5 very fast cults to fly into the past (9-16 m)
Wind in the face and high speeds, for some reason, have always had a charm all their own. So much so that, of water gliding bolides, new ones are found every year. A segment that will never cease to fascinate and impress. And, on the surface, it would seem to have always been so. Today, for lovers of the genre, we offer a plunge into the past, a dive into angular hulls, very long bows and iconic models. Armed with lines that are as retro as ever, an aesthetic now lost, and a body of history to make contemporaries envious, here are 5 super-sporty Classic Boats, 5 masterpieces of the past that can still captivate today.
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Monte Carlo Offshorer 30 (8.9 m)
It is Italy’s 55+ knot fast commuter, a success story of hundreds and hundreds of units built and sold, mainly between the French Riviera and Liguria. It is the Monte Carlo Offshorer 30, a hull with exceptional pedigree and even more impressive speeds. An extremely intelligent, well-kept and super versatile design, a small masterpiece of Carlo Riva’s “second shipyard.”
Primarily intended for day cruising, the design of this 30-footer aimed at the highest levels of the market, seeking top quality and finish. Nothing is left to chance, and the boat is full of solutions aimed at maximizing comfort and aesthetics on board, offering everything needed. Full-beam sundeck, cockpit sofas, walkaround center console, and cabin with separate toilet and living/ sleeping area: there is nothing lacking on board. Propulsion? Two options, either a pair of Thermo Electron Crusader V8/350s of 280 horsepower each or, alternatively, a pair of Mercruiser turbodiesels. The result does not change: 40 knots at cruise, 52/55 at full throttle down. A fireball, a cult.
Baja 370 ES (11.2 m)
It is the 1990s and the U.S. churns out a 53-knot missile. It is the Baja 370 ES, an 11.2-meter with aggressive lines, high freeboard and excellent performance. Performance aside, this overseas fast commuter still misses nothing in terms of technology as well, the child as it was of one of the first shipyards to make use of computerized programs for calculation and capable of pouring huge investments into prototyping and testing. Just think of one detail: the deep-V hull is extended all the way to the stern and fitted with a pair of support skids intended for stabilization, simplifying and making safer even fast sailing on formed seas, optimized by Kiekhaefer flaps, sourced from Offshore Racing.
Seats the two monstrous Mercruiser Mod. 454 Magnum Gasoline 8V 365 hp 7440cc apart, the Baja 370 ES is a boat that also knows how to be comfortable and complete: large aft sundeck, sofa and wrap-around seating in the cockpit, open space layout below deck, with galley area, full-beam center dinette, forward V-berth and bathroom and shower. It was a must-have of the 1990s.
Cigarette 38 Top Gun (11.3 m)
Racing and chasing on the water at insane speeds, brutal offshore races and lots of cinema. Cigarettes are an emblem of 1980s Hollywood style, missiles for launching on water wrapped in the most unlikely liveries and colorations. And the 38 Top Gun is certainly no different. With its 60-plus knot top speed, it dominated as much the offshore scene as it did the market and the eternal American summer. The 38 is an undoubted cult, but more importantly, it is still in production today.
The lines are iconic, sleek like few others, and always feature eye-catching, ever-changing liveries. The bow seems never-ending, taking up more than half the length of the hull, then the wheelhouse, armchairs, sofa, and sundeck. Below deck, the shipyard doesn’t deny anyone the chance to enjoy their bolide as if it were a weekender: so here is a unique, open-plan room with a double forward berth and seating along the bulwarks. The design changes in the various models, but the layout does not vary much, with the forward triangle designed for sleeping and the broadside devoted to guest seating. A living room capable of flying over water safely.
Itama 38 (11.6 m)
It’s back to the Bel Paese and, with the legendary l’Itama 30, we enter the world of Italian-style fast-cruisers. Essential, clean lines, bold and aggressive design, yet without finding that excess so dear to its American counterpart. Overall, one is confronted with a sporty runabout that nevertheless also seeks class, comfort and style to spare.
The gist of the design, in the genre, is now given for established, the formula is that: miles of bow, then immediately the windshield, armchairs, sofa and sundeck. A formula that has always won and that everything in genre has in common. But the Itama 38 amazes below deck. Available in 2 versions, Standard & Special, differing in bedding and layout, it offered fine finishes, as pleasing in detail as in overall design. Dinette, galley and sleeping accommodations for two or four concluded the package, for an 11.6-meter bolide still capable of flying at over 40 knots.
Magnum 63 (19.2 m)
With this 19.2 meters you take a quantum leap. He is a giant, he is powerful (3630 horsepower), and no one had ever been as fast as he is: 64 knots. It is the Magnum 63, designed by Pininfarina, an absolute icon in the powerboat world.
Deep-V hull, Arneson-drive and a pair of engines with 1815 horsepower each. Then the flush deck, a single plane over half a boat’s length, with the cockpit instead protected, set back, wide and comfortable. They find space here for a large sofa with sundeck at the far aft end, followed then by two additional wall sofas, one served by the bar top, the other by a table. Below deck the different layouts can carve out 3 to 4 cabins, thus ensuring a minimum of 6 beds and a maximum of 8, plus the ever-present crew cabin. The layout is custom, although the standard sees double double cabins and ample living space, expandable to as many as 3 or 4 cabins total. A cult among cults.
Tell your Classic Boat story and/or discover previous articles
We have created for you an online archive of YOUR Classic Boats in which you can enter your boat and its history, while at the same time allowing you to browse through many others, like a great encyclopedia of the history of motor boating. Here’s how it works! If, on the other hand, you would like to find out about all the articles related to Classic Boats, here is a
link
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