The RAM I 850 Spyder "street parking" in Jamestown, Rhode Island, after a sea trial ~ October 2009

19 October 2009 RAM1

BOAT: Ram 1 850 Spyder
OWNER: Reflex Advanced Marine, Dundas, Ontario, Canada http://www.ramboats.com/
DESIGNER: Ian Taylor, Ontario, Canadahttp://www.ramboats.com/ram-company-profile.html
BUILDER: RAM Marine http://www.ramboats.com/
YEAR: 2009
HULL: Fiberglass with inflatable airtight compartments
LENGTH: 28 feet [8.53 meters]
 HISTORY:
Formed in 1993 by Master boat designer/ builder Ian Taylor, RAM started out as a research & development company. The revolutionary new hull design is not a catamaran or a trimaran, but rather a hybrid. The hull actually mixes air into the water as it moves so that the boat rides atop a spray of air and water. This greatly reduces friction and increases efficiency. A boat of this size might normally carry a pair of 225 HP outboards to achieve the performance standards of this boat. Instead, and due to the patented RAM Design the boat uses two 120 HP outboards which means half the power and even less fuel!
  The hull concept has many applications from recreational to commercial transport to military uses. A look at their web site www.ramboats.com will give an idea of the many uses for this extraordinary new technology.
Jamestown resident Jim Mattingly is head of U.S. sales for the RAM line, and he is very busy indeed. The future for this new technology is bright, and very much connected to Newport County.

Island Lure- Harris 36- Jamestown, R.I.

Island Lure at Conanicut Marina in Jamestown, Rhode Island

Island Lure 5 Jan 09

BOAT: Island Lure
OWNER: Thomas LaFazia, Jamestown, R.I  http://seafoodri.com/wordpress/?p=173
BUILDER: Harris Boats, Gloucester, MA  http://www.yachtingjournal.com/directory/boats/builder-haj
DESIGNER: Royal Lowell, Yarmouth, Maine,  http://www.lowellbrothers.com/boatbuilding-down-east-book.htm
LENGTH: 36 feet [11 meters]
YEAR: 1973
 HULL: Double fiberglass with Balsa core
HISTORY:
 The history of Harris boats is difficult to trace. Many of the early fiberglass boat builders from the late 1960’s and 1970’s have gone out of business – their molds sold or lost. Harris is one such company. With fiberglass/ resin composite construction still new, builders at that time tended to err on the side of caution, making remarkably solid if not overbuilt boats that have become beloved classics in today’s market.
 Island Lure is a “rock solid” boat of that vintage. After spending the first three decades of her life in Rock Harbor, Ma, she came to Jamestown as a project boat for the father son team of Tom LaFazia senior and junior. Young Tom was just 22 years old when he became the official owner of the boat. Father and son set about restoring many aspects of the boat. They rebuilt the decks, installed fish boxes, new electronics, and built a custom fly bridge. They went through the whole boat and made her sound for commercial fishing.
While Tom works for Narragansett Bay Lobsters as a day job, his thoughts are never far from the classic beauty that he keeps floating eight months a year in our waters.

Stingray- Newport

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17 August 2009 Stingray
BOAT: Stingray   http://www.northropandjohnson.com/yachts-for-sale/740-STINGRAY
OWNER: Anonymous
DESIGNER: C. Raymond Hunt and Associates http://www.huntdesigns.com/
BUILDER: Wharton Shipyard, Jamestown, R.I. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/garden/07clingstone.html?pagewanted=all
LENGTH: 55 feet [16.7 meters]
HULL: Double & triple diagonally planked Honduras mahogany with an epoxy matrix skin
YEAR: 1964
HISTORY:
 This remarkable boat has a special and significant history both locally and to the world. The deep Vee hull used in this one of a kind luxury, high speed, ocean yacht laid the groundwork for thousands of boats to follow.
The owner of the largest business in Jamestown- Bill Munger of Conanicut Marine Services in Jamestown, worked on this boat as a kid at the Wharton Yard [now Jamestown Boat Yard] when the boat was under construction in 1964. At that time, both the design and construction were revolutionary. Names such as Bertram, Boston Whaler, and Surf Hunter descend from this one of a kind yacht.
 After a long stint in Florida and an extensive restoration involving over 27,000 man hours, Stingray is back in our area and she is for sale. The Newport based worldwide yacht brokerage Northrup & Johnson has her listed. She needs some work to be perfect, but after that, her next owner will have a truly unique, elegant, and capable yacht.