This looks interesting: Riva

[Ghost]

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1977/Riva-St-Tropez-Trailer-1252293/Jacksonville/FL/United-States

[gcarter]

The bottom looks very Levi-ish.
Of course it dates from a time when he was at the peak of his carreer.

[Just Say N20]

I don't think you'd see another one during the course of your daily boating.

I have never seen throttles mounted horizontally like that. I can't imagine it would be comfortable to operate them together.

Ditto for the transmission levers, one on each side of the steering column.

[Morgan's Cloud]

Ahh , a St Tropez by any other name ..... :kingme:

Evel Knevel used to have one of these too ... Or an almost identical model.

Must admit though , sometimes designers need to leave stylish alone and go with what works ... (That throttle setup ...)
Everything else seems nice though .

[zelatore]

Must admit though , sometimes designers need to leave stylish alone and go with what works ... (That throttle setup ...)
Everything else seems nice though .


Yup....

[lars]

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1977/Riva-St-Tropez-Trailer-1252293/Jacksonville/FL/United-States
While the St-Tropez is nice I always prefered the Riva Ferrari 32' ( & 30') and the Riva 2000. When this owner realizes his 2000 is worth around $250,000 in todays market and not $1,200,000 it'll be a great boat for somebody who owns a gas station.
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/boatFullDetails.jsp?boat_id=2005182&ybw=&units=Feet&currency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=1817&url= :italy:

[Ghost]

Thanks, I like it, very cool. There must have been at least a small flurry of this sort of topside in the Moonraker Glastron period, though I don't know who was really first, just that one was used in that film.

The one you've picked is definitely more interesting than the one I stumbled into. I was (and remain) more of a classic Riva fan, but I didn't even know these things existed until I stumbled into a listing.

[lars]

Riva Ferrari in pictures.

[lars]

I try to make it to Lake Tahoe, CA every August for The Concourse. I always had my heart set on an Aquarama or a little Ariston. One day.

[mattyboy]

lars
we have that exact boat on my lake an older retired couple they spend the summers up here and then the boat goes down to florida with them for the winter.

they are on that boat every day swimming , sunning , they fequent the restaurant at the end of my street, the boat is awesome twin 350's it is a really nice boat I get some pics of it this season

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I try to make it to Lake Tahoe, CA every August for The Concourse. I always had my heart set on an Aquarama or a little Ariston. One day.

Lars,
I think the Aquarama is the most beautiful boat I have ever seen in person. I absolutely love the lines and everything else about it. I would like to own one some day, too. Bill

[lars]

Here's the link to The Riva Historical Society's site. Great information.
http://www.rivahistorical.org/enhome.htm
Second a link to a set of videos of a 2 year restoration of a 1966 Super Aquarama.
http://www.youtube.com/user/videomick
La Dolce Vita!!! :italy:

[lars]

lars
we have that exact boat on my lake an older retired couple they spend the summers up here and then the boat goes down to florida with them for the winter.

they are on that boat every day swimming , sunning , they fequent the restaurant at the end of my street, the boat is awesome twin 350's it is a really nice boat I get some pics of it this season

Hope this couple get many more memorable runs in their beloved Riva. Look forward to photos eventually. Thanks Matty. ;)

[Ghost]

Here's the link to The Riva Historical Society's site. Great information.
http://www.rivahistorical.org/enhome.htm
Second a link to a set of videos of a 2 year restoration of a 1966 Super Aquarama.
http://www.youtube.com/user/videomick
La Dolce Vita!!! :italy:

Really cool stuff, thanks.

[gcarter]

Back in about '90, I think, Wooden Boat mag did a short concise history of Riva (5-6 pages). From receiving the order, it required several years (maybe 3-5) to receive your Aquarama. In '90, the price was over $300,000.00.
You could get one quicker, maybe even immediately, but you paid for upsetting the schedule.....I got the idea you paid a lot for the privalege to get the new tender for the new Italian yahct you just bought.
Another thing was interesting, if I remember correctly, part of the construction took place in a cave......I don't remedmber why, maybe for better aging of all the different types of wood that went into them.
Fascinating what people will pay for the perceived value of exclucivity!!!

[lars]

The "perceived value of exclucivity" usually lead people with no clue of the product's quality to pay blindly more than the product should realisticly sell for. Many times peoples obsession to produce a product that beats anything available out there in every aspect that counts lead to a situation that if they succeed, demand will of course by far exceed availability. Since the manufacturers who accomplish this rare feat usually had no real intent to make money in the first place, since monetary compensation for such a creation is very hard to establish and produce such a high quality product in any serious amount is almost impossible. After the creator has made 10 of them, both he and prospect customers want one that is better than the first 10. This of course lead to exclucivity and "overpricing"? After You sold 150 products to people with more money than brains and 50 to true knowledgable owners the trouble begin. The 150 will have trouble taking care of the product and don't know how to use or enjoy it in the first place and now the only way to survive as a producer is true product quality and customer service. Companies like Riva and Boesch have mastered both for many many years and thus still excist. Most other high quality products dies with it's creator or his/her ability to cover the customer service side and as we know these two qualities rarely co-exists among these true artists. Thanks to these visionary artists/creators who also are/were people persons we can still enjoy their lasting creations and legacies. A few come to mind;
Carlo Riva, Jakob Boesch, Renato "Sonny" Levi, Jim Wynne, Don Aronow, Larry Smith and the list goes on Thank God.
P.S. Since I know You are one of 50 Carter, it wouldn't surprise me seeing You run a Riva Super Aquarama or Boesch 750 Portofino De Luxe one of these days! :yes: D.S.
Sources;
http://www.riva-yacht.com/visitors/index.php?page=archivio&mod=presentazione&lang=en
http://www.boesch-boats.ch/home-en/view?set_language=en

[mattyboy]

here's the riva on my lake

[lars]

I guess to find anything more beautiful than that I have to post this one:italy:

[Craig S]

[quote=lars;499302]The "perceived value of exclusivity" ...

I like that. Great points.

[Ghost]

I guess to find anything more beautiful than that I have to post this one

Outstanding. I think a moment of silence is in order.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=44084&d=1236853303