CRAFTSMANSHIP RAM
“The walls of the workshop are adorned with vintage charts showing the specific details of each model”
Above left: Working on an Aquariva in the wood workshop Above right: Dashboard details can be particularly time-consuming
begins with the ‘patient’ having an appointment with the boss. Then a careful examination is entrusted to technical director Luigi Paltenghi, better kown as ‘Gigi’. After this initial check-up anything is possible, from a simple seasonal facelift through to the most complex ‘open hull’ surgery. The most common ailments are simply due to age and wear and tear from the constant battering on the water’s surface or varnish burnt by salt and sun. Different levels of intervention are proposed and the client is guided through a list of options.
EXCELLENCE NOT EXPENSE
The excellence provided by RAM is not synonymous with expensive luxury or unnecessary interventions. The order of the day is a serious evaluation and not ‘spend, spend, spend’ unless vital to the boat’s survival. Thus it is not uncommon to find a weary Super Ariston with chipped and discoloured surface enter the workshop for basic repairs to its hull to ensure safe navigation, while its much needed cosmetic overhaul will have to wait until another season due to the client’s budget restrictions. In contrast, a sumptuous Aquarama Special of the last exclusive series from 1996 with a perfect structure can be renovated top to bottom if its varnishes, paints, fittings, upholstery and mechanics are not as picture perfect as they once were when new.
No one need fear being presented with an exorbitant quote; here total respect reigns, not only for the object and the tradition it represents but also for the owner in terms of a common and truly shared passion. Once the right balance is found, treatment can begin. As restoration is traditionally a winter activity, the schedule must be carefully planned to ensure the vast majority of cases are treated before the end of spring.
88 CLASSIC BOAT FEBRUARY 2012
Maintaining tight schedules is essential, and this is where we still perceive the science of the organisation set up by Carlo Riva in the 1950s. The walls of the workshop are adorned with vintage charts and historical archives showing the specific details of each model. Upon entry, each boat has its own highly detailed file with its model name, hull number and an exhaustive list of all operations it is due to undergo. This personal record will follow the boat to each work station, accompanied by as many boxes or carts as needed to transport its disassembled parts and accessories, which will never leave the ‘patient’, each one prominently bearing the boat’s reference number.
Depending on the extent of treatment and length of
stay, the boat will pass through the hands of experts in five departments: wood, varnish, electrical, mechanical and finishing, before being tested on the lake and given the all-clear stamp for delivery. There are between 15 and 20 specialists from different trades who operate throughout the year. As the wood workshop becomes quiet in the spring some nimble hands will deftly move to the finishing zone which suddenly leaps into action. Each workshop is under the direction of a highly experienced foreman, who is also responsible for training the younger apprentices whilst Anselmo Vigani and ‘Gigi’ continuously supervise and scrutinize all phases, ready to smooth out any risk of delay in the guaranteed schedules. This highly qualified staff is obviously one of the most fundamental assets of the company. But it is not the only one. The need for a regular supply of precious wood is a task made all the more difficult as it must be anticipated well in advance. Today it is impossible to exactly reproduce a 1950s or 60s model; some precious woods are no longer available.
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