Floating Life’s model: expanding services, selective client portfolio

Yacht management came first and remains the company’s original core business. But today the Swiss-based Floating Life Group also operates in charter, brokerage, new build consultancy, owner’s representation and surveying.

The group’s services have become increasingly diversified and high value-added, yet they all share the same foundation: maximum customisation, meticulous attention to detail and strict adherence to ethical principles.

The philosophy established by founders Andrea Pezzini and Barbara Tambani has led the company to focus on service quality and long-term relationships built on mutual trust. Many of its clients have been with the company for years. Rather than pursuing volume, Floating Life has followed a path of steady growth since its foundation, including during some of the most challenging periods for the yachting industry.

An example?

“We currently have a team of 32 people managing around 26 yachts. Our staff-to-yacht ratio is almost 1:1, whereas many competitors operate at ratios of 4:1 or even 5:1. We intend to keep it that way by maintaining a limited number of clients and yachts under management, ensuring the highest level of service,” explains Pezzini, drawing on experience gained from working on more than 100 yachts in various roles.

The yacht management fee is also fixed, a choice that provides clients with greater transparency and cost control while ensuring the company a predictable cash flow.

Floating Life’s owner’s representative and surveying activities, developed around a carefully selected portfolio of projects, have seen significant growth in recent months with two new appointments: overseeing the construction of a Maiora M30 and a 42-metre superyacht, both under construction in Italy, in addition to an already ongoing 48-metre full-custom Baglietto project.

Floating Life’s dedicated New Build division, established in September 2024, coordinates technical supervision, contract reviews, construction monitoring and day-to-day communication with the shipyard, an activity that can be particularly delicate given the complexity of such projects. Once Floating Life joins a project, it becomes the primary interface between owner and shipyard: all technical information is analysed and channelled through a single point of contact, while the owner retains final decision-making authority.

“Today the role of the surveyor goes far beyond simple technical supervision. In many projects the surveyor’s responsibilities increasingly overlap with those of the owner’s representative and often become one and the same. This is one of the reasons why Floating Life initially joins projects as surveyor before later assuming broader responsibilities as owner’s representative, thanks to its ability to coordinate owners, shipyards, suppliers and all the technical parties involved throughout the construction process,” says Pezzini.

The objective is to work alongside the shipyard while protecting the owner’s interests throughout the entire construction process. Thanks to the experience gained from numerous new-build projects, this role can also provide valuable support to the shipyard itself by helping identify effective and, in some cases, more cost-efficient solutions.

Ultimately, as the group’s founder summarises, the goal is simply to ensure that the yacht is delivered with as few issues as possible. The owner may invest slightly more during construction, but this can significantly increase the yacht’s resale value.

Attention to detail remains paramount. In practical terms, this often translates into a considerable number of remarks submitted to the shipyard during construction. “Some shipyards are initially surprised by the number of our remarks, but they often end up asking us to assist them with technical matters,” Pezzini says with a smile, highlighting how this level of thoroughness is ultimately recognised as a sign of professionalism and technical rigour.

Floating Life does not focus on a specific size range of yachts.

“As a general indication, we deal with yachts of around 500 GT, but our focus is not on the yacht’s size — it’s on the people. We take on the client, not the yacht.”

The company’s services also extend to the administrative side of projects, including responsibility for change orders and, in some cases, representing the leasing company by signing construction progress certificates.

The context evolves, but the philosophy that has driven Floating Life’s uninterrupted growth since 2002 remains unchanged: delivering highly personalised services built on expertise, transparency and meticulous attention to detail.

Riccardo Masnata

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