A 16-year restoration floats his boat
Owner spent $120K surreptitiously restoring 43-year-old Chris-Craft
Groton — When Seaport Auto customers asked owner Mike Lamperelli what he was doing at Whitford Marine, he replied that he was fixing up a tractor. That was a lie. When employees asked why Lamperelli was taking two weeks off, he said he had family issues. That also was a lie.
But Lamperelli finally is ready to share the truth: For the past 16 years, he has been fixing up a rare 30-foot tournament boat Ray Hunt designed for Chris-Craft.
“When I work on projects, I don’t like to be bothered,” he said, adding, “People have a tendency to overwhelm themselves and make themselves too comfortable.”
On Friday, he used a trailer from Stonington Marine Transport to get his boat, the Incredible Hunt, down to Spicer’s Marina in Noank and into the water. He chose the location for its allowance of grills on the docks, and for the mere three minutes it takes to get into the Sound.
The North Stonington resident has done a 180 and now wants everyone to notice his boat.
“My biggest dream, I have to tell you, is to take it down the Mystic River,” said Lamperelli, 56. “I want everyone to see this.”
Considering the color is limegreen — more specifically, the hue of a 1970 Dodge Charger RT — it will be hard to miss.
Lamperelli bought the boat on Marco Island in Southwestern Florida 20 years ago for about $15,000. Throwing a lot of dough into the local economy, he has since put about $120,000 into the boat.
That includes the $14,000 in rent he paid to Bob Whitford for space at Whitford Marine, where he would sneak into a large tent to clandestinely care for his watercraft. Whitford said customers keep boats on the property for about two years on average.
It includes $15,600 of aircraft paint DuPont designed for him. It includes $7,000 worth of lighting from the Mystic-based company Macris Industries. Andy’s Trim Shop in New London did the upholstery in the cockpit and interior seats, and The Hillery Company in Groton fabricated much of the stainless work.
To suit his scuba-diving needs, Lamperelli molded a platform for the back of the boat and affixed stainless rails to hold onto when the water gets rough.
Lest anyone thinks that Lamperelli is not sufficiently meticulous or “anal” (his self-characterization), he set up the boat to accommodate three different types of engine pairs: Corvette, 315 Yanmar and 440 big-block. He will try each pair for a year or two before settling on his favorite.
Lamperelli said that only 211 of his variety of boat were made, and there are only 62 left in the world. He knows of 13 being used in Alaska for halibut fishing.
Fixing up the Ray Hunt boat, he remembers advice he has shared with technical school students: “Never take on a whole project at a time; just look at two feet.”
Lamperelli plans to use the boat for scuba-diving, fishing and trips to Sandy Point. After a lot of hard work, he said, “I want to enjoy the boat now.”
Also enjoying the boat will be his daughter, who is returning from her honeymoon. Lamperelli for many years told her the boat was almost done — and now that’s finally the truth.