If you’ve ever strolled the Vatican Museums and borne witness to the 70,000-some pieces of eras-spanning artwork on display there, you know that Italians aren’t much for subtlety.
They make cars that look like this. And treehouses that look like that. Hell, even their beanbags look like the brainchildren of someone with an advanced art degree and a well-trafficked Behance page.
So when Milan branding and industrial design house Borromeo de Silva set about making a canoe, it’s no surprise that they produced a genuine work of art.
To build their Monocoque Paddle Canoe — the company’s first foray into watercraft — BdS recruited the help of both a yachtmaker (Federico Santa Maria) and a Genoan master woodworking shop (Maestri d’Ascia). The former consulted on the boat’s overall design, while the latter hand-laid the elegantly paneled teakwood seen at the bow and stern. That wood, in turn, sits atop a monocoque hull made from copper-woven carbon fiber.
Why the copper? To “[give] depth to the texture and shimmer under the sunlight,” which any seasoned coxswain will know is of very primary and practical import to successful navigation.
For now, the boat is a one-off exercise in beautiful excess, though the makers note that they are “currently working on integrating a small electric motor,” and may eventually push the canoe into consumer production.
Until then, try not to drool on your keyboard:
Borromeo de Silva Italian Canoe (5 images)
All images via Borromeo de Silva
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