Antonini Navi Sells First XPD95 with Summer 2028 Launch Planned

Antonini Navi has sold the first unit of its XPD95, moving the expedition-inspired concept into a confirmed custom construction programme scheduled to begin this autumn. The almost 30-metre yacht will retain the low-profile character of the original design while being developed around the requirements of her owner, with launch planned for summer 2028.

The contract adds another steel-and-aluminium project to the La Spezia builder's developing orderbook and follows several months of direct design work between the owner and Antonini Navi. Rather than taking the XPD95 concept unchanged into production, the yard says the yacht has been developed as a bespoke motor yacht that preserves the identity of the original design while adapting its layout, functionality and onboard lifestyle to the client's priorities.

Expedition origins adapted for Mediterranean cruising

The XPD95 began with a strong expedition-yacht influence, reflected in its steel hull, aluminium superstructure and relatively purposeful exterior architecture. For the first sold yacht, those characteristics are being retained while the overall concept is adapted primarily for Mediterranean use, where outdoor living, access to the water and privacy become as important as the long-range character behind the original design.

Sculli & Covini is responsible for the exterior lines, which use a predominantly horizontal architecture to give the yacht a low, sweeping profile. Antonini Navi intends to keep gross tonnage within 199 GT, concentrating the yacht's functions within that volume rather than adding the taller multi-deck arrangement seen on many larger explorer yachts.

Hot Lab is developing the interiors, bringing another established Italian design studio into a project intended to balance practical cruising capability with a warmer residential atmosphere. The combination gives Antonini Navi a design team covering both the yacht's offshore-influenced exterior identity and the more individual spaces being developed around the owner's way of using the yacht.

Beach area becomes a central part of the layout

One of the defining spaces aboard the XPD95 will be a multifunctional beach area of approximately 35 square metres. While underway, the area is designed to accommodate a tender of around five metres without removing all of the usable guest space, while once the tender is launched the same zone becomes a substantially larger terrace directly connected with the sea.

A transformer platform will support tender launching and recovery while also serving as a water-access platform for swimming and other activities. This approach allows the stern to perform a practical technical role without turning it into a permanently enclosed tender garage, preserving the connection between guests and the water that Antonini Navi identifies as one of the project's central design priorities.

The yacht will also avoid a conventional Sun Deck. Instead, exterior living is distributed between a Main Deck cockpit of about 44 square metres and a Foredeck Living area of approximately 33 square metres on the Upper Deck, helping the yacht retain its low profile while still creating significant open-air guest space.

Private owner's deck gives the yacht an unusual hierarchy

The owner will have a dedicated deck of approximately 60 square metres, comprising around 25 square metres of enclosed interior space and an integrated 35-square-metre terrace. Conceived as a private apartment overlooking the sea, the arrangement is intended to let the owner move between shared life aboard and a genuinely separate private area without relying on the larger volumes normally associated with a yacht carrying a dedicated owner's deck.

Access is planned both through the yacht's interior and from a protected structural staircase on the port side near amidships. The solution reinforces the separation between owner, guest and operational circulation, a theme that also extends to the crew arrangement elsewhere aboard.

Crew accommodation is concentrated mainly on the Lower Deck in the central section of the yacht, helping separate living quarters from the engine room while maintaining practical access to working areas. Antonini Navi describes approximately 23 square metres of crew space with two three-berth cabins, while a further cabin forward on the Main Deck can accommodate another crew member or serve as additional storage close to the galley and laundry.

Construction begins this autumn

Construction of the first XPD95 is scheduled to begin in autumn 2026, placing the yacht at the start of a build programme expected to continue for almost two years before her planned summer 2028 launch. Camper & Nicholsons will oversee construction for the owner, with Daniela Duck acting as owner's representative and providing the principal link between the client and shipyard throughout the project.

The contractual structure has also involved specialist legal advisers on both sides. Stephenson Harwood advised the owner on the purchase and construction contract, while Antonini Navi says Deloitte Legal advised the shipyard, giving the project a defined professional framework before physical construction begins.

For Antonini Navi, the significance of the sale goes beyond adding another hull to its orderbook. XPD95 converts an expedition-influenced design into a sold custom yacht and gives the yard another opportunity to demonstrate how its steel-and-aluminium construction capability can be applied below 200 GT, where owners increasingly expect custom layouts and substantial outdoor living without moving into a much larger yacht.

The next important milestone will be the start of construction this autumn. From there, the project will move from design development into a physical build that should ultimately show how successfully Antonini Navi can preserve the XPD95's compact expedition character while delivering the more private, sea-focused Mediterranean yacht requested by its first owner.