monocoque paddle canoe is crafted of copper-woven carbon fiber + classic teak wood

borromeo de silva thought about this canoe as a unique piece. it was drawn to the idea of the luxury object being sufficient on its own: that doesn’t exist merely to solve a problem but is justified by its visual proposition. with its canoe, it wanted to showcase our ability to mix traditional craftsmanship and highly technical processes and materials.

all images © borromeo de silva

the hull of the ‘monocoque paddle canoe’ by borromeo de silva is made of a combination of copper-woven carbon fiber and classic teak wood. the copper wire weaved in the carbon gives depth to the texture and shimmers under the sunlight making the surfaces come alive, mimicking the shimmering sun reflecting on the water a canoe that is poetic in its making, yet technically strong, durable and light.

the teak surface is hand laid by maestri d’ascia, one of the oldest and most revered artisanal crafts in genova. the streamlined design provides a place to tuck away the oars on the side a subtle homage to the fins on a cadillac. for non-italian boat specialists, a boat is made of the opera viva and the opera morta – for the others, it’s the difference between the top side and the draft. for the latter, it asked federico santa maria for advice, a friend and veteran yacht designer.

this project encapsulates a lot of the values borromeo de silva stands for: technology that serves beauty, collaboration in between industries and sharp aesthetics. it is currently working on integrating a small electric motor, and maybe take it from a single unique piece to industrialization one day.