Camuffo

Six centuries of building wooden vessels

This short overview of six centuries of building wooden vessels for the most diverse uses including fishing, transport, military and pleasure, illustrates and proposes, with the testimony of facts and works, the uniqueness and exclusivity of Cantiere Camuffo. It is widely considered the oldest shipyard in the world due to its unparalleled, continuous and documented history of boats made entirely of technological wood: hardened marine super-laminated wood with unlimited durability and unbeatable performance at sea (thanks to its high-performance hull, our C65, under the same conditions of weight and power, with a 40-tonne displacement and a cruising speed of 30 knots, saves more than 50% in fuel consumption). In the 1980s, Nautica magazine described Camuffo as “a benchmark for Italian yachting and a touchstone for how to navigate and experience the sea in the best comfort and complete safety, with a real boat”. Today, in the midst of a global crisis in which confidence is flagging, but which makes us reflect on the future of pleasure boating, Cantiere Camuffo is in optimum condition to guarantee the values of its boats (as the second-hand market shows) in order to renew, over time, that mythical icon nicknamed ‘Stradivariuses of the Sea’, so that the legend will continue.

Camuffo boats since 1438

1400

Galea Veneta

1550

Galeone

1811

74 cannons flag-ship

1846

Pielego

1914

Mas N.1

1930

Ship

1958

Outboard motorboat

1963

Daycruiser

1965

Cabin Cruiser

1985

Sportline

1999

M/Y 60 FB

2001

M/Y C 60 FB

2005

M/Y C 65 FB

2010

M/Y C 65 FB

Camuffo

The founder of the Camuffo family

The business began in 1438 under the rule of Doge Francesco Foscari, as documented by the Arsenal of Candia, where the earliest reference to a ‘Proto’ or ‘Magister Stadii’ (ship gauger), can be found, the founder of the family’s coat of arms. The family, however, originated from that long stretch of coastline from Constantinople to the mouth of the River Nile. Candia was the capital (now Heraklion) but lent its name to the entire island of Crete. Three historical events coincided, forcing the family to move from Candia to Venice. In 1431, the Venetian cardinal Gabriele Condulmer was elected pope under the name of Eugene IV, forcing the ‘Serenissima’, the Republic of Venice, into new relationships with the Papacy, including the obligation to convert the children of officials of Arab origin to Christianity. In 1453, the Republic of Venice lost Constantinople and the Turkish threat to the island increased, whereas in the second half of the 15th century the attraction of Venice grew due to a state of well-being and the rebirth ante litteram in all fields of activity including social, cultural and artistic. The arrival in Chioggia of the founder Camuffi's grandson preceded the first document dated 23 June 1470 by a few years."

Candia
1438

The ancient coat of arms of the Camuffo family of Chioggia taken from the book Il libro d’argento. Storia delle famiglie nobili e cittadine. (The silver book. A history of noble town families) by G. Dolcetti. It is clearly inspired by the Arab origins of the family: we can observe the head of an Arab – with a snub nose – on the silver weapon, under the green escutcheon.

Chioggia
1470

The ancient coat of arms of the Camuffo family of Chioggia taken from the book by G. Dolcetti entitled Il libro d’argento. Storia delle famiglie nobili e cittadine. (The silver book. A history of noble town families) by G. Dolcetti. It is clearly inspired by the Arab origins of the family: we can observe the head of an Arab – with a snub nose – on the silver weapon, under the green escutcheon.

Camuffo

Family tree of the Camuffo Shipyard

The eighteen generations of the oldest shipyard in the world, shipowners, ship gaugers and shipbuilders of all types of wooden vessels.

El Ham Muftì d. Camuffi

1438

Pietro Antonio Camuffo

1451

Nicolò Camuffo

1470

Girolamo Camuffo

1504

Antonio Camuffo

1530

Fortunato Camuffo

1566

Vincenzo Camuffo

1595

Matteo Camuffo

1608

Andrea Camuffo

1622

Francesco Camuffo

1649

Matteo Camuffo

1679

Francesco Camuffo

1714

Natale Camuffo

1750

Fortunato Camuffo

1790

Francesco Luigi Camuffo

1826

Marco G. Camuffo

1850

Luigi Daniele Camuffo

1892

Marco Camuffo

1932

Camuffo

History of men and boats

The history of Cantiere Navale Camuffo with its men and its boats, six centuries of history. Below are some documents and historical references that testify this.

The Venetian arsenal

After their arrival in Chioggia, following the loss of Constantinople (1453) and until 1811, due to the obligation arising from the concession – licentia a vendere ubicumque – to sell their boats, the Camuffo caulkers, ship gaugers and shipyard workers, worked at the Venetian Arsenal on the most important vessels built there. (see pages 25-26-27).

Venetian arsenal

Iconographic projection of the Venetian Arsenal depicting the Venetian fleet at the time of the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, engraved by Giuseppe Moro and Alvise d’Alvise to a design by G. Maffioletti. (ADT, Iconographic projection by the abbot Maffioletti).