has been applied to more than 1,000 yachts that Boero now references within the sector, including the sailing yacht Caoz 14, used to test coating durability six years after its 2019 refit, and Francesca Clapcich’s IMOCA 11th Hour Racing, which represented another technical challenge for the company due to the eleven colours reproduced on the hull.

Also noteworthy is the collaboration with the Ferrari Hypersail project, for which Boero acts as technical partner.

“Our key markets today are Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands and the Middle East, but in the near future we are also looking closely at the American market,” explained marketing director Riccardo Carpanese. “We prefer to supply complete solutions, from filler to top coat, in order to maintain control over the entire process,” he added, stressing that the new-build market is more important for Boero than the refit segment, contrary to what one might expect.

ChallengerPro is the result of a fifteen-year development process based on an existing product already in the catalogue. It is effectively a system range integrating advanced materials, from primer to top coat, and aims to position itself as the highest expression of coatings dedicated to the most prestigious yachts.

Riccardo Masnata