Colombo Powerboats

Colombo

Everyone knows Riva. But the powerboat style of the northern Italian lakes has produced other names that are no less illustrious, at least in southern Europe. One of them is Colombo: since 1956, elegant runabouts and day cruisers have been built on Lake Como, boats in which mahogany, GRP and Italian design have formed a remarkably lasting bond.

Lake Como produced a surprising number of powerboat builders. Cranchi, Abbate, Molinari – and Colombo. Perhaps it was down to the wealthy villa owners, perhaps to the short distances between the yards. In any case, a culture of fast, elegant powerboats developed all of its own around the Lario. Colombo has been part of it since the 1950s and has found a style that is neither a historic Riva copy nor a modern plastic day cruiser.
The name Colombo can cause some confusion on Lake Como: several independent boatyards and boatbuilders bear or have borne it. This page is about Cantiere Colombo, founded in 1956 by Giacomo Colombo, which with its runabouts and day cruisers became the best-known powerboat brand of that name internationally. It should not be confused with the Colombo Leopoldo yard, founded back in 1943, which to this day devotes itself above all to building and restoring classic wooden boats.

From apprentice to his own yard

Giacomo Colombo came to boatbuilding early. As a boy he learned to work with wood, later working first at Cranchi and then at Guido Abbate. In 1956, Giacomo Colombo built a powerboat for public passenger transport together with friends. The first orders from holidaymakers on Lake Como soon followed. Colombo registered with the Chamber of Commerce in Como and founded his own yard. At first he built powerboats and rowing boats made of wood. In 1962, Colombo also began working with Riva; in 1968 he opened a Riva service operation in Menaggio, out of which Cantiere Colombo developed further.

When fiberglass suddenly became modern

Around 1970, Colombo began working with GRP. The yard did not turn its back on wood entirely, though. It was precisely the combination of the two materials that later became a trademark. That has a practical side effect: the structural advantages and lower maintenance of GRP could be combined with the classic look that simply suits Lake Como so well. Over the years, this gave rise to a Colombo style all of its own: classic runabout references, but without any need to make every detail look like 1960.

Super Indios: a name that endures

The Super Indios family has proven particularly long-lived. Older Super Indios models are now among the brand's most characteristic used boats; at the same time, Colombo still carries the name in its current line-up. Today's 25 Super Indios picks up the classic lines, and there is even an electric 25 Super Indios E. With the 32 Super Indios, the concept grows to around ten meters and is offered as a tender as well as in various classic versions.

Bellagio: the lake is already in the name

The Bellagio range takes a more modern approach. The name itself refers to the town on Lake Como where the brand's story began. The current line-up ranges from the 26 Bellagio through the 30 to the 40 Bellagio. For the 26 Bellagio, Colombo worked with the Italian design studio Nuvolari Lenard. The result combines classic details – such as mahogany at the helm – with a much more modern design language and sporty performance. The Bellagio models thus show the other side of the brand: less nostalgic runabout, more modern day cruiser, without throwing its heritage completely overboard.

2007: Colombo becomes part of the Sarnico Group

The yard's economic independence ended in 2007, when Cantieri di Sarnico took over the Colombo yard. Giacomo Colombo initially stayed with the company to ensure continuity in style and build quality. Colombo was then integrated into the Sarnico Group together with Cantieri di Sarnico and other companies. The brands were positioned differently: Sarnico focused more on larger sport yachts, Colombo on exclusive runabouts and day cruisers.

Not always bigger

What is interesting is what Colombo has NOT done. While numerous powerboat yards kept pushing their model ranges further and further upward, Colombo largely stuck to comparatively compact boats. The current line-up ranges from around 25 to 40 feet and includes, alongside Super Indios and Bellagio, models such as the 33 Sogno. So Colombo is not selling as many cubic meters of living space as possible, but a distinctive type of boat: fast, open, elegant and designed for day trips or short stays.

Buying a used Colombo

On the used boat market, the choice ranges from older classics to modern Bellagio models. With the Super Indios, Romance and other older Colombo models in particular, it pays to take a close look at the wooden elements. Well-kept mahogany can account for a large part of the appeal – neglected wood for a correspondingly large amount of work.