Kevin Fitzke runs Fitzke Paddleboards out of a one-man workshop in Minnesota, each of his creations are handmade in very limited numbers – and as a result you’re very unlikely to bump into anyone else on shore with the same board. The Bootlegger is named after the legendary Baby Bootlegger speedboat, a 1920s era racing…
I don’t think there’ll be any significant protest when I say that speedboat design peaked in the mid-20th century. Of course, the materials, engines, and hydrodynamics, have all improved considerably in the decades since. However, when it comes to style and design, you just can’t beat a svelte mahogany speedboat with brass fittings, analog gauges,…
This 10 minute film covers the 1949 Albany to New York Outboard Marathon Race, an event with dozens of entrants in multiple classes, making the not-insignificant trip up the Hudson River from New York to Albany. It’s a journey of over 150 miles by water – and you can only imagine how challenging it would be…
The Oru Kayak has an origami-inspired design that allows it to be folded down into a box that measures in at 33 inches x 12 inches x 29 inches, from its original length of 12 feet. Each Oru is made with a custom polypropylene shell that’s rated for a minimum of 20,000 folds, it has…
The Amphicar holds the distinction of being one of history’s most successful amphibious cars, despite the fact that it was a bit of a sales disappointment when it was released in 1961. Initially estimates had put the anticipated sales figures close to 20,000 units per year but by the time production ceased in 1968 just…
The Riva Ferrari 32 was developed as a joint project between two of Italy’s finest vehicle manufacturers – Riva and Ferrari. Just 30 examples were ever built, and due to their rarity and dual-name heritage they only very rarely come up for sale. The development of the Riva Ferrari 32 was headed by Gino Gervasoni…
The Super 55 is a new design from Ocean 398 that’s been developed to be a combination of a ’60s era mahogany runabout with all the benefits of a modern RIB. With a length of 20ft and capacity for 5 people, it can be used as either a runabout or as a tender for a…
In the post-WWII years Winston Churchill once famously said “The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril”, this was largely because of how reliant Britain was on supplies, manpower and equipment from Canada, the USA, Australia and further afield. If Hitler had successfully managed to close off the resupply…
The Borealis XL is a kit build kayak developed by Pygmy Boats, a company respected as a world-leader in the design of wooden kayaks, canoes and small boats specifically created to be easy to build at home by amateur boat builders. Each kit comes with everything you need to build your kayak or canoe, as…
Modern outboard motors lack much of the stylistic finesse of their predecessors, this immaculately restored Neptune motor was crafted without an ounce of plastic in sight – it’s instead made from polished aluminium, brass and copper, with a hand-painted fuel tank. It’s currently in full working order and produces 1.7 horsepower, making it suitable for…
The canoe is a simple little boat design that’s been used by humans for all of recorded history and almost certainly for many thousands of years before that. Sadly many of us only ever paddle a canoe on a school camp or boy scout trip, this seems like a shame as it can actually be…
The Tritone is a mahogany runabout that first entered production in 1950 by Riva, a company that had been founded 104 years earlier in 1846. The Tritone would represent the new top of the line for the company’s models and each would be built to customer specification, with each customer invariably being royalty, celebrity or…
