Bluegame, the Sailor's Idea of a Powerboat

An Olympic sailor, an American hull designer and a new owner

Luca Santella sailed for Italy at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics before turning to yacht design, and Bluegame dates its entry into yachting to 2004. The first boat was effectively a one-off, and according to YachtBuyer it caught the eye of offshore racer and entrepreneur Carlo Bonomi at the Monaco Yacht Show, who then financed series production. From the start Santella paired his deck and layout ideas with bottoms drawn by Lou Codega, whose name Americans associate with fishing center consoles, which is why Bluegames run with a sharper entry and more deadrise than most European dayboats.

In 2018 Sanlorenzo took over and brought in Studio Zuccon to work with Santella on styling. Bluegame is based at Ameglia on the Gulf of La Spezia, next to its parent, and has grown from a niche label into a four-line range: the BG walkarounds from 42 to 74 feet, the BGX crossovers from 63 to 83 feet, the BGM75 power multihull, and the BGF45, a foil-assisted catamaran developed from the brand's hydrogen chase boat.

Our two Bluegames, from walkaround to crossover

The Bluegame BG42 launched in 2018, the year of the takeover, and remains the smallest BG. It is a 43-foot walkaround with tall topsides, an elevated center helm, one full-beam cabin, a carbon hardtop and a 22-degree Codega bottom on twin IPS pods. The earlier BG40 of 2011 to 2013 is a different, much rarer design from the founder era.

The Bluegame BGX60, presented at Genoa in 2020, shrank the BGX70 idea: no flybridge, a central wheelhouse, a broad aft deck close to the water and a lower saloon opening onto it. Bluegame lengthened its platform and renamed it BGX63 in 2023, so BGX60s are early-2020s brokerage boats.

Values, support and what to inspect

Bluegames are rare in the US and hold value well because supply is thin and the look has no direct substitute. In America the brand is handled by Sanlorenzo of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale, and the Volvo Penta IPS pods on both of our models can be serviced by any Volvo dealer. Many of the boats for sale are in Europe, so allow for shipping, duty and electrical changes.

Codega's deep-V bottoms reward running offshore but roll more at anchor than flatter hulls, so a gyro stabilizer is worth having.

• Review IPS service history, including pod oil, seals, anodes and any software updates.
• Inspect carbon hardtops and their mounts for cracks, and check roof ladders and sun pads.
• On BGX models, test the cranes, hydraulic platform and aft doors that make the low deck work.
• Confirm whether a Seakeeper is fitted and serviced.
• Check that a BGX60 has not been confused with a BGX63 in the listing.