Cult Boats: the Rio Bonito, a small-big jewel (5.75 m)

We are in the midst of the dolce vita, it is the 1960s, and if there is one thing that fascinates as much as a sports car, if not more, it is small mahogany runabouts.
Sleek and fun hulls, compact but exceptional.
They depopulate and steal hearts everywhere.
A Mecca of theirs, in this sense, we find on our local lakes, Sarnico, to be precise.
Here, among the “Bigs,” there is also a shipyard that just a decade ago converted to shipbuilding: Rio, just before, Avionautica Rio.
And Rio is good at it.
Among its great successes are the legendary Rio Espera, Rolls Rio e Colorado… and a small, perhaps forgotten, treat: the Rio Bonito, a hull that, looking at it today, evokes something brilliant but indescribable.

Classic Cult: the Rio Bonito

The Rio Bonito was born as a slightly more luxurious variant of its “little” sister, the Rio Parana, about 15 cm longer than this one and with two details that distinguish it and make it the little gem that it is: it has a retractable canopy, hidden behind the front seat, and a sort of bunk in which, if you wish, you can also sleep.
Don’t call it a weekender though, you’ll understand….

• Do you have a historic and significant boat more than 25 years old? Read this article!
• Are you interested in the topic Classic Boats? Visit our collection of dedicated articles by clicking here.

Rio Bonito, a little gem

The Bonito is 5.75 meters long, just 2 meters wide at maximum beam and is powered by the 185 horsepower developed by its Chris Craft 238-V8 engine, which, given its just 1,150 kg displacement, launches it at speeds close to even 40 knots–not bad for the 1960s.
But it is not just power or performance that makes the Bonito a gem.

With the eye also wanting its share, the lines turn out elegant, curvilinear and strong with that flavor we simply call “classic” today.
An oblique stern mirror, a clear bow, exposed mahogany, and a large sunpad recessed aft.
The deck, given the tonnage, so is already nearly finished, but the helm station comes into play.

Bonito Peculiar to the Bonito, in fact, in addition to electric wipers and a concealed canopy, is a small trump card.
A detail, at the end of the day, almost trivial, but one that somehow pleases and has managed to be iconic.
Just beyond the wheelhouse seating, the bow is clear, hollow, and accessible.
Here, thanks to a folding system, a dedicated cushioning can be extended that, in combination with the seat itself, which can be folded down, makes a double berth within which to extend the lower body, while keeping the head and torso in the wheelhouse. Here is the trick related to the hood then, which completely seals off the space, making der little Bonito, basically, a weekender ante-litteram, or rather, a nautical camping hull.

Rio Bonito – Data Sheet

• You might also be interested in.

Rolls Rio (6.7 m): questa barca bellissima è una Rolls Royce dei mari, letteralmente