When you lead a 180-year-old shipyard, building a boat for yourself and naming it for your wife is like painting a target on your back; everyone will know if your effort is less than perfect. For Fulvio Codecasa, who has spent his entire life in the shipyard, vindication came when he launched his two-tone gray speedster (now Flying Dagger) in 2004 and a stranger arriving by tender insisted on buying it on the spot. So, Codecasa returned to the shed to begin a new boat. Maria Carla 2005 sits four inches deeper in the water and features about 30 kW more generating power in an ABS-certified aluminum envelope. Twin MTU 12V4000s turning KaMeWa jets propel her to 34 knots. A true open, Maria Carla’s two-tone blue hull features a sliding roof and glass doors for the multifunctional salon. With a Jacuzzi, an enclosed tender garage, plus four staterooms, the space planning is as magnificent as the boat’s racy looks. Just don’t ask Fulvio if she’s for sale.