CRUISING IN A CLASSIC RIVA
After buying a classic Riva Super Florida for £20,000 in 1994, James Nicholls now considers this much-loved boat part of the family
James Nicholls couldn’t resist the allure of buying a Super Florida for £20,000. Has it lived up to his expectations?
Ilove boating in all its formats: motorboating, sailing, even travelling on a local ferry – as long as I am on the water, I am happy. I am most content, though, when on a classic boat from the 1950s or 1960s, especially if it is one of the marvellous creations of Carlo Riva.
I’m not sure why this is, maybe my age, maybe the heritage of my Italian mother, or my frustrated father’s land-locked interest in boats, which only got us as far as the Earl’s Court
Boat Show every year. Most likely a combination of all three and a desire to emulate La Dolce Vita garnered from watching old films and the exquisite photography of Edward Quinn.
Wherever the passion came from, including reading old back issues of MBY magazine, I have always loved classic boats and some 30 years ago I first dipped my toe in the water of actually owning one by answering a classified advertisement for a beautiful 15-ft wooden runabout that looked close to the Rivas of my heart’s desire but which at the time were out of my budget.
Built by the Cantiere Navale Donoratico in Livorno in the late 1950s it was an almost exact replica of the Riva Scoiattolo (Italian for squirrel), hardly surprising when my research led me to the discovery that the men who had designed and built the
little outboard driven speedboat had previously plied their trade in the Riva yard on Lake Iseo.
I purchased the Donoratico, changed its name to Cesilde after my grandmother, and set about the task of restoring it. One weekend later and with about two square inches of the hull rubbed back, I realised that I needed help – a lot of it. I went to visit the late lamented Peter Freebody at his marvellous yard on the River Thames near Maidenhead. His workshop was filled with wood shavings and hulls of all types, including Rivas. This was the man for me, missing fingers, battered panama with a daisy in it, and all. The rumour that he had even restored the Riva once owned by Brigitte Bardot sealed the deal.
After much cajoling and considerably more money and time than I’d expected, Peter agreed to take it on. Now all I needed to know was when it would be finished. The conversation proved to be a very short one:
Me: “When will it be ready?”
Peter: “Do you want a good job or a quick job?”
Me: “A good job, of course.”
Peter: “Well, eff off and leave me alone then!”
Eventually, my little boat was ready and her first proper outing was at a classic boat rally in Paris. Cesilde was much admired by
the general public but was rather looked down upon by the owners of ‘proper’ Rivas. Nevertheless, it was in Paris that I first met my good friend John, who to say he is an expert on classic boats is to do him a disservice. He too fancied a Riva and after a trip together to a Riva rally in St Tropez, to which the Donoratico had been invited due to its link with the Riva Scoiattolo, we decided to purchase one together.
John also raced classic three-point hydroplanes and it was one of his racing connections, a fellow enthusiast called Dody, who found us an excellent example of a 1965 Riva Super Florida. It needed one or two things doing to it but Dody made sure that everything was ship-shape and included in the purchase price of £20,000. Even back in 1994 that didn’t seem a lot to pay for a genuine classic Riva.
Hull number 925 was originally called Ollie and delivered to a chap named Mellor in the South of France by the Monaco
Boat Service. It is one of the smaller Rivas, single engine, but very practical, great fun, good for water-skiing behind, and capable of taking six adults at speed in style and comfort
(as long as it is not too windy and choppy). We renamed her Severina after my mother and as Dody owns a bijou hotel, the Nautilus, on the shores of Lake Como as well as perhaps the finest Riva ever made, a bespoke Tritone Special with twin Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz engines, we decided this was an ideal spot to keep our new toy.
ITALIAN ADVENTURES
Of course, being made of wood, one needs to take much greater care when mooring or undertaking close manoeuvres, such as refuelling, than in a modern GRP motorboat but the pleasures and benefits far outweigh these disadvantages. For one thing the ride is so soft and when driving I can feel the suppleness of the hull – this is a living boat, not just a hard-shell slamming into the next wave. Then of course, there is the beautiful steering wheel, inspired by American cars of the period, along with the fine details and quality of the fixtures and fittings. It is such a special feeling and one that I am sure has not been recaptured since these incredible craft stopped being built.
Having had Severina for over 25 years, Lake Como has been a happy hunting ground and there is no better or more elegant way to arrive at the Grand Hotel Villa d’este or for lunch at the Yacht Club. The mere sight of a Riva seems to guarantee assistance wherever we moor up. Occasionally though it is nice to stretch her legs on a different stretch of water and take part in a rally organised under the auspices of the Riva Historical Society or ASDEC (the Italian Classic Boat Association). Over the years these have taken us to Monaco, Aix-les-bains, Viareggio, Lago di Garda, Lago Maggiore, and even Venice.
This year the main RHS meeting was to be held in Trieste in the north-eastern corner of Italy. The itinerary looked promising, so we decided to splash out and join in the fun. Severina is 6.27 metres long and weighs 1,240 kg making her just too big to be towed behind a car. This means she has to be transported by truck on her original factory cradle. It’s not an inexpensive
exercise and the round trip to the Adriatic port cost €2,400. It was worth every cent, though I had my doubts on the first afternoon when Severina was lifted off the lorry and launched at the Cantiere San Rocco in Muggia, some five kilometres from our pre-booked berth at the Molo Venezia in the Marina San Giusto in Trieste. The wind was blowing swiftly into my face as I gunned the engine to escape the narrow launching point, fearing that I might be blown against the harsh concrete walls and damage the delicate timber of my precious vessel. Thankfully, the 220 hp V8 engine responded immediately and we sped out into open water rough enough to make me don my lifejacket. Hunkered down behind the windscreen in the drizzle, I was glad that Severina has always been maintained properly. Whilst maintenance of any boat is a necessity, with a wooden boat it is imperative that the upkeep is carried out on an ongoing basis. The original engine requires servicing more regularly than a modern engine, and the hull needs to be stored in the right conditions – one cannot just leave a Riva in the water for the summer – it needs to be taken out after every use. Salt water can be a killer and strong sunlight can cause serious deterioration of the varnished decks very quickly. A Riva in good condition will have some 12 to 14 layers of Stoppani varnish and every few years it is necessary to rub back and replace a couple of coats to maintain a pristine finish.
Severina is in splendid order having had a recent mechanical and cosmetic overhaul two seasons ago at Lazarri, one of the best yards on the Italian Lakes for the care and maintenance of Rivas. There is no doubt about it, though, that foot for foot, a classic boat will cost more to maintain and have higher running expenses than a modern counterpart.
TAKE ME TO THE RIVA
I reaped the benefits though the very next morning, which dawned bright and clear. The wide expanse of the Adriatic Sea was as still and calm as it is possible to be. We headed south on a long run of 40km for an al fresco lunch at Porto Anfora. The run down was on the open seas but then part of the return journey was through the channels of the Grado Lagoon, a striking nature reserve, its marshland reminiscent of the outer reaches of the
Because of her weight, she has to be transported on her cradle
Venetian Lagoon, its natural beauty interspersed with the occasional fisherman’s hut on an isolated islet. The inland channel led back out to sea where we returned to our mooring, sun-baked and sea-salt tired but grinning from ear to ear after a fast-paced sprint across the undulating mirror of water.
MAKING NEW MEMORIES
The next day was just as fair, and once again the water like glass. After a quick briefing, and a refuel (our 130 litre tank is used up pretty quickly), the excitement on our boat was palpable as we headed north-east, sitting up high looking across the shining foredeck towards a new country – soon we were in Slovenian waters. The flotilla of 15 Rivas made up of Juniors, Floridas, Super Floridas, Aristons, Olympics and the big twin-engined Aquaramas and Super Aquaramas spread across the water in echelon, spray flying, the deep-chested, burbling engines quickly carrying us 25km to the Bay of Portorose and the colourful houses of Pirano, a major seaside resort on the coast of Slovenia. A quick dip in the warm blue Adriatic waters, a picnic and then home again to Trieste for yet another highlight of a trip full of highlights.
That afternoon we boarded a coach to the stunning Castello di Miramare, which we had passed on the water the day before. It was built around 1856 for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium. From here we headed up into the hills for a riotous evening of laughter and wine with our fellow Rivanauts.
The next day the weather was not so kind, but that was ok as I had to help judge the assembled classic cars in front of the Savoia Excelsior Palace Hotel, our Riva Days meeting being run in conjunction with the Italian Historic Automobile Association (ASI). Judging duties over, we rushed down to Severina with my fellow judge and his friends for the grand parade in the harbour with crews dressed in the chosen theme of the poster artists of the inter-war years. That evening at the Hotel Savoia it was prize-giving time, where my ten-year-old son, Jack, helped hand out the goodies.
It was a wonderful weekend: new memories, old friends; new friends, old memories. Severina was hauled out and put back on the truck to Lake Como, and with a sad heart we said goodbye. But the following weekend we too would be back on Lake Como for another unforgettable weekend on our unforgettable boat, which after a quarter of a century, is now as much a part of our family as the rest of us. Call me a boat snob but that’s a feeling I can’t ever imagine having with a modern plastic sportsboat.
Our unforgettable boat is as much a part of our family as the rest of us