Some yacht brands begin with a commercial concept. Others emerge from a genuine shipbuilding tradition.
Tuxedo Yachting House belongs firmly to the second category.
Founded in 2020 by Laura and Francesco Ceccarelli, the Italian shipyard carries forward a family heritage spanning more than six decades. Its approach brings together aluminium construction, Italian design, technical expertise and a belief that a yacht should be created around the individual owner rather than produced as a standardised object.
With the presentation of the 40-metre Tuxedo 40 and the beginning of a strategic cooperation with Schillinger Adriatic Partners and The Yacht Mastery, Tuxedo Yachting House is now entering the next stage of its international development.
More Than Six Decades of Italian Yacht Building
The Ceccarelli family’s story in yachting began in 1962, when Aldo Ceccarelli acquired his first shipyard in Liguria.
During the 1970s, the family became closely associated with the Ghibli brand before expanding its production capabilities through the acquisition of Cantieri Navali Lavagna in 1980.
A defining moment followed in 1982 with the launch of the Admiral 22, recognised as the first aluminium yacht built in Italy. At a time when aluminium was still considered unconventional for leisure yachts, the project demonstrated that structural strength, engineering efficiency and refined design could coexist.
The family continued developing increasingly ambitious yachts, including a 40-metre launch in 2007 and a 54-metre yacht in 2008.
Following Aldo Ceccarelli’s passing in 1998, Laura and Francesco continued the family’s work, combining the technical knowledge inherited from previous generations with a more contemporary understanding of design, luxury and the owner experience.
Tuxedo Yachting House: A Family Vision Redefined
Laura and Francesco Ceccarelli founded Tuxedo Yachting House in 2020 to give this heritage a new expression.
Rather than treating customisation as a selection of finishes or optional equipment, the shipyard approaches each yacht as an individual project. The owner’s intended use, cruising plans, lifestyle and personal preferences inform the yacht from its earliest stages.
This philosophy extends across Tuxedo’s aluminium yachts, from more compact models to full-custom superyacht projects.
The objective is not simply to produce a yacht that looks distinctive. It is to create one that feels coherent: technically, aesthetically and operationally.
Balance, proportion, structural integrity and attention to detail take precedence over trends. Innovation is introduced where it improves efficiency, comfort, usability or the long-term ownership experience.
For the Ceccarelli family, a yacht has never been merely an object.
It is a way of life.
Why Aluminium Remains Central to Tuxedo Yachts
Aluminium is more than a construction material within the Tuxedo Yachting House story. It is part of the Ceccarelli family’s shipbuilding identity.
Its favourable strength-to-weight ratio supports efficient performance while providing the structural flexibility required for highly customised projects. It also gives designers and naval architects greater freedom to adapt layouts, dimensions and technical solutions around an owner’s brief.
However, the advantages of aluminium depend on the quality of the engineering, fabrication and integration behind it.
Tuxedo’s approach draws on decades of practical experience working with the material across yachts ranging from approximately 14 to 54 metres. This allows the shipyard to combine the precision of aluminium construction with the refinement expected from contemporary Italian yacht design.
The result is not innovation for its own sake, but a deliberate balance between performance, durability, individuality and elegance.
The Tuxedo 40: Returning to the Superyacht Segment
The Tuxedo 40 represents Tuxedo Yachting House’s return to the large-yacht segment and introduces the new Ceccarelli Collection.
The 40-metre full-custom aluminium superyacht was developed with exterior design by Francesco Paszkowski Design and Sebastian Martinez. Margherita Casprini contributed to the interior concept, while the naval architecture was developed by Names, led by Francesco Rogantin.
With an 8.5-metre beam and approximately 400 gross tonnes, the Tuxedo 40 is conceived as a substantial long-range yacht rather than a purely visual design exercise.
Her semi-displacement hull was developed using computational fluid dynamics to balance efficiency and performance. The project targets a maximum speed above 18 knots, a cruising speed of approximately 15 knots and a range of around 4,000 nautical miles at 11 knots.
The yacht is also prepared for a potential hybrid-propulsion configuration.
Clean exterior lines and carefully controlled proportions give the Tuxedo 40 a contemporary identity, while extensive deck areas and a close connection between interior and exterior spaces place the owner experience at the centre of the design.
The project embodies the wider Tuxedo philosophy: combine advanced engineering with emotional appeal, without allowing one to compromise the other.
Strategic Cooperation With The Yacht Mastery and Franz Schillinger
To support its continued international development, Tuxedo Yachting House has initiated a strategic cooperation with Schillinger Adriatic Partners and The Yacht Mastery, both led by Franz Schillinger.
With more than three decades of international yachting experience, Schillinger has established an extensive professional network across Central and Southeast Europe.
The cooperation is designed to extend beyond the structure of a traditional sales network. It combines international brand development, regional market positioning, strategic partnerships and independent client advisory.
The initial geographic focus includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
Schillinger Adriatic Partners will support Tuxedo Yachting House’s regional development by establishing strategic relationships, expanding the shipyard’s market presence and introducing the brand to yacht owners, professional partners and the wider international yachting community.
The Yacht Mastery’s Client-Side Role
Complementing the regional brand-development strategy, The Yacht Mastery will provide independent yacht advisory for clients evaluating Tuxedo projects.
Its role is client-side and decision-focused: understanding how the owner intends to use the yacht, assessing whether a proposed model or custom project fits that brief and helping the client navigate the practical and strategic implications of the decision.
This can include:
- / Defining the owner’s operational and lifestyle requirements
- / Comparing available yacht and new-build options
- / Evaluating specifications, layouts and customisation possibilities
- / Coordinating shipyard visits and private presentations
- / Arranging and assessing sea trials
- / Reviewing technical, financial and ownership considerations
- / Supporting negotiations and contractual decision-making
- / Providing guidance during construction, acceptance and handover
- / Advising throughout the wider ownership cycle
The objective is not simply to introduce a yacht.
It is to help the client determine whether that yacht represents the right solution.
What the Cooperation Means for Prospective Owners
For prospective owners, the cooperation creates a more structured route into the world of Tuxedo Yachting House.
A custom-yacht project involves far more than choosing a design. Decisions concerning construction, propulsion, range, layout, technical systems, operating profile, crew requirements and long-term ownership costs become interconnected very early in the process.
The consequences of those decisions may not become visible until construction is well advanced—or even after delivery.
By combining direct shipyard access with experienced, independent advisory, prospective owners can approach the process with a clearer understanding of both the possibilities and the compromises involved.
Private presentations, shipyard visits and sea trials can then become part of a wider decision framework rather than isolated sales experiences.
The Next Chapter
Tuxedo Yachting House and The Yacht Mastery share a belief that successful yachting is built on trust, craftsmanship, expertise and long-term relationships.
This cooperation will include editorial publications, strategic marketing initiatives, private presentations, exclusive owner events, sea trials and individually developed client experiences across the region.
For Tuxedo Yachting House, this represents an opportunity to introduce its aluminium expertise and Italian design philosophy to a wider international audience.
For The Yacht Mastery, it provides another direct shipyard relationship through which clients can explore bespoke new-build possibilities while receiving structured, independent guidance.
The Tuxedo 40 may be the most visible expression of this new chapter, but the larger story is one of continuity.
A family shipbuilding heritage that began more than six decades ago is being reinterpreted for a new generation of yacht owners, through aluminium construction, contemporary design and a deeply personal approach to life at sea.
Discover Tuxedo Yachting House
The Yacht Mastery provides independent strategic advice for clients considering a Tuxedo yacht, a bespoke new-build project or alternative opportunities across the international yacht market.
Our role is to help you define the right brief, evaluate the available options and make informed decisions from the first conversation through construction, delivery and ownership.