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Getting a boat is every seafarer’s dream. It had never occurred to me that it might also be the dream of some river and lake men. Barche a Motore reader and subscriber, Pietro “Jerry” Geretti, a vivacious retiree from Lombardy, realized it now 40 years ago (when he was not yet a retiree), and has been sailing a lot with his car-boat ever since. Today he decided to share his story with us.
You may remember the Amoretti brothers, the “autonauts.” Here, today we see an idea that in some ways is similar, but from a good 15 years earlier. Of course, in fresh water the needs are different and Jerry decides not to limit himself to a simple boat. In a more elegant way than the Fiat 500 in the shape of a boat, Jerry, like a true forerunner, thought of building a floating car.
The idea was to build something that was not only original, but also beautiful. And what better inspiration for such a project than the sleek lines of the seductive American cars of the 1960s. So, in the 1980s, he began a journey that would last about a year, taking him from idea, to design, to realization.
“Just think, when I’m sailing I often get stopped,” Pietro “Jerry” Geretti tells us. To take pictures! I built it for me, to make something beautiful, and I didn’t think they would like it so much. When that happens sometimes I am also moved by the beautiful words about this boat.”
Jerry, at the time, is a mechanical engineer, and to take care of every aspect without leaving room for superficiality, he gets help from the designers and an engineer at the company where he works. The result of this dedication is amazing not only in design, but also in technical qualities. We are not talking about a simple plywood prototype, but a fiberglass model made on a mold taken from a numerically controlled machine. Even, the hood, to make it walkable, has been reinforced with carbon. Almost doesn’t sound like describing a handcrafted product from the 1980s!
But the attention to detail does not stop there. The engine was the subject of a specific search to find a model in keeping with the style of the machine-boat, culminating in the discovery of an Aspera Mac 7, a true historical find, unfortunately not currently usable due to the lack of a compatible propeller.
In short, in a boating market that often falls flat on increasingly similar models and solutions, it is really a pleasure to tell about something that stands out for originality, creativity and, above all, passion. Which, in the end, is what keeps this world going.
Stefano Monfroni
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