The Approach to Boats Restoration. The Importance of Restoring Designer Figure

Nowdays in Italy awareness of the need to consider boats as part of our heritage is increasing. This awareness means that any intervention aimed at restoring the function of a historic vessel must be supported by a project: the nautical restoration project. Formerly, any intervention on boats to repair, maintain, and modify was the work of specialized craftsmen (shipwrights) who passed down their knowledge from one generation to another. Today, such knowledge is almost completely lost and shipwrights are difficult to find. Therefore, how is it possible to intervene accurately on a historic vessel without distorting it and enhancing its characteristics? The designer assumes a very important role. The success of a restoration is the result of careful and articulated design, of which the knowledge and sensitivity of the designer are the main guides. This report would then outline the figure of the nautical restoration designer, highlighting its centrality in all the phases of restoration. This essay is completed in Giulia Zappia's paper titled "The Approach to Boats Restoration, a Protocol for Nautical Restoration" which introduce a tool to lead the designer in the difficult task of restoring a vessels. Keywords: Nautical Heritage; Nautical Restoration; Refitting; Repair and Maintenance; Actions for Nautical Restoration; Nautical heritage.