The PIRELLI 44 | Ducati Edition has made its world premiere at Cannes, bringing Ducati’s design language into a 13.10-metre maxi-RIB developed with Pirelli and SACS Marine. The special edition combines a limited production run, motorsport-inspired detailing and an exclusive triple-engine package intended to give the new PIRELLI 44 a more overtly racing-focused identity.
The project was presented during the 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival, where the three brands used the launch to connect Ducati’s centenary with Pirelli’s marine programme and SACS Marine’s boatbuilding expertise. Rather than applying a badge to an existing boat, the collaboration introduces dedicated styling, materials and propulsion choices that distinguish the Ducati Edition from the standard PIRELLI 44.
Ducati enters boating through a limited edition
Ducati says the project is its first expression of the brand’s design values in the nautical world, developed jointly with Pirelli and SACS Marine. Production is limited to 26 examples, a number chosen as a reference to 1926, the year Ducati was founded, so rarity is built into the concept from the outset.
The visual treatment takes inspiration from the Ducati Superleggera V4 Centenario, with a dedicated livery shaped around the motorcycle manufacturer’s racing identity. Pirelli contributes another motorsport reference through a hand-sculpted and hand-carved tread pattern on the tubes, inspired by the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tyre fitted to the Superleggera V4 Centenario.
A 13.10-metre maxi-RIB with triple 500hp power
The PIRELLI 44 Ducati Edition measures 13.10 metres overall and 4.30 metres in beam, placing it comfortably within the luxury-yacht segment below 24 metres. Pirelli Speedboats lists an 8.5-tonne weight with engines, CE Category B certification and capacity for up to 18 people, giving the model the proportions of a substantial open performance boat rather than a conventional tender.
Its defining mechanical feature is an exclusive installation of three 500hp Mercury Racing outboards, giving a combined 1,500hp. Ducati’s official launch material describes that configuration as reserved for the project, with the intention of combining speed and seakeeping with the safety and comfort expected from the underlying PIRELLI 44 platform.
Mannerfelt hull design meets motorsport detailing
The special edition keeps the PIRELLI 44’s double-stepped hull developed by Mannerfelt Design Team, while the Ducati treatment adds a carbon-fibre hardtop and black stainless-steel package. Marine Alcantara is used on the dashboard and pilot seats, extending the performance theme into the helm area rather than limiting it to exterior graphics.
Further details include aerodynamic appendages on the engines inspired by MotoGP, a commemorative Ducati Edition plaque and a customisable racing number plate. These elements give owners visible identifiers for the limited series and make the collaboration legible from both the dock and the helm.
Open-deck usability remains part of the package
Although the Ducati Edition emphasises performance, it retains the open layout developed for the standard PIRELLI 44. The base model is organised around a large sunbathing area, a bow lounge and a face-to-face aft arrangement, with the aim of keeping movement around the deck straightforward while preserving multiple social zones.
That balance matters because the PIRELLI 44 is not presented purely as a speed machine. The standard platform is designed to combine performance, control and versatility, and the Ducati Edition builds on that foundation with a more focused specification rather than replacing its day-boat and leisure functions.
Cannes provides the launch stage
The PIRELLI 44 | Ducati Edition was unveiled on 10 September at Zuma Cannes during the 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival, which runs from 8 to 13 September. Ducati chief executive Claudio Domenicali and SACS Marine chief growth officer Nicola Antonelli attended the presentation, underlining that the project is being positioned as a collaboration between major Italian brands rather than a simple styling exercise.
Cannes is also a logical setting for a boat aimed at combining design, performance and exclusivity, because the festival brings together production-yacht buyers, specialist builders and premium marine equipment brands in one place. For Pirelli Speedboats, the launch also gives the recently introduced PIRELLI 44 an additional halo model within the range.
What changes from the standard PIRELLI 44
The standard PIRELLI 44 is offered as an open and versatile model with both inboard and outboard configurations, while the Ducati Edition adopts a much more prescriptive identity. Its dedicated livery, hand-worked tube pattern, carbon details, triple Mercury Racing installation and limited numbering turn the same core platform into a clearly differentiated collector-oriented version.
For buyers, the distinction is therefore broader than colour and branding. The Ducati Edition combines a fixed high-performance propulsion concept with bespoke visual and material details, while still retaining the dimensions and deck philosophy that make the PIRELLI 44 usable as a luxury day boat or fast coastal cruiser.
The launch gives Luxury Yacht Guide readers a useful example of how performance-boat builders are using collaborations outside the marine industry to create more specialised versions of established platforms. In this case, the connection is unusually coherent: Ducati contributes racing design cues, Pirelli contributes both brand heritage and tube detailing, and SACS Marine provides the underlying yacht project and construction expertise.
