Craftsmen swarm around the new Lazzara 840 like drones attending a queen bee. In the early morning shadows behind Lazzara Yachts’ Tampa headquarters, this fall day is unseasonably cool; a bay breeze puts a surprising edge on it. Standing near the dock, Dick Lazzara cups a match to his trademark cigar, working it back to life as he talks. He breaks the rhythm of his monologue only to answer questions from a parade of employees—each greeted by name—as they stream between the yacht and the yard.

"When Ferretti and Azimut came into the States in the mid-nineties—when the dollar was strong against the euro—a lot of American builders panicked. We didn’t," says Lazzara with his usual dose of confidence. "We saw it as a broadening of the market, which in the long run helps everyone.

"Now the dollar is weaker, and it’s our turn to take advantage of the situation," Lazzara continues. "People’s tastes are different now than they were ten years ago; they’re more global and open to different décor and design elements, a blending of styles. We’re just perfecting our timing on this."

Lazzara 740 Hardtop. (Click image to enlarge)

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A family-owned business with a 50-year history dating back to patriarch Vince Lazzara’s groundbreaking 40-foot fiberglass yawl Bounty II, Lazzara Yachts could have simply shipped a few boats to overseas brokers and hoped for the best. After all, its 68- to 115-foot product range features curvaceous exteriors, and all its models top 25 knots—two features appealing to the European market. Instead, Dick Lazzara, along with brother Brad and long-time partner Craig Williams, opted for a strategic approach.

Lazzara 840 Flybridge. (Click image to enlarge)

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That translates to about five boats annually. To meet that target, Lazzara introduced three new models—the 740, 840 and 110 Euro. Employing consultants from Europe, the company’s design team modified its patented tooling, changing its widebody hullforms to ones with walkaround decks. They altered the superstructures, foregoing the enclosed skylounges for open flybridges.

In addition to essential changes, such as 220-volt electric with compatible plugs and appliances, the export models feature larger helm stations, twin anchors, bigger swim platforms and more cabins—all changes based on European preference. One of the things left unchanged, however, is the all-American country kitchen–style galley."We have no intention of building a Ferretti or Benetti," says Dick. "Those companies already do that and do it well. We’re building boats for a new global marketplace, ones that our survey shows will have a broad appeal, particularly with younger consumers. Traditionalists call it homogenizing, but we feel it’s natural evolution."

Based on the 110’s showings last fall at the Cannes and Monaco boat shows, he’s right. The yacht was very well received and will likely be sold long before you read this. With six versions available, each outfitted with a choice of three woods and three finishes, there will be a 110 for almost every taste. Further confirming Dick’s point, the 840 with the matte pecan finish and sleek interior décor created for Europe showed well with American audiences at the Fort Lauderdale show.

To further attract European clientele, Lazzara applied for and received RINA and MCA certification for the first 110 Euro. "Classification is critical," says Dick, who takes a hands-on role in engineering. "Fortunately, we were already meeting many of the standards. And the thing about these certifications is that there isn’t a fixed method for getting there, as long as the end product meets the criteria. That allowed us to re-examine some of our processes. It was a healthy exercise." Lazzara now plans to build all its yachts over 110 feet, including those for the domestic market, to MCA standards. (Click image to enlarge)

Just building the boat, however, doesn’t necessarily get it sold, so Lazzara put in place the mechanisms and the people to do it.

Step one was forming Lazzara Yachts International, Ltd., a marketing organization staffed by former Sea Ray vice presidents Steve Helwig and Mike Meyers. Step two was striking an agreement with International Yacht Collection (IYC) to represent Lazzara in Monaco, Italy and France. Kevin Bonnie, managing partner of the two-year-old IYC office in Monaco, will oversee the day-to-day sales efforts.

"The two companies fit hand-in-glove," says Steve Hudson, IYC owner and president. "We couldn’t have made this arrangement with just any company. But the way that these guys look after their owners fits with IYC’s philosophy—not just selling yachts, but creating and maintaining long-term relationships with our clients."

While this last sentence may sound like twenty-first-century bizspeak, the fact is that the Lazzara brothers deliberately copied their father’s service-centered business model, which brought him success with Columbia Yachts in the 1960s and Gulfstar Yachts in the ’70s. Finding a way to carry out their brand of customer support overseas has, until now, been a self-imposed barrier to expansion. "Our customer service programs are what differentiate us here, and we know the same will be true there," says Dick.Before ever setting foot on board a Lazzara yacht, new owners attend Lazzara Yacht University (LYU), a three-day orientation held at Lazzara’s headquarters, to learn the craft’s basics, handling and systems, and to meet the company’s customer support team.

Lazzara also equips all builds with its Integrated Ships Information System (ISIS), a computerized fiber-optic monitoring and data-storage system of 64 shipboard functions. The company maintains the information for its entire fleet to spot trends in upkeep and repair.

ISIS is also used for SeaCheck, a proactive, annual assessment of a yacht’s operating systems done by factory-trained technicians who visit each yacht to perform the review. After downloading ISIS data, the tech performs a visual inspection, takes fluid samples (sent to independent labs for analysis), does a corrosion study, tests the electronics and runs a sea trial. The ISIS data is analyzed, and engine, generator and system wear is determined. The results are put into a hardcover book given to the owner as part of the vessel’s permanent record.

In the United States, the entire cost of the annual SeaCheck is covered if the yacht is insured with Chubb through Allied Marine Risk Managers. European boats will also be enrolled in SeaCheck, serviced by Monaco Marine, which is sending technicians to Lazzara for training.

"We’d love to get into emerging markets like China and Russia," says Brad, "but we haven’t yet been able to identify means to support those markets. Until we find or build a service network that we’re happy with, we’re going to hold off." In the meantime, the group continues to research and ink deals with distributors in Spain, Austria and other parts of Western Europe.

The Lazzara 840 has been on standby for a photo shoot, and this morning photographer Scott Pearson judges conditions just right. On signal, finishers stream out of the 840 like bees from a hive in the hands of a bear. The yacht eases smoothly into the light chop of Tampa Bay. Overhead, Pearson leans out of a helicopter, clicking off frames that clearly show the well-appointed open fly deck.

On the bridge, the yard’s captain nudges the throttles to 28 knots and sinks deeper into the bench’s leather upholstery. He pulls out a small pad of yellow sticky notes, peels off a sheet and pastes it on the console. The note points to a nearly invisible defect in the finish. "They’ll see to that when we get back," he says. Such meticulousness helped Lazzara Yachts win ShowBoats and Superyacht Society awards in the past. It should help it win Europe in the future.

Lazzara Yachts
813-835-5300
www.lazzarayachts.com