Time Capsule Low Hour Riviera – WOW!

time riv 30Our pals over at Freedom Boat Service have found a true gem. An all original Chris Craft Riviera. Original everything, including the over spray on the engine. Cloth tape, original key, rubber flooring. This thing belongs in a museum, or use it and have fun.  The value in this boat though is in the purity of it and would make a great part of any collection. And of course these photos a fantastic reference for those of you restoring one.

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Original seats and flooring!

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Original Decal

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Look at that! Thats how the factory did it!

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Wonderful detailed flag!

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Nice and clean

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Stunning lines

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Original thread count. Note stitching is in red with 19-20 stitches. Hey.. Just saying, if another guys got a perfect one and your stich count is right?

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Note the grain pattern – This is a fantastic interior

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CLUM Key!

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Clean engine

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OK, the lettering needs to be ditched! Star?

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I asked Dave about the Seams. She was varnished and the seams are not original.

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Hull Number

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Just add water… Warm Water

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Cloth tape and factory over spray! Hell Ya! The perfection of imperfection! Is the over spray original?

This model is considered by many as one of the nicest designed small runabouts that Chris Craft made in the Post War Era! And it can all be yours just by clicking here!

14 replies
  1. dreed
    dreed says:

    Why did you do this to me? I own a very original 53 Riviera. Now I have to spend the rest of my life looking for cloth tape and brown flooring? Which leads me to the question. I replaced the brown flooring mats about 30 years ago, and cant seem to find the brown anywhere, or any reference to it. Was it originally white, and it turned brown with age?

    • Matt
      Matt says:

      Flooring came in White and black from what I was told. The new stuff is in a diomand pattern the old square. this apears to be square.

  2. cutwaterguy
    cutwaterguy says:

    Is that the best original for the early 50’s ever? I had r-18-999 that had the other style bow light. Plus I just repaired a 17dlx cutwater that was beat up from being trailered in a rubber vee block. Please don’t do that.

  3. Roger Johnson
    Roger Johnson says:

    I have to question the overspray issue, looking at the pics on Freedom Boat site there is overspray on the choke cable as well as part of the bases of the carburetor. rattle can…
    Also CC did not do wiring like that, it appears that the Iva Lite was added at some later date.
    My 18′ Rivera (30 yrs ago) had green , yellow, red, and black wiring.. Lastly the temp gauge tube had only a slight bend under the dash hung with a russaloid strap. But who knows for sure. Two Palms

  4. Matt
    Matt says:

    Its very possible that the overspray is a can. note on the tag on the engine a slight square where tape was. Or was the overspray always there. Some say that the generators were always attached later. Either way, she is nice and very clean and clearly not used and kept well for her age. The fact that we are debating…LOVE… details of overspray is amazing. BTW, over spray on cars is a very normal detail that show judges take into consideration.

  5. Ron Y.
    Ron Y. says:

    I see blue paint on the carb linkage connecter at the adjustment head…… Wouldn’t the motor have been painted blue out of the boat; hence the linkage installed after paint ? I haven’t seen paint on the linkage connecter before….Just sayin’….

  6. Mike Green
    Mike Green says:

    The paint is correct and we have seen it many times on engines that have not been touched. The generators and starters were mounted after the the engine was painted. The bolts they used were just steel un-painted, to keep them from rusting they would wrap a rag around the starter (most of the time) and spray the heads of the bolts. That is why you see the over spray. The triple carb set up was blue like the engine from the factory and the linkage. There is a couple of things that I see were add ons on this boat but most of it looks like it did when it left the factory. Nice time capsule.

  7. Matt
    Matt says:

    Thanks Mike, that helps it make sense. I love the idea of the sloppyness of mass production and simple solutions like this. I know we have a tendancy to restore our boats to perfection, but if imperfection is part of the perfection, then is it perfection. OH god, I am in a loop!

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