Boat of the Week: Why the Classic Riva Aquarama Is Still the Most Beautiful Runabout Ever Made
By: Michael Verdon - The Robb Report
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Boat of the Week: Why the Classic Riva Aquarama Is Still the Most Beautiful Runabout Ever Made
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And we had a chance to run one.
Riva/Assouline
There are boats that look cool for a year. Others have such classic looks that can be reinvented from generation to generation. Then there are a handful that stand the test of time. The Riva Aquarama is one of those. Carlo Riva’s creation, celebrating the 60th anniversary of its launch in August, was an instant hit when it arrived in 1962.
Three years later, no other boat enjoyed the Aquarama’s elevated brand status; the owners included movie stars like Sophia Loren and Rex Harrison and a small group of royals, which added to the mystique in the public’s eye. But most owners were high-net-worth individuals who were willing to buy an Aquarama for about the same price as a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, Italy’s most expensive car in the mid-’60s.
The boat’s beautiful mahogany exterior, sexy curves, and American engines made it an unbeatable proposition for the rich and famous at a time when the world was searching for new, modern status symbols after World War II. The Aquarama—which took its name from the cinematic technique panorama—quickly found a home along the French and Italian Rivieras. But eventually it became synonymous with Monaco. The principality was fast becoming the upscale, James-Bondish gathering point of celebrities and royalty that seals its reputation today. A harbor of gleaming mahogany Rivas added to the allure.
The Riva Aquarama was an instant hit when it arrived in 1962 . Riva/Assouline
“I know it’s an inanimate object, but if you have a passion and love for beautiful machines, as I do,” says Bruce Paddock, who owns the Aquarama Special Mistral II, “then you’ll identify with the design, performance and quality of the work. When you put those elements together, it creates a mystique and desire between the owner and the object.”
The Aquarama has been named the “Best Runabout Ever” by multiple boating magazines. I had the opportunity to write a book that will be published later this summer about the Aquarama’s history for the centenary of Carlo Riva’s birthday and the 60th anniversary of the first Aquarama, Lipicar—named after Riva’s three daughters, Lia, Pia and Carla. Before researching the book, I’d assumed the Aquarama was a typical Italian boat, long on style, short on engineering and performance.
How wrong I was. One of the highlights of the project was spending a day at the helm of Gala , an Aquarama Super (the second model in the series), which was hull number 425 built in 1970 on Lake Iseo, near Riva’s historic Sarnico factory.
The boat was meticulously crafted from wood. Riva/Assouline
Owned by Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi, Gala was a stunning wooden boat, with ivory-colored upholstery, a Calax-style steering wheel inspired by a 1958 Chrysler 300, and side throttles. Unlike most boats, the helm is on the left side. Riva had decided early on to model the Aquarama after the finest luxury cars with throaty American marine engines ( Gala had twin 320 hp Rivas, which were modified Crusaders). The hand-built wooden hulls were built on a production line like cars for quality control and timely delivery.
At the dock, Gala had a stately presence, with pinstripes on the light-colored mahogany foredeck, a beautiful reddish-tinted hull, gleaming chrome, and a wraparound automotive-style windshield which was radical for the day. The oversized steering wheel felt perfect for a boat that would’ve been compared to a Cadillac or Lincoln in its day. And the side throttles were also modeled on a car to make it more intuitive for new owners who were not necessarily boaters. The hull had been designed for ocean running—after Riva had been chided by a longtime friend for building “lake boats.”
We didn’t find any big seas running around Lake Iseo, but the lake, with mountains in the distance, was a perfect backdrop to this 52-year-old beauty. Galassi, who had wanted an Aquarama as a child, believes that the Aquarama is the most perfect design ever. “The sound of the engines, the wood, the beautiful sweep of the hull, the performance,” he says, listing the attributes.
Carlo Riva’s creation is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its launch in August . Riva/Assouline
He forgot the word fun. It was such an enjoyable boat to drive, turning sharp with the twin engines. When the hull slapped it was a much softer sound than fiberglass. There was a sense of grace and performance, especially considering its age, that I hadn’t felt before. I had the helm a few hours but let the captain dock it, as the mahogany finish was flawless and I didn’t want to leave any scratches. I know it’s over-hyping it, but I have to say my day aboard Gala— probably because I knew so much about Aquarama’s history—was one of my most memorable days on the water after 30 years of testing boats.
Beyond the beautiful, varnished wood and chrome work, features like the bow anchor locker, with a clever self-retrieving anchor system, and the soft canvas top had a huge spring inside to make it easy to raise and lower the canvas when it started to rain. Wicker drink trays were built into the backs of the forward seats, and a beautiful sunpad was designed over the engines. The transom was sloped to allow easy access to the water. The details had clearly been set and then reset by Riva and his team.
The owners included movie stars like Sophia Loren and Rex Harrison and a small group of royals. Riva/Assouline
Despite the beauty, Aquarama owners love to use their boats, rather than groom them for classic boat shows. “We put 650 miles on the hull during our first season, and that was on weekends,” says Sean Brown, who with wife Delphine, bought The Brown Knight in 1998 and keeps it at their home on Lake George, NY. “This boat runs the way boats should run—fast and stable with no trim tabs. I don’t want a show queen.”
Among American classic boat owners, who tend to favor domestic brands like Chris-Crafts and Garwoods, the Aquarama is an outlier. But there are large classic Riva collections, including many Aquarama owners, on Lake Tahoe, Lake George, the Great Lakes and freshwater lakes in Florida. Among the 760 completed Aquaramas, 650 are still around. The most historic models in the best condition continue to fetch high six-figure prices.
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Never mind beaming me back to the early 1950s, Scotty, just beam me into the right hand seat of that boat...
I beg to differ with the author as to the what the most beautiful classic wooden runabout boat is. In my opinion, it is the Greavette Streamliner, made in Ontario, and plying the Muskoka Lakes of Ontario.
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Amazing!
Makes me realize I've made a big mistake--- I never made earning a lot of money a priority.
(And that Rolls Royce Phantom III ain't too shoddy either!!!)
Never made enough money for either myself, but that didn't stop me from appreciating them.
Obviously cars are much more popular than boats among the members here.
I believe I mentioned on NT a while back that I own (well, part own) a boat. But don't be too impressed-- my old roommate and I bought it, used, for a total of $150!
It is a very old model Alcort Sailfish-- they look like this:
That's actually a newer model (photo from Wikipedia). Its like a surfboard with a sail and simple rudder. A real fun boat to sail, especially in a very brisk wind!
The only time I actually went sailing on a sailboat was very many years ago in Biscayne Bay, Miami, with a friend who knew how to handle a sailboat. I've been on the deck of sailboats a few times, on Pete Seeger's Clearwater, on the USS Constitution in Boston, and on a 3-master docked at Toronto along with Ramblin' Jack Elliott who I had just taken out for lunch - he's really in the rigging and stuff about sailboats.
I am a boat lover, nothing like the acceleration of an inboard, that's why skiers love them. That is a beautiful boat !
Both the Riva and the Greavette are beautiful, but I still prefer the Greavette - which one is your choice?
No argument here those are both beautiful boats (that I could never afford)
It's not just the purchase price of those boats, the maintenance of wooden boats is also a big deal. However, as I said, at least they're a pleasure to look at, especially when a gorgeous blonde is steering them.
Probably more than other types of boats.
But the upkeep of all types is expensive.
There's a joke amongst "boat people" I've known.
Definition of a boat: "A hole in the water into which you pour money.".
Not necessarily so, Krishna. I had a fiberglass 14 1/2 foot bowrider boat with a 70 hp Evinrude (Johnson brand) motor and its upkeep was really minimal. Pretty well the main expense was having it stored for the winter at the marina - and that didn't cost very much. Of course there was the cost of fuel, but hey, driving a car has a fuel cost as well.
Here I'm teaching my son how to fish.
Yes that's true with smaller boats.
In the past I've known a lot of boat people with much larger ones-- even some "smaller sized" yachts. The upkeep on those can be expensive.
My Sailfish?
It was so small that after a day of sailing, we rolled up the sail on the mast-- turned the boat upside-down-- and secured it to the roof of my roomate's car! ("Drydock" meant keeping in it his garage on the floor leaning against the wall! Without the sail it looks a lot like a large surfboard!)
Its so small and light that two people can easily carry it....)
I may have mentioned a while back: my uncle used to live in Huntington Beach CA. He was an auctioneer and constantly buying and selling things on his own as well. (He rented a large warehouse where he stored various odd things he bought).Among other things for a while he bought and sold small yachts-- and he used to hang out with a fairly wealthy boating crowd in Southern California.
That must have made for many fun times!
I was never a good swimmer so I wouldn't have gone on such a boat. I guess it's why I had both my kids attend all the classes to graduate as Red Cross Lifesavers, about the highest level.
I had an architect client who except for the winter lived on his yacht docked at Toronto - actually I forgot above to mention that I had been in his yacht once.
Some of the best times.
Occasionally inexperienced sailors get thrown into the water. And/ or it tips over. But that's part of the fun of sailing one. In fact sometimes we did it deliberately! (Needless to say you don't wear clothes or even shoes when sailing-- impossible to stay dry!
The top is flat, water often washes over the deck. I've always felt "closer to the elements" in this sort of boat.
It can hold a maximum of 2 persons-- we tried a few times with three but it capsizes!
From Wikipedia:
Sunfish was developed by Alcort, Inc. and first appeared around 1952 as the "next generation" improvement on their original boat, the Sailfish .
In contrast, the Sunfish has a wider beam for more stability, increased freeboard and the addition of a foot-well for a more comfortable sailing position. Sunfish began as a wood hull design and progressed to fiberglass construction just a few years after its introduction. [2]
Photo:
There are a good number of people in boating areas that live on houseboats! And I saw a lot of them in Amsterdam of course. But I've never been on one.
Even in my boat I always wore a bathing suit.
Lots of pictures from that link - shows the whole development of the product.
Fiberglass makes a lot more sense than wood for smaller boats, etc. at least.
Sleepless in Seattle.
The two happiest days of a boat owner's life, the day you buy a boat and the day you sell it!
Another definition for a BOAT is Break Out Another Thousand
Ironically, my Sailfish is made of wood. But I'm not boasting-- its not as beautiful as the picture you posted! (Its painted white, so you can't tell if its wood or not. And I'm sure if the wood was exposed it wouldn't be all that beautiful.
Once we called the manufacturer re; a problem, and when he asked what model it was we didn't know.
But my friend said it was wood, not Fiberglass. So the guy said it was a really old one-- they've been making them out of Fiberglass now-- for decades!
Another thousand-- or even more:
The 10 Most Expensive Yachts in the World
That's not so ironic.
LOL. Not only would I have a little difficulty paying for a yacht like those, I would have a LOT of difficulty paying one day's running expense for even the least expensive one. My 14 1/2 foot bowrider was my yacht.