Italian brand
PLATE 01
Guide — The materials · Hull, bottom and fibreglass
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A NAVY is a rigid-hull inflatable boat, a RIB: beneath the tubes there is a fibreglass hull, and its immersed part, the bottom, is what meets the wave, opens it and carries the boat onto the plane. On the NAVY RIBs the hull, deck, aft platforms and console are in fibreglass with increased thicknesses, white or black, finished with marine gelcoat and laminated by hand or by infusion, depending on the model, in moulds designed by Italian engineers.
Rigid hull · fibreglass · marine gelcoat · design category · updated 14 October 2026
PLATE 02
The right word
The hull bottom is the part of the hull that sits below the waterline: the part you only see when the boat is on its trailer or hauled out. On a rigid-hull inflatable the bottom is a fibreglass shell shaped like a V, with a central keel running from bow to stern and longitudinal strakes on either side. The tubes are fixed above the bottom, along its edge. That is why people speak of a «RIB with a fibreglass hull»: the bottom does not inflate and does not flex, it stays rigid, like that of any boat.
The folding inflatable, with a fabric or slatted floor, belongs to another family: it deflates, it packs away, it goes in the boot of a car. A rigid-hull inflatable does not, and does not try to. In return it has a real hull, which cuts through the water instead of bouncing over it, carries powerful engines and bears a load of people and equipment that a soft floor could not support. Every NAVY, from the NAVY 4.80 to the NAVY 9.50 Cabin, is a rigid-hull inflatable.
PLATE 03 — The mark it leaves · Naviglia vision
The V opens the water · the strakes lift it · the tubes keep the boat level
PLATE 04
Hull and tubes
When people choose a RIB they look at the tubes first: the colour, the fabric, the diameter. That is fair, but under way the roles are clear. The hull decides how the boat goes through a wave: the bow meets it, the V opens it, the central keel holds the line through a turn and the strakes help the hull lift and get onto the plane. The tubes do a different job, just as serious: they provide buoyancy, lateral stability at rest and reserve buoyancy when the boat heels or takes a wave aboard. Two different trades, which only work together.
The shape of a hull is always a compromise. A deeper V enters the wave more softly and asks for more power; a flatter V is more stable at rest and more direct when the sea gets up. That is why the same hull does not suit everything, and why the behaviour of a RIB is only really understood by stepping aboard. On the NAVY RIBs the tubes are in ORCA fabric by Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene: 1.3 mm from the NAVY 4.80 to the NAVY 7.60, and ORCA on the NAVY 9.50 Cabin as well. We talk about the fabric in the Hypalon or PVC guide.
One hull in the range stands apart: that of the NAVY 9.50 Cabin, with a V that stays deep all the way aft and a double step, two transverse steps that let the hull run on a cushion of air. We explain it point by point in the guide to the double-step hull.
| Model | Length overall | Beam | Tube diameter | Design category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAVY 4.80 | 4.80 m | 1.82 m | 48 cm | C |
| NAVY 5.50 | 5.50 m | 2.35 m | 50 cm | C |
| NAVY 6.00 | 6.00 m | 2.50 m | 52 cm | C |
| NAVY 6.60 | specification being updated — details on request | |||
| NAVY 7.60 | 7.60 m | 2.89 m | 52 cm | C |
| NAVY 9.50 Cabin | 9.80 m | 3.20 m | on request | B |
Source: Naviglia Yachts price list and technical sheets, September 2026. The length shown is length overall: the hull length that counts under Italian law is measured according to ISO 8666 (art. 3 of the Italian Recreational Boating Code).
PLATE 05
The material
Fibreglass is a composite material: glass fibres embedded in a resin, polyester or vinylester, which as it cures binds them into a single shell. The fibres provide the strength; the resin holds the fibres together and gives the shape. The result is a rigid hull, light for its strength and able to last over time, if it is treated as it should be.
A fibreglass hull is born inside a mould, upside down. For the NAVY RIBs the moulds are designed by Italian engineers, with hull shapes studied for seakeeping. The gelcoat, the outer skin, goes into the mould first; then, layer after layer, the fibreglass. On the NAVY RIBs lamination is done by hand or by infusion, depending on the model. In hand lay-up, each layer of fibre is wetted out with resin and rolled by hand until the air has been driven out. In infusion, the fibres are laid dry, the mould is sealed under a vacuum bag and the resin is drawn in by the vacuum itself, evenly.
A hull does not work the same way at every point. The most stressed areas, those that take the blows of the waves and carry the engine, are reinforced on the NAVY RIBs with multiaxial fabrics or reinforcing cores, for more stiffness without adding weight. This is what we mean when we write «increased thicknesses»: fibreglass placed where it is needed, added, not taken away to save money.
PLATE 06 — Chapter 04 · The gelcoat
Marine gelcoat · sunlight · salt · abrasion
The gelcoat is the layer of resin that coats the hull on the outside: it is the glossy surface you touch, wash and watch age. On the NAVY RIBs it is a marine gelcoat, chosen to protect the fibreglass from the sun's rays, from the weather and from abrasion, and to keep the surface shining over time. Beneath the gelcoat the structure does the work; the gelcoat defends it.
The deck, also in fibreglass, has a UV-resistant, non-slip surface. Where you walk most, the decking is covered in synthetic EVA teak, in 24 shades; solid natural teak is an option. The colour of the fibreglass is chosen when you configure the boat: white or black, hull and deck.
Detail — 01 · The gelcoat, up close · Naviglia vision
Where the fibreglass is
On the NAVY RIBs fibreglass is used for four things: the rigid hull, the deck, the aft platforms and the helm console. Everything else, from the tubes to the upholstery, is another material, chosen for the job it does.
The hull
The rigid hull is the part that carries everything: the engine on the transom, the people, the fuel, the wave. In fibreglass it gives stable, safe navigation even in a rough sea, within the limits of the model's design category. On the NAVY 7.60 it carries up to 15 people and 280 litres of fuel in the tank.
The deck
The fibreglass deck is the surface you live on: solid, UV-resistant and non-slip. The lockers are moulded into the fibreglass, like the bow locker with its hatch and pop-up cleat, and so are the bases of the steps covered in synthetic teak.
The aft platforms
The aft platforms are integrated into the structure to make getting into the sea easier: they are the fibreglass that stretches aft on either side of the engine, where you climb out of the water and dry off in the sun. On the RIBs up to the NAVY 7.60 the stern swim platforms and the steel stern ladder are standard.
The console
The helm console is designed with clean lines and brings together controls and instruments on a solid, durable fibreglass base. On the NAVY RIBs up to the 7.60 it is standard, complete with gauges; in the gloss black version it reflects the decking like a mirror.
PLATE 08
Thicknesses and colours
Hull, deck, aft platforms and console in fibreglass with increased thicknesses, in white or black: this is the sentence we use to describe every NAVY, and we write it just as it is. On the NAVY RIBs fibreglass is not taken away to save money: it is added in the areas that work hardest. We build every boat to order, one at a time, with no assembly line.
The hull colour is chosen when you configure the boat, together with the colour of the tubes and of the decking: white or black, for the hull and deck. The colour applies to the fibreglass of the hull inside and out: the same white, or the same black, outside on the bottom and inside, where you walk. A colour is judged better in person than in a photograph, and the showroom in Aprilia (LT) is there for exactly that. Construction, then, is also judged over time: up to 15 years of warranty, as we explain on the warranty page.
PLATE 09 — The hull in numbers, only the certain ones
4
parts in fibreglass
on every NAVY
Hull, deck, aft platforms and console.
2
colours for the hull
and deck
White or black, chosen when you configure the boat.
52cm
tube diameter
on the NAVY 7.60
The same as the NAVY 6.00; 48 cm on the NAVY 4.80.
1.3mm
of fabric in the tubes
from the 4.80 to the 7.60
ORCA Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene (CSM/CR).
«Because the sea makes no allowances, and neither do we.»
PLATE 10
The hull on paper
The answer is not in the brochure: it is in the design category, written on the builder's plate. The European directive on recreational craft, 2013/53/EU, divides boats into four categories, A, B, C and D, according to the wind force and the significant wave height they are designed for. It is the most honest measure of what a hull can do, because the design sets it and the builder declares it.
The NAVY 4.80, the NAVY 5.50, the NAVY 6.00 and the NAVY 7.60 are in category C: designed for winds up to force 6 and significant wave heights up to 2 metres. The NAVY 9.50 Cabin is in category B: winds up to force 8 and significant wave heights up to 4 metres. Remember, though, that under Italian law a natante, the class for craft with a hull of up to 10 metres, always stays within 12 miles of the coast, even when CE-marked: the category says what the boat can take, the law says how far it may go.
| Category | Wind force (Beaufort) | Significant wave height |
|---|---|---|
| A | above 8 | above 4 m |
| B | up to and including 8 | up to and including 4 mthe category of the NAVY 9.50 Cabin |
| C | up to and including 6 | up to and including 2 mthe category of the NAVY 4.80, 5.50, 6.00 and 7.60 |
| D | up to and including 4 | up to and including 0.3 mwith occasional waves of up to 0.5 m |
Source: Directive 2013/53/EU, Annex I, Part A, transposed in Italy by Legislative Decree no. 5 of 11 January 2016. The 12-mile limit for CE-marked natanti is in art. 27, paragraph 4, of the Italian Recreational Boating Code.
Whether you buy a NAVY or another RIB, there are four things you can check for yourselves, without taking anyone's word for it, not even ours. The first three are written in that same European directive; the fourth you can see with your own eyes.
Questions about the hull
The questions we are asked about hulls and fibreglass, with the answer we give in person. One at a time: open one and the other closes.
A rigid-hull inflatable boat, or RIB, has a fibreglass hull beneath its tubes: the bottom does not inflate or flex, and the V-shaped hull cuts through the wave like that of any boat. The tubes provide buoyancy and lateral stability. All NAVY RIBs, from the 4.80 to the 9.50 Cabin, are rigid-hull inflatables, with the hull in white or black fibreglass.
The hull of a NAVY RIB is fibreglass: glass fibres and polyester or vinylester resin, laminated by hand or by infusion depending on the model, in moulds designed by Italian engineers. On the outside it is finished with marine gelcoat. The deck, the aft platforms and the helm console are fibreglass too, all with increased thicknesses.
NAVY hulls are built in fibreglass with increased thicknesses. The laminate does not have a single thickness: the most stressed areas, those that take the waves and carry the engine, are reinforced with multiaxial fabrics or reinforcing cores, for more stiffness without adding weight. The best way to judge a NAVY hull is to see and touch it in the showroom, then try it at sea.
Under way the hull matters more: it meets the wave, opens it with the V, holds the line and carries the RIB onto the plane. The tubes do a different and necessary job: buoyancy, lateral stability at rest and reserve buoyancy when the boat heels. A good RIB has both: on the NAVY RIBs, a fibreglass hull and ORCA tubes in Hypalon-neoprene.
In hand lay-up, each layer of glass fibre is wetted out with resin and rolled by hand in the mould until the air has been removed. In infusion, the fibres are laid dry, the mould is sealed under a vacuum bag and the resin is drawn in evenly. On NAVY RIBs one technique or the other is used, depending on the model.
The gelcoat is the outer layer of a fibreglass hull, the first one laid in the mould. It protects the structure from the sun's rays, the weather and abrasion, and keeps the surface glossy over time. On NAVY RIBs it is a marine gelcoat, white or black, the same colour chosen for the hull and deck when the boat is configured.
The hull of a NAVY RIB comes in 2 colours: white or black, for the hull and deck. Together with it you choose the tubes, with 3 standard colours, Deep Night, White Stone and Navy Blue, and the others in the ORCA sample book on request, then the synthetic teak decking and the upholstery. The colour is fixed at configuration, before the boat goes into production.
We build every boat to order, one at a time, with no assembly line. From the 4.80 to the 7.60 the tubes are in ORCA fabric by Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene 1.3 mm thick; the NAVY 9.50 Cabin also has ORCA Hypalon-neoprene tubes by Pennel & Flipo. The hulls are fibreglass with increased thicknesses. We are so confident in our work that we offer up to 15 years of warranty.
PLATE 12
The most requested size
Anyone looking for a 6-metre rigid-hull inflatable is almost always looking for the same thing: a real hull, one that can handle the family and the afternoon sea, in a size you can tow on a trailer. The NAVY 6.00 measures 6.00 by 2.50 metres, carries up to 10 people, has 52 cm tubes and is in design category C; it takes an outboard of up to 150 hp. In Italy, within 6 miles of the coast you may helm without a boat licence if the engine does not exceed 30 kW (40.8 hp) and the cylinder-capacity limits set by law: with a 40 hp outboard we recommend sizes up to the 6-metre. List price: from €17,987 + VAT · engine not included.
To read after this one
Guide — The materials
The other half of the RIB: the tube fabric, what changes and how to recognise it.
Read the guide
The company
From the mould to the tubes, from the console to the upholstery: a NAVY, step by step.
Find out how
The range
The boat we use for our sea trials. 7.60 m RIB, up to 15 people, single outboard up to 350 hp or twin engines.
See the modelGuide written by Naviglia Yachts, a brand of Michelessi Corporation Srl · updated 14 October 2026
PLATE 13 — In person
You have read how it is made; now feel it at work. Come and see the hull up close, touch the gelcoat, look at the V from under the bow, then head out to sea and feel how it goes through the wave. White or black: which hull do you have in mind?
Book your visitBook a sea trialRequest a quote
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Naviglia Yachts — Aprilia (LT), Italy · 380 173 0961
