VENICE
designed there. Here too, older models often serve as an
example. In yet another hangar, the boats are covered
with lacquer. “On a new boat, at least 20 layers are put
on.” About the final costs, Andrea informs us that “a
restored water taxi costs around £80,000, a new one
£176,000. For a tender, you are looking at around
£440,000 to £700,000.”280 PIECES OF WOOD
The Tagliapietras also build and restore boats for some
famous Venetian hotels. During our visit, they are busy
restoring one of the boats of the Cipriani hotel. “This
one had a small collision with a mooring post” says
Andrea, smiling. The Tagliapietras also built the boat of
the Aman Canal Grande Venice. The hotel (and the boat)
received international fame when George Cloony and
Amal Alamuddin married there and used the Aman forAbout Tagliapietra
Tagliapietra is specialised in the construction of water taxis made of
wood or fiberglass. In addition to this, they manufacture wooden boats
and tenders for a more international clientele, of which the design is
made in consultation with the client. They also restore and do
maintenance for the boats of numerous (inter)national clients. Owners of
boats can also use the facilities at the wharf should they wish to restore
or maintain their boats themselves.
More information on http://www.venetianwoodenboat.comtheir trips. The boat is constructed out of mahogany on
oaken rafters with teak floors and steps. The model is
derived from the “lancha reale”, that is on display in the
local Museo Storico Navale, one of the largest museums
in its kind. This royal motorboat was built around 1930
by the ancestors of the Contessa Arrivabene, together
with her husband owner of the Palazzo Papdopoli, in
which the hotel is established. Unlike other boats, the
motor of the Aman is placed underneath the foredeck,
which makes for a more comfortable sail. “We are
examining the possibility of using this technique for our
newest client. The municipality has asked us to make
new water ambulances that are both quick and
manoeuvrable as well as comfortable.”
The famous gondola is not to be forgotten on the
wharf. The construction technique of gondolas remains
virtually unchanged since the days of the legendary
gondola builder Giovanni Tramontin, who is said to
have been so skilled in his work that he made a bet with
his student Alberto Mingaroni and fashioned a gondola
in a single night. Usually, it takes hundreds of hours to
build a gondola. Traditionally, a gondola consists of 280
pieces of wood. The lager part of the hull is oak, while
the thole is cut from a piece of walnut or cherry.
Originally, the gondola is 11m (33ft) long and 1.5m (5ft)
wide, but they often deviate from that.
Each gondolier has his own gondola and every boat is
customised to its gondolier, to his weight and height –
indeed, it is no coincidence that the weight of the iron
bow varies according to the size of the gondolier as it
serves as a mass balancer. Also the steering position, the
oar and the forcola where it rests, are designed and
manufactured considering the height and the arms of the
gondolier. This need to customise gondolas is not an
artistic habit, but rather responds to its peculiar
navigation technique based on arm strength. The
technique is very complex and relies on experience and
direct knowledge of the routes, channels and pitfalls,
quite different from any other traditional navigation
mode. Even today, gondolas are manufactured without
design drawings, only relying on personal knowledge
and the experience of shipwrights, their children and
their students.
“It was a long way from the gondola to the
contemporary wooden motor boat, but we are proud
of our success in both areas” concludes the radiating
Andrea.Above:
searchlight on a
water taxi;
traditional
techniques; the
yard builds
launches for
Venice’s famous
hotels