GUIDA DESIGN - YACHT NAVAL ARCHITECTURE
FRANCESCO
GUIDA
FOUNDER & DESIGNER
Naval engineer, designer, and builder — four decades shaping the way Italy goes to sea
THE MIND BEHIND SANTASEVERA
A unique character — a cross between a nobleman of yesteryear and the deus ex machina of the nautical sector.
PORTRAIT
NAPLES. Born August 1963
GUIDA DESIGN
Naval Architecture & Design
The Neapolitan naval engineer is both genial and reserved. Having spent decades designing boats that are at once beautiful and quietly revolutionary, Francesco Guida is one of the true go-to names in the industry — the designer behind some of the most recognizable hulls and interiors afloat, and now the owner and creative force behind Santasevera.
For an American owner weighing a new Italian marque, his name is the assurance: this is not a start-up reaching for the water. It is a lifetime of yards, launches and lessons, distilled into a single flagship.
A LIFELONG PASSION
Francesco Guida — Cannes, 2019
Francesco Guida's connection with the sea began during his formative years
Francesco Guida's connection with the sea began during his formative years, through sailing and time spent in shipyards. Those experiences shaped a conviction that still defines his work: every project starts from a direct understanding of how a boat is actually used.
After graduating in Naval and Mechanical Engineering, he built an international career spanning more than four decades, holding senior positions in general management, product development and the coordination of complex programmes within the yachting industry. He contributed to the development of complete yacht ranges and to the organisation of the industrial processes behind them.
That background is the cultural foundation of Santasevera: an independent design culture in which consistency, proportion and the onboard experience guide every decision.
“ANYONE DESIGNING A BOAT NEEDS TO KNOW THE SEA FIRSTHAND. A BOAT IS NOT SIMPLY AN OBJECT OF DESIGN; IT IS A SPACE THAT HAS TO RESPOND NATURALLY TO THE WAY IT IS USED.”
FRANCESCO GUIDA
A PHILOSOPHY OF LIVING ABOARD
INNOVATION, NOT SPECTACLE
For Guida, innovation has never meant astonishing lines for their own sake. “It means developing and testing potential new ways of living on board — new uses for boats that are in step with the times we live in.”
His boats are proof. The Magnum 35, the first sport-fisherman built in Italy. The Italcraft 51, the first motorcraft with a tender garage. The Arcadia series, which in 2008 rewrote the whole yacht concept with a glazed deckhouse and solar panels. Guida looks to the past to improve on the present — taking a mainstay and giving it a modern twist.
THE AZIMUT LINE
Interiors from the S6 to the revolutionary S10 — for the Azimut·Benetti Group
FOUR DECADES OF BUILDING
THE CAREER
From technical director to founder — a path through the most storied yards in Italian yachting.
ITALIANCRAFT - Technical Director
1986
Joins a leading shipyard, designing and building new vessels from 38 to 65 feet — among them the Italcraft 51, the first motorcraft with a tender garage.
1989
13 Years
SANLORENZO
General Director
Leads the creation, design and development of yachts from 62 to over 100 feet, and coordinates the acquisition and refit of the ex-Crestitalia yard at Ameglia. Under his direction, turnover climbs from five billion lire to fifty-five million euro.
2001
To 2003
ILVER
General Director
Directs production of the 33, 47 and 58-foot yachts and the styling of the 30, 39, 41 and 49. In parallel, oversees builds for the historic Magnum Marine shipyard in Florida.
2006
To 2016
ARCADIA YACHTS
Founder & Director General
Creates the shipyard from the ground up — production facility, technical and commercial divisions — and develops models from 58 to 115 feet. The 2008 glazed-deckhouse, solar-panelled Arcadia revolutionises the category; by 2016 the yard exceeds forty million euro in revenue.
2003
To 2023
Two decades of independent practice — exteriors, interiors and engineering for Palumbo’s ISA Extra and Extra Fast series, the 80m Columbus Dragon, the Azimut S Line, Cantiere delle Marche, Otam, Baglietto, Codecasa and more.
THE RETURN
2022
MAGNUM MARINE, FLORIDA
Reopening
Returns to Magnum after nineteen years to lead the re-opening and resume production of the 47, 60 and 70-foot motoryachts.
TODAY
THE FLAGSHIP
SANTASEVERA YACHTS
Owner & Founder
His own marque — a 16.35-metre Italian motoryacht built around a fully flush deck. Everything before it was preparation for this.
OTHER THINGS ARE MUCH MORE USEFUL, LIKE SAILING AND KNOWING THE HISTORY OF YACHT DESIGN.
YOU CAN DESIGN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOATS IN THE WORLD BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE EXPERIENCE OR A BACKGROUND, YOU WILL GET NOWHERE.
FRANCESCO GUIDA - ON WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS IN BOAT DESIGN
Selected Works
FRANCESCO’S PORTFOLIO
A small selection from a body of work spanning sport boats, day cruisers and full-displacement megayachts.
INNOVATION PER SE DOESN'T SO MUCH MEAN CREATING INNOVATIVE OR ASTONISHING LINES, BUT DEVELOPING AND TESTING-OUT POTENTIAL NEW WAYS OF ONBOARD LIVING AND NEW USES FOR BOATS THAT ARE IN STEP WITH THE TIMES WE LIVE IN.
FRANCESCO GUIDA - ON HIS DEFINITION OF INNOVATION
SELECTED CREDITS
Design, interiors and engineering delivered through the studio, 2003–2023 and beyond.
FRANCESCO GUIDA FINALLY BUILT HIS DREAM PROJECT.
A REVOLUTION. THE PERFECT TENDER.
A PIECE OF ORIGAMI THAT'S BEAUTIFUL BOTH CLOSED AND OPEN.
NOW HIS NEW VISION HAS A NAME.
SANTASEVERA
SANTASEVERA 52
A 16.35-metre Italian motoryacht built around a fully flush deck — the distillation of a lifetime’s work, now sailing for America.
THE FORMS OF THE FUTURE WILL HAVE TO BE SIMPLE. THEY WILL HAVE TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN CLOSED SURFACES AND GLAZED ONES AND BE LOW TO IMPROVE STABILITY.
FRANCESCO GUIDA - ON WHERE DESIGN IS HEADING