Tenders & Toys 2024

BEST TENDER DRIVEN FJORD 42 OPEN
became familiar with this perfect and indestructible tender while
I working aboard the infamous Gene Machine. The Volvo Penta IPS
pod-drive propulsion system with joystick control makes close quarter
manoeuvring literally child’s play. The standard IPS500 delivers top
speeds of 34 knots or you can upgrade to the IPS600 to deliver
40knots. There’s plenty of cabin space, easily fast enough, hydraulic
swim platform, huge fuel tanks, creating a great surfing wave. This
vessel is a thoroughbred powerboat, yet it offers the perfect place to
relax and enjoy life on the open water. I could go on but I’d use up my
word count.
MONEY NO OBJECT
RIVA AQUARAMA
Recently celebrating their 60th anniversary, many
have tried and failed to produce such a timeless
classic. Production of it and its derivatives (the Lungo,
Super, and Special) ran from 1962 until 1996. The
hull was based on the Riva Tritone, an earlier model
speedboat by Riva, which in turn was inspired by the
American mahogany Chris-Craft runabouts. The boat’s
speed, beauty, and craftsmanship earned it praise as
the Ferrari of the boat world. The Riva Aquarama’s
hull was sheathed in mahogany and varnished to
accentuate the beauty of its natural wood grain. All
versions were twin engined, with top speeds of 45/50
knots depending on engine choice. Power varied
from 185 hp to 400 hp per engine, delivered by Riva
‘tuned’ Cadillac and Chrysler models, among others.
An obvious choice to appear on the silver screen,
the Aquarama has made appearances driven by
Xenia Onatopp in the Bond movie GoldenEye, and
a Special is piloted by Vincent Cassel in the movie
Ocean’s Twelve. Occasionally I’ll be inspecting an
enormous yacht where the owner has space to simply
hang one of these for display purposes only, perfectly
maintained, never driven, varnished and polished to a
mirror finish.. a thing of beauty.
ONBOARD | TENDERS & TOYS | 5