From Thunderboat Row, the legendary road of “roaring boats” to seas around the world. Magnum Marine is a name that has left an indelible mark in boating, so much so that several models have become cult objects. These include in their own right the Magnum 63 And the Magnum 38. Suffice it to say that the first one, launched in 1983, was at the time the fastest and most efficient boat in the world. Among the “fathers” of the project are such true monsters as Philip Theodoli, Arneson and Rolla, to whom Pininfarina also collaborated. Today, the Spadolini firm is working to revive a 1992 Magnum 63 and a 1978 Magnum 38. How? Let’s see.
So two Magnum Marines are being reborn.
Tommaso Spadolini responded to a request from two shipowners to refit two Magnums. An undertaking that is undoubtedly not easy because when intervening on cult vessels “getting it wrong” is relatively easy. Or rather, the real difficulty lies in updating, making the boats in step with the times, but without distorting it. Let’s see how these two models will change.
Magnum 63
“The Magnum 63 had been in a shed for many years,” Spadolini explains, “and in the restoration work we chose to respect the original Pininfarina design. Thus, the bulky forward handrail was eliminated, a more profiled windshield was recreated, and the rollbar was retained, which may not be liked, but is characteristic of the original model. In the aft area, next to the sundeck, plans were made to remount the two side windows that also have a handrail function, in addition to retaining the central aft gangway. Totally new, on the other hand, is the white coloring with two large blue bands, a specific request of the owner who, as a great fan of historic cars, wanted to be inspired by the coloring of American ‘muscle cars,’ from Mustangs to Shelby Cobras.”
On the engine side, the original engines (the Detroit Diesels) will be replaced by two 2,000-horsepower MTUs. Powering the boat will be two Arneson Drive transmissions with surface propellers. In the cockpit, which retains the same layout, the furniture has been changed, with more modern elements being chosen, as well as the dashboard with digital monitors.
New interiors have also been designed and will be unveiled later. The refitting is underway at the Carm shipyard in Lavagna with which Tommaso Spadolini has been working for years. The launch is scheduled for mid-June.
Magnum 38
On the Magnum 38 the work carried out was different. While in the first model considered, the study focused mainly on modernization, in the second case a more comprehensive design was done. The entire cockpit has been rethought, replacing a full-beam sundeck with two side sunbeds with a pass-through in the middle. An updated dinette opens forward.
“More radical was the intervention on the Magnum 38,” Spadolini further recounts, “where, apart from the hull, only the portholes were saved. In this case the owner’s request was to make it a fast daycruiser, maxi tender of a larger yacht. So we replaced the original shaftline transmission and the two gasoline engines with a pair of Cat turbodiesels of 500 hp each with Top System surface propeller transmissions, and this necessitated a complete overhaul of the engine room and a hardening of the transom.”
On the dashboard, the original base with analog clocks has been retained, but has been added to with up-to-date digital instrumentation. Below deck a single open space was created respecting the owner’s request for a daycruiser with two bathrooms, one for the toilet proper and one for the shower stall.
“The hull coloring, gray with a white deck,” Spadolini further explains, “was chosen by the owner to coordinate with the yacht to which the Magnum 38 will serve as a maxi tender. Refitting is currently underway at the Azzurra shipyard in Gaeta, which boasts highly skilled workers and a rich seafaring culture. The launch is scheduled for spring.”
