Ferretti Yachts, the Flybridge Line at the Heart of the Ferretti Group

From Chris-Craft agents in Bologna to a listed yacht group

Brothers Alessandro and Norberto Ferretti moved into boats in 1968 by taking the Italian agency for Chris-Craft. Their first self-built boat, a 10-meter wooden motor sailer, came in 1971, and the first pure motor yacht in 1982. The Forlì yard opened in 1987 and became headquarters, an in-house Engineering Department followed in 1989, and Norberto's Class 1 offshore world titles in 1994 and 1997 gave the yard a racing laboratory. Ferretti of America was set up in 1993.

Acquisitions followed: Custom Line, Pershing, CRN, Riva, Itama, the Florida dealer and service group Allied Marine in 2008, and Wally in 2019. China's Weichai Group took a majority stake in 2012, and in 2013 the Ferretti name was split into product lines, with Ferretti Yachts kept for production flybridges. The group has been listed in Hong Kong since 2022 and in Milan since 2023, and Ferretti Yachts remains its historic core.

Twenty-three flybridges across three design generations

Ferretti has built almost nothing but flybridge motor yachts for three decades, so the useful question is which generation a boat belongs to. As a loose rule, older designs are badged simply Ferretti plus a number, and newer ones carry the full Ferretti Yachts name.

The first generation we cover runs from the late 1990s to about 2012: cherry or teak joinery, shafts and big V12 or 16-cylinder diesels. The 21.2-meter flybridge appears in listings as the Ferretti 68 and in factory data as the Ferretti 680, before the Ferretti 681 restyled it in 2006. The Ferretti 731 put the upper helm on the centerline, and the Ferretti 592 and Ferretti 620 covered the low 60s. At the top sat the Ferretti 880 and, from about 2005, the wider Ferretti 881, some built as a raised-pilothouse RPH.

Studio Zuccon styled the second generation, launched in a burst after Weichai arrived: the Ferretti 690 and Ferretti 870 in 2012, the Ferretti Yachts 960 flagship in 2013 on the 881 bottom, then the Ferretti 750. The Ferretti Yachts 550 and Ferretti Yachts 450 brought the brand back below 60 feet, the Ferretti Yachts 850 reused the first 800's hull, the Ferretti Yachts 780 passed 60 hulls, and the widebody Ferretti Yachts 920 put the owner's suite on the main deck.

Filippo Salvetti's exteriors, usually with Ideaeitalia interiors, define the current generation: the Ferretti Yachts 670 in 2018, Ferretti Yachts 720 in 2019, Ferretti Yachts 500 in 2020, Ferretti Yachts 580 and Ferretti Yachts 860 in 2022, and the Ferretti Yachts 800 in 2025. The current list adds the 940, the 1000 and the explorer-style INFYNITO 80 and 90.

Prices, support and the Ferretti survey

Ferretti values follow the big Italian production pattern: steep early depreciation, then a long, gentle slope. That makes the first generation the bargain tier. A sound 680 or 68 often asks less than a late-2010s 450, and an 881 offers 88 feet and a 22-foot beam for about the price of a new 580. Salvetti boats hold value best. Days on market can run long, so documented boats sell and tired ones wait.

Support is strongest on the East Coast and in Florida, where Allied Marine sells new boats, brokers used ones and runs after-sales service. Power is mostly MAN, with MTU on many larger yachts, Cummins on the 450, 500 and 550, and Volvo Penta on the 580, so line up a factory-trained engine dealer before buying.

• Confirm the generation: the 500, 620, 720, 780 and 800 names have each been used on two unrelated boats.
• Match engines to paperwork, since older MAN V12s, common-rail MAN units and MTU 2000-series ratings differ widely in service cost.
• On V-drive boats, inspect the gearboxes, couplings and shaft alignment.
• Ask whether a Ferretti ARG gyro still works or has been replaced by a Seakeeper.
• Cycle hydraulic platforms, passerelles, tender garages and electric biminis.
• On European imports, confirm US duty status and how the 230-volt, 50-hertz electrics were adapted.