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Riva Aquarama wood boat photo

Simply put, the book to have about Riva boats. It was copyrighted / printed in Italy and is now out-of-print. You have to search www.Amazon.com for a used copy. My thought for you? Get one when it is listed for sale as they do not become available all the time.

Riva covers the wood boat era of Riva including the Aquarama, which is to be the featured marque at the Lake Tahoe Antique and Classic Boat Society show this year. That should add value to this book as that is a popular Classic Boat show. The book also covers the Ariston and Super Ariston and why they are different from each other. The book also covers the Florida, SuperFlorida, and Tritone boat models as well.

Some say that until Carlo Riva, a runabout was called a “Chris Craft” like when cellophane tape was called “Scotch Tape” by many. The Chris Craft brand was that strong post-World War II. His boats were the ones to successfully challenge “Chris Craft” as the boat to lust after when the most “carefree” era came forth to the world. He took his family’s boat yard and turned it into a legend after the war.

The boat, the ride, the service, the fellow boat owners all were perceived as the simply the best in the world. The history of Carlo and the Riva boat building yard is all covered in the book. It is one of the main sections within the structure of Roberto Franzoni’s book. While it has copy in English the text is international as other languages are also included. All the rare photos are captioned in three languages also.  Unique styling details are covered in equally rare drawings.

Movie stars were style leaders in the 1950s and they owned Rivas. Brigitte Bardot is shown behind the wheel of one of the several Riva runabouts that she owned. Peter Sellers is shown behind the helm of a Riva and Leslie Caron was photographed peaking out from inside a Riva bow cuddy cabin. Of course, Anita Ekberg was shown in a Riva runabout. That boat had a very special interior finish, by the way. Heads of State, royal families, Saudi Kings and others also are shown in their connection with Riva.

I could go on and on about this book, it is that special, but I will end now. Get one for yourself, if you find one.

Riva Aquarama wood boat photo of the cockpit interior

interior of a Riva wood boat photo

classic wood Riva boat photo

wood boat photo

The advantage of controlling the bow position and the location of the bow around the marina in a single engine, single propeller boat is an over-whelming experience the first couple of times you are at the helm of a classic wood boat equipped with a bow thruster. Suddenly, anyone can dock the boat. Even in a cross wind.

Most would think that such an option is disrespecting what was made back when the beauty of wood, leather, and chrome over brass fittings on the water was the only choice for boating. If your boat is to sit on a trailer, I agree. If you want to use your mahogany runabout, I disagree. It is like using a modern bilge pump, converting a 6 volt system to one that uses a 12 volt one, having new PFDs, or a safer, better carburetor in a classic that is used for grand touring around a lake or bay.

Hand built, mahogany wood runabouts or bow riders are now being built by master craftsmen and those boat builders often can be talked into including a bow thruster in a new boat for you. Just think, the ride, the feel, the performance of a bright finished, stained mahogany runabout that is easy to captain. All the style and quality of a good wooden boat with the performance ease, and use-ability of the latest functional boating accessories built in.

Here is a triple cockpit wood boat that also has a no-soak bottom. A reliable, modern engine and operating systems in a classic wood boat. One gets the stares and looks from other boaters and from folks just walking around the marina without the troubles of a 60 year old classic.

2012 wood boat photo

2012 wood boat photo triple cockpit

2012 inboard boat wood classic boat

new indoor showroom of wood boats at lake George

Boat photo three outboard engines on a fish boat

Mercury Marine’s Merc Racing took a 38’ fishing boat to 80 MPH with three 350 horsepower supercharged outboards. These engines also only took 6.5 seconds to go 0 to 30 mph in an acceleration test the same day on the same boat. That is performance.

The props were 151/4” by 26” 4 blade Bravo I Mercury Racing Props (lab finished, which is readily available to the boating public via a request back to Merc Racing through a dealer) and they turned the engines at their WOT rated 6,800 rpms to record that speed. That is 10,600 lbs. (dry weight) of fast fiberglass fishing boat flying across the water faster than many go-fast boats can achieve.

These are stock, two year warranty, engines. Just think for a moment, only 475.5 cubic inches of pump gas marine engines making 1,050 Hp. combined. And that is on a Tournament Fishing Boat with a stepped v-bottom hull shape. This offshore center console really goes good, huh?

The hull shape for this fish boat comes from the lessons learned on a race course. The pad in the bottom at the keel, the placement of the steps to ventilate the water passing under the fish boat, the deadrise, and the longitudinal angles of the surface that the boat runs on are all perfected for speed on the water. Also the notch in the boat bottom and transom bracket style shape at the stern works well with helping to adjust and set the angle that the boat takes across any waves and wind chop.

fish boat with three Mercury outboards for power in the open ocean

Monterey boat photo

The Atlantic City Boat Show hours then are 11 am to 8 pm. They are the best days to see all the boats and boating gear. Figure on all 14 parking lots around the Convention Center being ready to accept your car. Jay Mohr, Tony Bennett, and the Dorin Spivey / Victor Vasquez Super Brawl are on different days.

Back to the power boats and sail boats at the Atlantic City Convention Center, One Convention Center Drive, Atlantic City, NJ 08401. The Show opens Wednesday at 11 AM and goes thru Sunday until 5 PM. Kids 15 and under are free to get in with an accompanying (paying) Adult ticket.

See a big display of Monterey Boats in booth G45. They make bow riders, runabouts, water ski and wakeboard boats, express, and cabin cruisers and have a bow rider / sleeper cabin boat combo that is not to be missed. They are a leading boat brand in the new thinking on how one uses a boat for a weekend of on the water fun. Monterey Boats are on seabuddy’s list of boat builders to see at the show. I really liked the two Monterey Boats that I have had.

Formula boats in booth B23 are also premium boats. They also make a full line of boats to climb aboard, study about, and ask questions on how they fit into your lifestyle.

Grady White boats are award winning fish boats and family boats that go fishing well. They are in booth D30 at the Atlantic City boat Show, starting Wednesday and going on until Sunday, February 5^th, 2012.

Wood power boat photo classic mahogany runabout

This runabout is custom designed by the famous marine architect Charlie Jannace from Delmar, MD (about 50 miles outside of St. Michaels, MD) telephone 410-883-3059 and hand made by the Hugh Saint boat building company in Cape Coral, FL telephone 239-574-1299.

Charlie designs both fiberglass and wood boats for many boat building clients (some for regular production and some one-off (custom) designs. He is a very experienced naval architect. And his boat designs work in the real world!

The Hugh Saint, Inc. boat building company builds in the WEST system of wood and epoxy. They typically use double planking of mahogany wood matching the wood’s grain where its important, encapsulating all that wood in epoxy so water never reaches it. They are not alone in building wood boats in this manner of construction style in today’s world of wood boat building.

mahogany wood cold molded runabout photo

This custom Gentleman’s Racer is 28 ½ ’ long with a 9’ beam. She is a performance boat, but not a race boat. In a gentleman’s racer strength, luxury, and a good, comfortable seating in the cockpit are balanced by sheer speed thrills. A fast, dry ride is important. Absolute top speed is not. Such a boat satisfies its owner, not a broad audience of boat buyers. She is powered by twin “small block” 350 cu. in. chevy gas engines using a v-drive drivetrain system to get the power to the two propellers to push the one off mahogany wood boat. The top speed is simply quoted as 50 mph plus. It gives that speed in luxury and comfort for its owner.

WEST system mahogany wood power boat photo

2012 Mercury Marine outboard motor

Look for the lightest, newest, marine torque big block Mercury Four Stroke outboard in a small package that is on today’s outboard motor boating marketplace at the Baltimore Boat Show. It has shown to have very high durability partly because of its robust part choices where other outboard motors have had trouble. This outboard has almost 10,000 hours of engineer’s time and testing in the field to make a durable marine engine.

A goal of the motor was for it to weight within the weight of a battery and a two stroke outboard combined together and yet have the most displacement cubic inches for marine power in its Hp class. The Mercury Marine FourStroke 150 Hp accomplishes both goals. It weights around 455 lbs. while Honda’s engine weights around 478 lbs. for its 150 Hp.

On the water, expect less vibration because of the powerhead mounts and location. The transom brackets are heavier, too. It’s a good salt or brackish water engine, too, because of a new bonding paint system that is 18 steps in all and the engine has waterproof connectors and an electric system within the cowling that is sealed away more from water than most. She has a fresh water flushing that works at idle engine speeds and also when it is turned off.

Maintenance is once a year (every 100 hours) and every three years (every 300 hours) simple thing to do. On the Chesapeake Bay it is suggested that you apply anti-seize compound on the spark plug threads each year, for instance.

Mercury Marine covers the entire engine with a 3 year non-declining warranty backed by the factory.

regal marine bow rider 24

SHOW DATES: January 19–22, 2012

Baltimore Convention Center
1 W Pratt Street (at Charles Street),One block away from the Inner Harbor
Baltimore, MD 21201

Show Hours

Thursday, January 19, 2012
11am–9pm

Friday, January 20, 2012
11am–9pm

Saturday, January 21, 2012
10am–9pm

Sunday, January 22, 2012
10am–5pm

Admission

Adult: $10.00 each
15 and younger: FREE with a paid adult admission

This is a great NMMA boat show that should have good weather this year. I always go and check out the free magazine subscription choice that comes with an admission ticket purchase. Often the magazine offer makes the Boat Show a free event. Look for the magazine booth near the entrance, and do not worry, I do not get bothered by sales pitches from the magazine, as I opt out of that box on the magazine form. If they are offering Yachting Magazine, get that one, it is the best way to enjoy boating right now, in my opinion.

Regal should have some fine bow riders and deck boats to look at from Jackson Marine Sales on display at the Baltimore Boat show for you and your family to inspect. Woody Jackson is a long time local boat dealer and continues to do an outstanding job in his sales, service, and marina businesses at the top of the Chesapeake Bay.

Also, take a look at the Chaparral boats and the power boats from Cobalt boats. Both have some “hot” deals that shook up the boaters at the New York Boat Show, earlier this month. The New York Boat Show charges more money to get in than the Baltimore Boat Show does.

8.1 power boat engine from Volvo

Volvo makes an 8.1 gas big block engine for the most torque and horse power for a power boat. Volvo has been a leader in marine pleasure boat power in the USA since 1959.

The 8.1 engine comes with a choice of camshafts that are selected based on where you as a boater want your power. Use 4,200 rpm and above mostly and pick the high Hp cam, use 4,000 rpm and below for almost all your time boating, select the 375-400 Hp engine cam. So, a true “hot rod” boat speed freak boater best uses the high performance camshaft and everyone else should use the regular cam. It is a no brainer, really, as you know going into a boat show if you want the most power you can get out of the engine below 4,000 rpm (even more power than the performance cam at these “below  4,000 rpms” engine speeds). Remember, the 375-400 Hp engine is the “Hole Shot” engine choice for the quickest 0 to 30 mph acceleration tests.

Volvo Penta gas power boat engine

Either the 375 or the 400 Hp engines are rated to run as fast as 4,600 to 4,800 rpms. They just do not develop as much power at those rpms as the Hi-Po camshaft engine.

All of these engines are 8.1 in displacement or big cubic inch engines developed from a Chevy based v-8 engine. They are fuel injected engines using a MPI fuel delivery system. Fresh water cooling and  the drive system is separate choice.

Absolute 43 yacht with Volvo Penta power

power boat underway with Volvo Penta power

2012 Chris Craft I. O. power boat

She is a sport boat on the exterior and a four sleeper, complete galley, and head down below. This power boat tops out at 48 mph and cruises from as low as 16 mph to as high 42 mph with the same fuel economy. The photo shows how this performance boat handles in a turn. Should one call her a sporty boat, a performance boat, or a cabin cruiser?

Chris Craft builds a stylish way to run around all the waterways in its Corsair 36 power boat model. In the USA she usually runs twin 8.1 Volvo gas engines with twin diesels as an optional choice. Volvo marine engines has tested and approved the engine installation details in this boat model. She went from 0 to 30 mph in acceleration boat tests in less than 10 seconds while weighing just under 10 tons with some 2,500 lbs. of fuel, water, crew, gear weight onboard and are willing to show their test report numbers to interested boaters.

2012 Chris Craft Corsair power boat

This model of the Corsair series is actually over 38 feet including the swim platform and 36’ 3” without it. The beam is 12’ 6”. She weights some 16,000 – 16,500 lbs. dry. Air Conditioning, two refrigerators, a microwave, a cabinet mounted coffee maker, a convertible dinette, and then a queen size bed in the owner’s cabin all of which is done in a high nautical fashion makes for a luxurious boat.

Take a look at your local boat show, where she may be what you need for this coming summer’s adventures on the water.

power boat cockpit of a Chris Craft Corsair

layout with its private owner's cabin