On Monday, Jan. 9, the Como court will auction off BACI, a Riva Aquarama, a true icon of Italian nautical design and excellence. Launched in 1962 by the Sarnico shipyard, which celebrated its 180th birthday this year-celebrated with the launch of Riva Anniversario, a limited edition motorboat of only 18 pieces inspired by the lines of the Aquarama-this motorboat is the evolution of the 1950s Riva Tritone runabout. A mythical boat, out of production since 1996, whose history we told you about last month.
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Sessant’anni fa nasceva la barca più bella di sempre. È il Riva Aquarama
Riva Aquarama second series
BACI is an Aquarama second series, hull no. 194, released in 1967 from the Sarnico Shipyard. The second series Aquaramas, built beginning in 1966, differ from the first series by a longer hull length of 8.25 meters and a dual Riva-derived Crusader engine of 220 horsepower each, replacing the two 185-horsepower Chris Craft model 283 V8s.
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This Aquarama will go to auction after being foreclosed on in 2020 and spending several years ashore at the Ernesto Riva shipyard in Maslianico, Lake Como. BACI, despite being kept by the site properly under cover and on original potting, has been in a state of total neglect for years. Significant restoration and recommissioning work will be required before putting it back in the water, including replacement of the seriously damaged starboard broadside.
An Aquarama at auction
The base auction price is 180,000 euros, apparently a very good offer compared to the average Aquarama prices of around 400,000 euros. The low listing is mainly due to the presence of a non-original engine installed on board, which reduces its desirability compared to the value that comes from the exclusivity of such a boat.
Aquarama at auction: the engines
The engines, two 185-horsepower Chris Craft 283s (those of the first series), are not the original ones this hull was born with. As documented in Riva’s historical archives, BACI was born with two 220-horsepower Riva V8s on board. This is a not insignificant detail considering that this choice, in addition to losing the originality of the boat, negatively affects the performance of the hull. In fact, the hull of the second series Aquaramas, starting with the 174 hull, had been redesigned and optimized to perform best with the 220-horsepower engine.
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