When observing a newly launched yacht, attention is almost always drawn to the design, the onboard spaces and the styling solutions. Far less frequently do people consider the work that makes the balance between performance, safety, comfort and reliability possible. Yet it is precisely during this phase, often invisible to owners and the public, that much of a yacht’s quality is determined.

Andrea Agrusta, founder and Managing Director of Navalhead, belongs to that group of professionals who transform ideas, requirements and design concepts into projects that can truly navigate. We met him at the Blue Design Summit, where he shared his professional journey and his perspective on the challenges currently reshaping yacht and superyacht design: from hydrodynamics to new environmental regulations, from increasingly open beach clubs to the impact that larger volumes and new technologies have on a yacht’s behaviour at sea.

PressMare – Let’s start from the beginning. How did Andrea Agrusta become a naval engineer? Was it passion that led you to this profession?

Andrea Agrusta – It was the meeting point of two worlds that accompanied my growth from childhood. On one side there was the sea, thanks to my father: sailing, fishing, water skiing and boats. On the other side there was design, through my mother’s family, which included architects, engineers and designers. I spent a lot of time in their professional studios and, at a certain point, I realised that I wanted to do the same kind of work, but applied to boats. I was about eight years old and I have never changed my mind since.

PM – What educational path did you follow?

AA – I graduated in Naval Architecture at the University of Trieste. Afterwards, I attended a Master’s programme in Yacht Design at the University of Genoa, completed a PhD in Hydrodynamics and earned an MBA to broaden my managerial skills. I continue to study physics today because I believe education should be a continuous journey. To innovate and improve, curiosity must remain alive.

PM – How did your professional career develop?

AA – I started more than twenty years ago at the Starkel studio in Trieste, working mainly on sailing yachts. It was an important learning experience because it taught me the importance of lightweight construction, materials and weight optimisation. During that period, I also took part in the Maxi Dolphin 51 Power project, one of the very first boats equipped with IPS propulsion.

Later, I joined Fincantieri to contribute to the creation of the Mega Yacht division in La Spezia. It was a fundamental experience for understanding industrial organisation, processes and methodology. In essence, I had the opportunity to combine two complementary approaches: product efficiency and process efficiency.

PM – Was Navalhead born from this experience?

AA – Yes. Navalhead was founded in 2010 with the specific goal of combining these two aspects. The name is an acronym for Hydrodynamics Engineering Advanced Design. The idea was to create a company capable of handling highly technological projects while maintaining a strong focus on innovation and the practical application of developed solutions. Today, around 300 boats have been built based on our work, and we operate almost exclusively in the yacht and superyacht sector.

PM – What does Navalhead do today?

AA – We handle the entire basic engineering package of a vessel. We start with the hull and move through propulsion, manoeuvrability, stability, structures, systems and engine rooms. For some clients, we also provide detailed engineering and project management services. The objective is to support the project throughout its entire development process.

PM – Which shipyards do you mainly work with today?

AA – We mainly collaborate with Ocean Alexander, Tankoa, Azimut, Benetti, Cantiere delle Marche, Palumbo and Next Yacht Group. Over the years, we have also worked with several other leading companies in the sector.

PM – Ocean Alexander has given you direct exposure to the Asian industrial model. What differences have you noticed compared to Italy?

AA – The differences are significant. Ocean Alexander is a highly integrated company that carries out much of its production in-house. In Italy, by contrast, yachting is based on a network of highly specialised companies working together throughout the supply chain.

Taiwanese labour is extremely organised, precise and efficient, but it would be difficult for them to replicate the Italian construction model; it would represent a true revolution. When completely new processes are introduced, adaptation can become very complex. In Italy, we benefit from greater flexibility and a stronger ability to find alternative solutions. However, if it were possible to combine Italian creativity with Asian operational discipline, the result would probably be an extremely competitive industrial model.

PM – It is often said that yachting innovates less than other industrial sectors. Do you agree?

AA – To some extent, yes. Yachting often adopts innovations that originate in aerospace, automotive or commercial shipping. This is a natural consequence of the size of the sector and its priorities. A yacht is not created to fulfil a primary function but to offer an exclusive user experience. This makes it more difficult to introduce radical innovations. The challenge is making innovation tangible and useful for owners, demonstrating how it can translate into greater comfort, safety or efficiency.

PM – How important is comfort in yacht design today?

AA – It is extremely important. We use parameters derived from commercial shipping, such as the Motion Sickness Index and the Motion Interruption Index. The first measures the probability that a person will suffer from seasickness on board, while the second evaluates how much the vessel’s movements interfere with normal onboard activities. These tools allow us to design yachts that are more comfortable and easier to enjoy for both guests and crew.

PM – How much has the engineer’s work changed with the advent of CFD?

AA – Profoundly. Today, Computational Fluid Dynamics allows us to achieve levels of accuracy comparable to towing tank testing, but with significantly lower costs and shorter timescales. Once the digital model has been created, we can quickly evaluate a large number of design variations and even optimise existing projects.

PM – How much do modern styling trends, such as large glazed surfaces, fold-down terraces and increasingly open beach clubs, affect your work?

AA – They represent some of the most complex design challenges we face today. Every moving element introduces new variables and potential critical points. This is why we perform dynamic structural simulations aimed at reproducing the real operating conditions the yacht will encounter over the years.

It is not enough to verify that a system works during sea trials; we must understand how it will behave after hundreds or even thousands of opening and closing cycles, and under demanding sea and weather conditions. Testing the opening and closing of a hatch while the yacht is in the shipyard, out of the water, is one thing; achieving the same efficiency at sea, with waves and wind, is another. Everything must be designed while accounting for structural movements, thermal expansion and the correct tolerances.

PM – How important is direct navigation experience in the design process?

AA – It is essential. That is why our team includes people who have worked in shipyards or have professional seagoing experience. If you do not understand how a yacht will actually be used, it is difficult to design effective solutions. Theoretical knowledge must always be supported by practical experience.

PM – Modern yachts are becoming larger and more voluminous. How does this trend affect design?

AA – It has a huge impact. The market demands increasingly generous spaces, which inevitably leads to wider yachts with greater internal volumes. The challenge is maintaining high standards of stability, comfort and seakeeping despite these characteristics. It is one of the most complex aspects of contemporary yacht design.

PM – SCR systems and Tier III regulations are also changing engine room design considerably.

AA – Absolutely. SCR systems occupy significant space and are forcing a complete rethink of engine room architecture. In many cases, their footprint is comparable to that of the engines themselves, creating major consequences for onboard space planning.

PM – Sustainability is a major topic in yachting. What is your view?

AA – I believe the issue must be approached with realism. Yachting can improve significantly in many areas: production processes, energy efficiency, materials and fuel consumption. However, describing a yacht as a truly sustainable product risks becoming an oversimplification. We are talking about complex objects built from large quantities of materials and designed to move considerable masses.

For this reason, I consider weight reduction to be the most effective tool available. A lighter yacht requires less material to build, less energy to operate and fewer resources to dispose of at the end of its life cycle. In my view, lightweight design remains the most concrete way to improve the sustainability of the entire lifecycle of a yacht.

PM – What is the main added value Navalhead offers its clients?

AA – A deep understanding of the product. Our task is not simply to develop a technically correct project but to guide shipyards, designers and owners towards a solution that will work effectively over the long term. We strive to transform an idea into a reliable, safe and usable yacht. That is why many of our clients continue to work with us year after year.

From his early experiences with sailing yachts to major international projects, Andrea Agrusta’s career reflects the evolution of a professional figure working at the intersection of research, industry and navigation. A vision in which technology is not an end in itself, but a tool for creating better, more efficient vessels that are genuinely suited to the way they are used at sea.