In 1975 Elio Salvagno, together with two other partners, founded Cantiere Motonautico Serenella and began building splendid mahogany motor boats, one of the symbols of Venice.
The first orders came from corporations, tourism companies, and important Venetian hotels. Serenella motor boats were used as ambulances, launches for the military police and local police, and “water limousines” for luxury hotels. More importantly, they were used as taxis, the fastest method for getting around Venice and the islands in the lagoon. In 1977, the owners of the Motonautico International Company in Newport Beach, California, visited the shipyard and acquired the exclusive right to import the boats to the United States. An important American publication wrote: “If you would own a Bentley or Rolls Royce in London, in Venice it most likely would be one of the famous 30-foot sedan launches” (The Real Runabouts III by Robert Speltz).
Serenella motor boats were exported to Texas, Minnesota, Hawaii and Japan. The construction side of the shipyard where these luxurious “water limousines” are built is run by Elio Salvagno’s son-in-law Andrea Paggiaro. The company then began collaborating with important shipyards and naval design firms around the world that specialize in the production of luxury yachts – Cantiere Serenella builds exclusive tenders for these yachts that are customized in every detail. These luxurious boats are now seen in many areas of the world, including France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, China, Japan, Australia and French Polynesia.
