US luxury yacht builder, Lazzara Yachts, has announced that the assets of the company, comprising the intellectual property as well as molds, have been purchased by the Avanti Ocean Group, consisting of private investor Geoff Bond and third generation Lazzara family members Joe Lazzara and Steve Lazzara. The new company has rebranded under the name Lazzara Custom Yachts and Tampa Marine Services and it will offer new yacht production from 64’-130’ under the Lazzara Custom Yachts brand name and the start of a service/refit work catering to all brands of boats, yachts and ships, with the capability of hauling out up to 160’ using the facilities 300 ton travel lift.
Avanti Ocean Group has located to a 7 acre facility in Tampa Florida across the street from the old Lazzara manufacturing facility. Design of a state of the art manufacturing facility is currently underway. President, Joe Lazzara says: “This new start allows the next generation of Lazzara’s to continue the rich history of yacht building and innovation our family has in the industry while allowing us to be even more committed to our owner and vendor base for decades to come.”
“Financially speaking a debt free company with investment capital puts us in a position to develop new products and take care of our customers in a way that historically made our family so successful,” says Steve Lazzara CFO.
With more than 50 years of family history in various aspects of the boat building industry, Lazzara Yachts was established in 1990 and built over 170 yachts. The family’s “passion for the sea” is evident in their quest for perfection in the design and engineering of each vessel. They will continue to surpass one of their main foundational goals, to have a customer care team that leads the way in the industry.