Shipyard
Since 1870, BALSAMO has been a leading name in the world of shipbuilding thanks to the work of our founder Luigi, the great-grandfather of the current owners Antonio and Massimo Balsamo. Its early activities took place in the “Bocce” area, known as “Lo Squero” in local dialect, which currently corresponds to the area in front of the Maritime Station in the heart of the port of Brindisi, where working and fishing vessels were built.
The name of Luigi appears as owner, in 1960, from the state concession for Antonio. Already at that time, the shipyard designed, built and maintained wooden boats for clients throughout the country. In 1980, Luigi Balsamo requested and received regular state licenses at Ponte Grande, the site where the current boatyard is still located today.
The modern story of the Naval Balsamo boatyard starts with this new shipyard. Right from the start it would involve the close collaboration of the sons of Luigi: Antonio, machine captain and master carpenter regularly enrolled in the lists of technical shipbuilding personnel at the “Gente Di Mare” offices at the Harbour Master, and Massimo, a specialised technician in building and renovating boats in GRP, wood and metal in charge of the natural continuation of his father’s activities.
Services quality
The development of the nautical sector, together with Balsamo’s accredited and exclusive expertise, has seen us invest in the gradual adaptation of existing facilities.
We are based in an area of around 5,000 square metres on the ground and another 5,000 in the opposing sea, equipped with 150 metres of pontoons with draught from 3-6 metres. In following the tradition and experience that we have accumulated in our shipbuilding activities, we produce exceptional ordinary and extraordinary maintenance works on motor boats and wooden, metal, GRP and advanced composite sailing boats, as well as restoring and refitting classic and vintage motor boats and yachts.
Our boatyard, accredited with ISO 9001:2000 certification, makes use of experts in business organisation, and has adopted an industrial approach to our working organisation. It is therefore logical, efficient and effective, and so consistent with a quality that is rooted in traditional craftsmanship.
Since 2009, we have started to design and produce important, sometimes large-scale and unique components in fibreglass using the vacuum infusion technique.
Our research into materials, our study of profiles, and our constant quest for innovation all flows from the world of yacht racing.
Regatta Yacht Service
Within the framework of constant specialisation, Naval Balsamo has also been active in the world of sailing regattas since 2006. Our internal Regatta Yacht Service division has prepared (by prow-rudder alignment, optimising appendages and deck equipment, etc.) and sponsored boats for the “minialtura” and “altura” championships with a key presence at the O.R.C. World Championships. International competed in Brindisi in June 2009 (Blue Fantasy ITA 13945) and in Ancona in 2013 (Marialudovica GER 6445), at the “Giro di Puglia” 2010-11-12-13 at the “VIII Winter Championships J 24 Zone” 2011 up to the victory in the “XVIII Giro di Puglia” in 2011, the “VII Area Championship (Grande Altura) in 2011”, with Grand Soleil ’40 ITA 4040 “Splash”, a boat classified in second as the “VIII Area Championship (Grande Altura) in 2012” and at the “J24 Coppa Italia” in 2012 with the vessel “Navalbasamo96° ITA 204”. Every vessel that has been prepared at our boatyard has finished in an excellent position at all these championships.
The experience that we have gained in optimising regatta vessels has lead us to acquire expertise in manufacturing traditional and advanced composite vessels, an expertise that has since seen us branch out into the sector of recreational yachts.