The Best Six Minutes of Your Day

I. The Best Six Minutes of Your Day

I mean it.

Give me 6 minutes out of your life to watch this moving video. I’ll be surprised if you call to argue the point:

Ok, thanks for the time.  Now, was I right, or was I right?

It was an easy call for me, supported by the fact that no follower of The Fog Warning is immune to the draw of classic yachts. The tribute video’s full-throated celebration of that most classic of Italian wooden luxury dayboats with American engines – the storied Riva Aquarama – made the call all the easier.

Almost 300 of the original Riva Aquarama’s  were delivered from 1962 to 1972, and 240 of them are still afloat. I see them wherever I travel (Vietnam, Hong Kong, etc.) and I know you do, too. And every time I take a close look at one, I’m taken aback about how well they hold their value. The most expensive Aquarama ever sold? In 2011  the very last built of the original, wooden-hulled Aquarma’s sold for $975,000.

And new? I was able to find this price list from 1968:

 

17,000,000 (all-in) Italian Lire back in 1968 equated to about $30,000 US. In today’s dollars, about $325,000. Yup, that $975,000 brokerage Aquarama appreciated greatly over time. Today, Yachtworld tells me that classic wooden Aquarama’s on Yachtworld typically list in the $300,000 to $500,000 range.

I was fortunate to see an entire warehouse of wooden Riva’s near St. Tropez last year. Stored in humidity and temperature-controlled conditions, many looked just as fine as they did in this classic factory photo:

 

 

Of course Riva’s today are no longer built in wood. And like too many boats (and perhaps a few too many of us) Riva’s have grown a little …. stout?

The world has changed, and most builder’s have drifted away from the long, low, sleek look of the ’60’s La Dolce Vita Italy. Now most builders (sadly) try to squeeze in every extra cubic inch of interior volume they can. They end up with boats too tall, too wide, too boxy. In the end,  closer to clunky than sexy.

There was a time when most Italian yachts looked like they were moving even when standing still. Not as true any more. Such are the demands of high-tooling-cost builds designed for the mass market. You’ve got to sell enough of them to a broader market to make your up-front costs back.

But some principled builders, thankfully, work hard at resisting the draw of mass markets. They choose a narrower niche, and crush it. My Swedish builder J Craft has done just that, sticking closer than any builder on the planet to the La Dolce Vita experience:

 

Where am I going with all this, you may wonder? Well, you may remember my recent blog post on J Craft, where I mentioned that they are increasing their build capacity. Now, that still-under-construction factory I toured in my Youtube video is now fully operational. Operational to the point that…

….you can have your new J Craft Torpedo 42 for USA delivery this coming June!

With global yacht building capacity still straining under Covid-times, it is simply a rare and wonderful thing that…

… I can get you a yacht this fine, this fast.

How can I put you in the Captain’s seat?

To see is to know….

If you would like to see one with your own eyes, I have two opportunities for you in the next month:

 

First, there are half a dozen J Craft’s in St. Tropez. I will next be there on August 27th. If you are in Europe that week, that is your sea trial opportunity. And if you are not, well …. you just should be!

If you are looking for a terrific article about J Craft and the whole St. Tropez experience, here ya go:

 

Second, there will be a J Craft displayed  at the Cannes Boat Show from September 6th through the 11th. I’d be wholly delighted to show you her myself. Jut launch a flare for the details.

 

For more of the latest press, click away:

 

For all of us French-challenged (my French is what I call “boat show French,” ) here is the English translation.

And there is more, as on Page 38 of the latest issue of Business Traveler:

 

And Power & Motoryacht in their almost over-the-top review.

As you can readily see, J Craft has firmly stepped up to the plate, making major statements in and for the European marketplace. Which inspires me to do the same for you, my loyal American clients. I have quite a lot to say about your potential J Craft “entry strategy” so by all means call me.  Who knows? This call could very well be …

…. the best 60 minutes of your year!

 

II. Boat Show Fever

I’ve been doing what I do now for over twenty marvelous years.  And if there is one law of the universe I have seen in my time, it is this:

On or about August 15th of every year, all my devices light up like an excited marlin. 

 

By that I mean my phone, text and email inboxes; my blog, podcast and youtube traffic, as well as my dockside conversations all move into overdrive. I don’t even have to look at the calendar to know the date – I just feel the electricity in the ether. Here in the northeast, in the fall, everyone’s inner marlin lights up.

With that in mind, I’d like to tell you all about where I will be, what I’ll have for you, and how I can help turn your hopes and dreams into plans and schemes.

Cannes!

So, I mentioned J Craft at Cannes, from September 6th through the 11th. Yes, it’ll be hot. But they have the best gelato of any show on the planet. Trust me, I just know….

 

Amsterdam!

Just prior to Cannes I will be at Holland’s own boat show on September 1st and 2nd. The HISWA show in the Amsterdam suburb of Lelystad is where I first “discovered” Long Island Yachts back in 2018. I’ll be there aboard a couple of Long Island Yacht Runabouts, and if you’d like to meet the Dutch team responsible for all I’ve been talking about these last four years, this is a great opportunity.

 

Newport!

The Newport Show runs from September 15th through the 18th. I am thrilled to be showing the just-delivered Long Island 33 Runabout there. Her happy owner will be there with me, and we very much look forward to showing you what the LIY experience is all about. Dave De Groot, LIY’s builder, will also be there to answer any detailed questions you may have.

Dave has been hard at work on creating the molds for what I feel will be the biggest development in Long Island Yacht’s history – their 29R and 33R hardtop models:

 

The hardtop size is identical for both the 29R and 33R models, and will be available with standard, outboard and jet drivetrains. Call me for pricing and details, and come to talk to Dave directly about this at the show.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to watch my Dutch sea trials of this unique and impressive yacht, kick back and enjoy this Youtube Channel.

 

We all know that Newport is a busy, crowded show, so here are your GPS coordinates:

 

Basically, if you walk to the bow of any Sabre, Grand Banks or Kroken Express at the show, just look down and you will see this smiling face!

By the way, the new Long Island 33 Runabout that stars so ably in that Youtube video now lives in Centerport [Long Island!], and is available for sea trials just about anytime. Launch that flare, loyal clients!

 

Now, as I have for just about every year since 2004, of course I will be bringing with me a bit of Vicem-land wherever I go. Stay tuned for exactly where you can find me aboard Vicem’s lineup in Newport.

Norwalk!

One week after Newport, from September 22nd through the 25th I will be displaying the LIY 33 Runabout at the Norwalk Boat Show.

She will be berthed on an outer dock, which means we can do private viewings and sea trials before and after the show each day.

Call me now to schedule your adventure.

 

Fort Lauderdale!

Meet me at the biggest show in the industry, running from October 26th through the 30th.  I will be aboard certain Vicem’s to be named later, and at the J Craft display. Stand by for all details…

 

III. Off I Go…

As you have seen today in this [ridiculously long] blog posting, I’m shaking and baking all over the globe this fall. This presents many opportunities for our paths to cross, which I very much look forward to. But if you want to sea trial that 33 Runabout here in NY, your best bet is before August 25th.

I await my orders…

Thanks, big time. And enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Wave Dave (and Hallie)