Hacker-Craft is the name given to boats built by The Hacker Boat Co., the oldest builder of wooden motorboats in the world. It is an American company, founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1908 by John Ludwig Hacker (known as John L. Hacker or just “John L.”)

The Florida design, first penned in 1952, was another enduring classic in the Riva range, as well as the most popular of the wooden boats to be produced on the shores of Lago d’Iseo. Between 1952 and 1969 1,137 boats were built, comprising 426 normal Floridas and 711 super Florida slightly larger and more powerful.
Named after the American state most closely associated with water-skiing, the Florida design features a cockpit and a large sun-bed astern, divided by a bridge of mahogany deck, filleted with maple. Early models were fitted with Chris Craft engines, followed by Chrysler and latterly Riva’s own 220 hp unit, built around a Crusader V8.

History of Ferrari Arno XI Timossi hydroplane

Famous boat race led by the Italian Achille Castoldi in 1953 and developing 500hp to reach 125 mph!

From 1930 racing fast cars begin to fascinate the public and in 1940 appeared the first racing speedboats, in the form of water racing circuit endurance and speed record. Particularly in Italy where car manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo and Maserati participated actively and were proud to pay drivers for these magnificent Italian boats. Achille Castoldi was one of them and in 1940, Castoldi set the world record for speed on water at 130.51 km / h (81.10 mph) in the class of 400 kg with his boat Arno mounted on a Picciotti hull and powered by an Alfa Romeo Type 158 engine. Castoldi then constructs different versions boat Arno, mostly with Alfa Romeo engines, but Maserati too.

TIMOSSI + FERRARI = ARNO XI

In 1953, Castoldi decided to focus less on race and more on the record speed. He and his first order of 800kg seaplane with a hull of Cantieri Timossi, builder seaplane on Lake Como, near Milan, Italy. The aircraft was dubbed Arno XI and for the engine, Castoldi turns to the rising star of the stage and the race car at the time: The Scuderia Ferrari. Ferrari provided him an engine type 345 V-12 Grand Prix CC 4493.7 (385CV), the same type that powered racing cars of Ferrari in the 50s. The engine was coupled to a step-down gear box to the double helix to rotate until blade 10 000 rpm. The driveshaft had a small downward angle at the rear of the aircraft.