CANAV: SHIP MODELS SINCE 1982
Interview to Robert Greco - year of birth 1925 - manager of
CANAV - Centro Architettura Naval Industrial Ship Model - specialized
in building ship models
Models as "visit cards" of a yard
Would you briefly tell us, please, something about your history
and how your passion for building ship model was born?
Well, I've always loved sea indeed; still before the war I was a
member of the "Legione Marinara" who organized regatta for youths;
then I've attended the Nautical High School and during the war I
shipped by Merchant Marine.
Just when the war ended, I began working as carpenter by the
Americans but then I was involved in movies industry in the way
I'd built galleys, windjammers and ships to be used on sets of
famous movies.
Afterward I was for ten years technical manager by the
Navaltecnica - Anzio - sometimes working also together with Sonny
Levi; then for two years I've worked by Canados until in 1973 I
transferred to the Cantieri di Chiavari. After having worked as
designer by the Cantieri Costaguta, in 1982 I decided to found
CANAV for building ship models.
In the old days a ship model had always been built before
realizing any type of hull began.
Well, an owner ordering a ship wanted to look carefully at the
ship model before committing her to a production schedule and
signing someone contract for. Suffice it to be considered that
competitors showed models that was tested in ship tanks using all
technical tricks for simulating as high performances as possible,
even when the legendary Royal Navy offered a contract for tender
in order to build ships.
From which step did building begin, how did the work go on?
Well, the classic type of model had been made from waterlines,
namely from overlapped longitudinal planes. Only having a good
knowledge of, skills and eye at a carpenter could build a ship
model.
Would you tell us, please, something about the activities at
CANAV?
Well, we work exclusively on drawings. When our activity began, we
really realized all drawings from ship models and this method
resulted in a very complex operation. In ?80s we've worked a lot
for great shipping companies and for Fincantieri building very
carefully detailed models before ships construction had been
actually completed.
Is it so important to build ship models?
Indeed, a ship model shows immediately any failure, any
discrepancy in designing a ship impossible to be evaluated on
drawings and which, in many cases, not even computer techniques
can show at all.
Which are prospects of your activities today?
Well, the market changes in many ways. Orders from our Italian
shipyards are less and less, quasi - non - existent at all today.
The standardization dictated by Japanese, Korean and Chinese
"colossuses" in building mega merchant ships has also consequently
changed our activities. Nowadays the trend in our field is
oriented to luxury - pleasure crafts tough all difficulties and
complications from. Above all an owner orders the yard to build a
unique today.
So the model is an unique, an appreciable yard's visit card, the
actually only tool able to make an owner crazy about a craft, able
to convince him, able to let a yard win important orders. On the
ground of a ship model full - or semi - customizations may be also
featured for suiting all owner requirements. Moreover, after
having delivered a yacht, something unique, an actual witness of
building a yacht is left.
What kind of material do you use in building them?
Formerly above all wood was utilized but now it's even more
difficult to find seasoned wood for. However, the best material is
copper resulting in a fine - made - look not reachable at all by
using wood. Hulls and superstructures of all our scale ship
models, are built in photo - engraved, beaten, indented and soft
soldered copper while deck accessories are in melted, turned
brass. Lifeboats are in glass fibre. For painting we use epoxy -
and iso acrylic paintings that make for long life.
For further information please contact: CANAV - Centro
Architettura Navale Industrial Ship Model - , I - 16100 Genova,
P.O. Box 919, phone/fax: +39 (0)10 2461033, e - mail: canavgenova@tin.it
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