The discovery of the existence of a very old Ariston, owned by a doctor who no longer used it, dates back to the April of 2002. It proved to be number 11, perhaps the oldest example still in “seaworthy” trim. This boat still carries the project code “BM” used to identify the first examples of this type. The name “Ariston”, which in Greek means “The Best of the Best” actually appeared later, from number 18 onwards and was chosen by Ing. Carlo Riva himself.
Over the years, in fact, the Ariston was to remain the most beautiful, most elegant and most well balanced of forms, perhaps superior to even the legendary Aquarama.
After lengthy negotiations, the purchase was concluded.
In agreement with my wife Clara, we rebaptised the boat “L’Undici” (“The Eleven”) after its registration number and, around two years later, work began on the restoration at Alcide Barberis’s yard at Castelletto Ticino on Lake Maggiore.

The BM11 Story
BM11 was purchased from the Riva yard by the engineer Tito Livio Vaglio of Biella in the April of 1952. Dissatisfied with its performance when he tried it on Lake Maggiore and feeling that it failed to live up to the promises made by the yard, he turned to Carlo Riva to resolve the problem. The first example to be fitted with the Chris Craft MBL158 hp six-cylinder engine, the boat was certified by the Riva yard as being capable of around 40 knots. By experimenting with different propellers, the correct compromise was eventually found to allow the boat to achieve the speed declared by the manufacturer.
In the late Fifties, early Sixties, the BM was subjected to a number of aesthetic and technical modifications; at that time it was common practice to ask a boatyard to apply the latest updates introduced to a model to earlier examples.
The upholstery was replaced, the front seat was equipped with a tilting section for the driver, a dished steering wheel and a wrap-around windshield were fitted and the switchgear and the pockets on the interior bulkheads were changed. The fuel tank was also replaced with a safer design in stainless steel.
These modifications were made to the boat by the yard at different times from 1957 through to 1961.
Originally, the boat had been fitted with a one-piece flat windshield (adopted in 1952), a flat “Alfa Romeo” type steering wheel (with the centre boss featuring the three sailors and the Riva script) and a one-piece front bench seat.
Special mention has to be made of the upholstery which had been replaced with the emerald green and white “Vipla” used since 1954.
On the basis of the only photographs available, in black and white, it is very difficult to establish today the original colour of the upholstery: taking into account the fact that the waterline was green it is probable that the interior trim was the same shade. With regard to this question, Polini, the upholster who at the time was responsible for making up the seats for Cantiere Riva and even Carlo Riva himself were all questioned but none of them was able to confirm that green upholstery had actually been used.
The photographs mentioned did, however, reveal that bands of “Vipla” in a solid colour identical to that of the cockpit coaming had been used, while the seat cushions and the central section of the seat back had been upholstered in a striped fabric in lighter and darker tones.
With the research through the official sources of the Riva parts stores having drawn a blank, the catalogue of a well-known textile firm provided a dark green vinyl leatherette along with a plasticized fabric in green and black stripes that appeared to be well suited to the purpose and were chosen for the refurbishment of the upholstery, given that in any case the fabrics found on the boat were not original. However, to our surprise, during the dismantling process we found pieces of the original solid-colour fabric under the replacement upholstery. It proved to be virtually identical in colour and grain to that chosen for the restoration.
At this point, it is worth reflecting on the nature of the restoration. The modifications mentioned earlier were made to the boat prior to it achieving 25-year-old “historic” status and could therefore quite legitimately be considered as historical updating and therefore retainable.
However, if in the name of originality at all costs one wishes to maintain the spirit of the boat as it was when constructed, then it is absolutely necessary to return everything to conditions identical to those of its origin.
This is true even when it means having to “invent” something that is as close as possible to what may be deduced from the available photographic documentation, as in the case of the upholstery!
With regard to the mechanical specification, instead, nothing had been touched; the instrumentation and the dashboard in Formica were original, as were the stemhead fitting with its incorporated fairleads and the exposed hinges of the hatches.
The engine’s exhaust manifold has a bronze flange to which the exhaust pipe running to the silencer was fitted, a flange undoubtedly supplied by Chris Craft and cast with dual ducts for the exhaust gases and the cooling water: ing. Carlo Riva subsequently had his own manifold fabricated, again in bronze but carrying the “Riva” logo, which simplified the attachment of the exhaust pipe to the engine. It should not be forgotten, in fact, that this was the first Chris Craft MBL engine to be used by Cantiere Riva.
The boat was virtually unused between 1961 and 1986, the year in which it was acquired by its second owner who, in 1990, decided to refresh the paintwork and partially refurbish the chrome fittings.
BM11 has always remained on Lake Maggiore, laid up in the same yard for 17 years, and has participated in just one classic boat regatta on the River Po, on the occasion of an event organized by Asdec.

The Restoration
The boat was completely dismantled, the engine was removed and the structural elements were examined.
The skeleton of the boat is composed of oak frames set at 46 cm intervals, with the addition of a number of reinforcing floors at the stern: these characteristics distinguished the BM models from the later Aristons in which the distance between the frames was reduced. The hogs supporting the engine and the keel are in larch, while the bottom stringers are mahogany.
It should be noted that as well as the frames, the structure supporting the bottom was composed of no less than eight stringers, four per side, to which the bottom was attached with copper nails and screws.
The framework as a whole was in good condition; a number of mahogany “gussets” were applied to reinforce a number of the frames and the eight stringers were replaced with four elements in thicker mahogany to allow appropriate screws to be used.
The bottom, composed of four mahogany panels, had instead suffered significant damage. The absence of scuppers between the frames, floors and stringers led to water stagnating and contributing to the rotting of the bottom in a number of points. The new bottom was constructed with two sheets of 11 mm 11-ply beech laminate, with adequate scuppers being created between the frames and the stringers.
The hull sides in Grand Bassan mahogany planks and the stringers in solid mahogany were instead in excellent condition and were therefore retained. The deck was constructed by hand using solid Honduras mahogany and maple strips, in part nailed in place, in part inserted via milling, and it was not felt necessary to intervene.
The whole of the topside was stripped down to bare wood and small mahogany fillets were inserted where necessary. A number of holes were also filled; for example, where the modified windshield had been attached.
With regard to the painting, the bottom was given preventative treatment with “Epoblok” and then two coats of primer. The fore section of the bottom and the waterline were finished with two-pack enamel in dark green and white, as per the original. The topsides were treated with a light stain and then 10 coats of Stoppani “910” varnish and finally 12 coats of transparent polyurethane varnish.
The engine was bench tested and proved to be in good working condition, with the compression test giving results within the normal limits.
The starter motor and dynamo were both removed and refurbished, an engine support was replaced and general maintenance was conducted. The exhaust pipe was welded in two points to repair minor leaks. The six-volt electrical system was retained. The engine was finally finished with “Chris Craft Blue” paint. As far as the accessories are concerned, the spotlight was removed and rechromed, the icebox was restored and the enormous original horns were sandblasted and repainted.
Only part of the chromework required restoration. The chrome-brass slotted domed screws were reused.
The original steering wheel, unearthed after lengthy research, was dismantled, the parts in Zama (an alloy of zinc, aluminium and magnesium) were polished and the wheel was repainted. The steering wheel boss was usable apart from a flange that was made up and the original switchgear was refitted.
The side pockets were replaced with the original chromed-brass mesh components, which meant that the interior bulkheads had to be made good.
A plywood template was used to recreate original windshield from a sheet of Plexiglas. The brass windshield supports were chromed, as were the borders of the lateral tread plates, respecting the lengths of the original items. The seats were completely reupholstered using the fabrics described above.
“BM11” was thus able to return to the water in its original livery.
My own satisfaction derives from the gratification of displaying the boat to enthusiasts at classic boat regattas but above all from the priceless experience of having actively followed the restoration process over the course of almost a year.

- Special thanks to La Manovella -