New Boat: Pirelli 42

Pirelli stakes its claim in a competitive American market with the stylish and sizzling 42.

Photos by Robert Holland

Kick in the Tires

Miami these days is nothing short of gobsmacking. Florida has seen its population grow for 12 straight years since 2010, and is projected to add another 5 million people (and 250,000 boats) over the next decade, according to Marine Industries Association of South Florida. And money—the kind that makes bank accounts look like they have typos in them—has flooded the state as well, particularly during the pandemic. From Ponte Vedra to Palm Beach, Naples to Hallandale, the rising financial waters lifted all yachts. But perhaps nowhere is that trend clearer than in Miami. In a city where ostentation has long been an artform, Miami transformed itself during the pandemic, losing much of the grit that leveled the edges to even its glitziest neighborhoods. The rich got richer, and the boating market boomed along with the size of waterfront mansions. In a city that stakes its claim on its ability to shine, garnering your own bit of shine has become next to impossible.

Enter the Pirelli 42.

Pirelli is of course, a famous Italian tire maker and the connection between the boatbuilder and the tires is mostly relegated to a licensing agreement. But recently, Pirelli boats’ parent company for the past 15 years, Tecnorib, merged with a main competitor, Sacs. The two formed like Voltron into Sacs Tecnorib and set eyes on larger targets; namely the U.S. market. The Pirelli 42, as well as its sisterships the 35, and the 50—which debuts at the 2023 Miami boat show—will now be sold exclusively by Florida’s Marine Connection. It’s a risk. For a variety of reasons. RIBs have never been as popular in America as they have in Europe (or Australia, for that matter, where Pirelli sells a third of its marine products.) In this size range, Americans tend to opt for more traditional center consoles for aesthetic and supply reasons, as well as unfounded fears that the inflatable hulls might pop (they won’t).

However, Gianni De Bonis, CEO of Sacs Tecnorib, thinks the time is right to win over some hearts and minds. “We’ve designed this boat with a more international feel to it,” he told me at the Pirelli stand at the 2022 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. “In the Med, the entire boat is sunbeds, sunbeds, sunbeds. The layout we have for America is more versatile. But of course, the hull and the performance are the same, and that is something that is very important to us.”

De Bonis promised 53-knot speeds from this boat, which is powered by triple 450-horsepower Mercury racing outboards and has a twin-step hull designed by Ocke Mannerfelt, a Swede with a deep racing-boat pedigree.

It was therefore fitting that a few days after the show, I headed to a dock just off Aventura’s Northeast 188th Street, the notorious Thunderboat Row—so named for its pivotal role as the headquarters for the American speedboat industry—to give the Pirelli 42 a good kick in the tires. Please forgive the pun.

Though the connection between the boatbuilder and the tire maker is minimal, one onboard accent does immediately catch the eye. There are racing tread graphics printed at increments running vertically down the inflatable hulls and atop the anchor locker at the bow. It’s a feature that immediately stands out.

After boarding, we fired up the engines and idled down the canal toward the ICW under a furnace-hot sun. After a week at the Lauderdale show doing my best not to get sunburnt, I was determined not to get roasted on this, my final day in town. The boat’s standard hardtop helped immensely in this regard all day long, while also acting as a perch for two of the ten Fusion speakers that blasted loud and clear classic rock through most of our sea trial.

While moving at slow speed, I had the chance to inspect the boat thoroughly and came away impressed with the details. The welding in particular was a coup—seamless and smooth on all the stainless steel, including highly useful yet unobtrusively placed handrails that were right where I needed them, every time. The metalwork also had an exceptionally sturdy quality to it. A small, foldout step to starboard that helps with boarding locked into place with such a satisfying and solid clunk that I opened and closed it thrice, just for fun.

Despite De Bonis’s words, the layout is indeed sunpad-y, with one forward and one aft, though a convertible backrest on the cockpit pad did make for seating at the amidships table as well. The table is serviced by a wet bar and barbecue on the after portion of the center console.

Once we shimmied our way out to the ICW, I was offered the wheel for what I anticipated would be a memorable boat test. I sidled to a standstill and lined up nearly perfectly with Sunny Isle’s Porsche Design Tower in the middle distance. (The beachfront skyscraper is famous for having an elevator-garage that takes residents and their cars directly to their apartments. It strikes me as a cloying gimmick, but underlines how determined some people are to differentiate themselves from their peers in this part of the world.)

I made sure everyone was holding on tight and slammed the throttles. The Cerberus-like configuration of the Mercurys snarled behind us as if guarding the gates of the Underworld. The Pirelli rocketed forward, and was up on plane by four seconds and hit 40 knots nine seconds after that. It was riveting, and right in line with the brand’s heritage. But the boat wasn’t done. The speedometer kept climbing as we galloped down the channel toward Downtown Miami. With the deafening wind roaring in my ears, I kept glancing down at the needle as it spiked to 50.9 knots. Usually I downthrottle once I ascertain a boat’s top speed to save fuel as a courtesy to the builder, but the Pirelli was so fun to drive that I misplaced my manners. I snaked looping turns between the markers before pointing the bow straight back into the channel. The tracking and grip were remarkable. My only complaint is that it was lake flat, so I didn’t get to see how the Pirelli handled in a sea.

Faster than seemed possible, we pulled near the skyscrapers of downtown and idled up to Pace Picnic Island, a small urban oasis just north of the Venetian Causeway. The tiny island simply doesn’t seem possible. Just a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of a major U.S. metropolis, it was all mangroves and white sand beaches licked by ripples of soap-green water. For my money, this is the best of Miami, where city meets sea in a way it does nowhere else in the country. We lingered for a while as our photographer captured some of the shots you’ll see in this story before loading up again and zipping off to the Standard Hotel.

At the Standard, throngs of well-heeled and nearly naked guests lounged poolside and noshed on passionfruit ceviche and lobster rolls under retro-chic, white-and-yellow umbrellas. We pulled the boat right up next to the restaurant so the diners could get a look at this rubber-enveloped rocket ship. At first, as I might have guessed, the response was muted. Nobody seemed to care and eyes fixed straight ahead in conversation or down at a phone. But soon, two bikini-clad hotel guests in their mid-20s stood up. They leaned on the bayside railing and eyed the Pirelli up and down from 15 feet away, speaking softly to one another. After a brief interlude, one of the girls piped up. “Hey!” She shouted over to me, waving a hand to grab my attention. “Tell me about your boat.”

Pirelli 42 Specifications:

LOA: 42’11”
Beam: 13’6″
Draft: 1’10”
Fuel: 250 gal.
Water: 52 gal.
Power: 3/450-hp Mercury 450R
Cruise Speed: 40 knots
Top Speed: 51 knots

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This article originally appeared in the April 2023 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.

Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boats/pirelli-42-boat-review