Perlita Too, A Riva Love Story!

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I could go on and on about “Perlita Too”- a very nice Barn Find 1953 Riva Tritone… But I won’t….Because if you click here, someone else has…Meet fellow Woody Boaters James Ferris and Caroline Di Diego’s glorious blog… It’s beautifully designed, and very tastefully put together. The photography has a wonderful perspective and captures not only the restoration in a documentary style, but there are shots that just ..well, capture the mood off the moment. This web site is well worth bookmarking and subscribing to. One gets the clear feeling that whatever James and Caroline put there minds to it will be a masterpiece…. Dang this sort of passion is inspiring… Honey! Call the plant and tell’m I ain’t feeling good….. I got me a fresh roll of sand paper and a can of varnish on the stove….

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4 replies
  1. Texx
    Texx says:

    "Perlita Too" is an amazing restoration project. James and Caroline's commitment in the pursuit of period correct perfection is remarkable and encouraging.

  2. FRANCHINI
    FRANCHINI says:

    I have been following Perlita Too for some time thanks to a heads up from Texx. Matt is right about being inspiring. I know that all of the boats I own and have restored don't even come close to the quality or pedigree of this Riva, but I get inspiried every time I read their updates. Keep up the great work and I can't wait to see it in the water…with or without superchargers!

  3. Paul H.
    Paul H. says:

    I have been lucky enough to see both Perlita Too at Chris's shop recently, and the gorgeous Scripps down in Seattle at McNeilly's shop. This has been and continues to be a daunting restoration, from a number of respects. James' committment to doing it correctly and authenticaly is practically matchless. The blog is a very good primer, for anyone who is considering such an exacting restoration, into the vagaries, challenges and questions such an exacting undertaking will invariably pose. Folllow it carefully to see how the absolute best restoration possible can be accomplished, and what is required. It might be a bit intimidating to consider restoring a boat in this manner, but it is nonetheles a very good read. I also love the research they have done – it adds a whole other, more human, dimension to an already phenomenal boat.

  4. Brian Driggs
    Brian Driggs says:

    I'm a dyed-in-the-wool car guy. A gearhead who finds comfort in being able to stop a cruise at any point along the way and set foot on terra firma. I'm used to slagging things together through whatever means necessary to get the car back in the race. You won't find me more than 20 yards from the shore unless someone's thrown me the keys to a jetski.

    All the same, though, I adore this project. Perlita Too goes beyond the physical restoration of a wooden boat. Sure, there's the craftsmanship involved on a level most people only dream about – "in a perfect world" you might say – but I love the way James ties it all in to the history, not only of the boat, but of the very idea of wooden pleasure craft.

    My first love is tossing a lump of Japanese steel sideways on primitive dirt roads in the Arizona desert. I might never see Perlita Too in person, but following along with this project, I feel as though a close personal friend is about to return. Port? Starboard? I couldn't tell you which is which, but now I know why boats always have names.

    Here's to my friends James, Casudi, and Perlita Too. Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead.

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