1976-1979

AWARDS AND NEW CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES   

                                                             
A long, passionate and fruitful period of studies and experimentation has just started, going from the use of Kevlar to build our boats, to the fitting of a few monohull boats being conceived for leisure and thus participating in offshore competitions and even winning them. Such research completes our rich know-how in the field of traditional deep Vee hulls, with the planning and building of motorboats from 6 to 13 meters long. We give birth to the UFO 31’ GT “No Problems” (second in the European Championship and First in the Spanish Championship after winning the Grand Prix in San Feliu de Guixols, driver Tommaso De Simone), the UFO 33’ GT “Feelings”, winner of Naples Offshore G.P. with Clelia De Simone, the first Lady Driver in Italy and the UFO 43’ built for Brando and Folco Quilici. Numerous Italian and International awards are given to ERIA MARINE and Riccardo Mambretti for their work and professional reliability: Nastro d’oro Eleganza Mare, Gold Mercury International Award, Apollo d’Oro, Salon International des Inventions de Geneve-Gold Medal for an instrument we called “Navigator”, being the forerunner of the GPS, Nastro Eleganza Mare and, last but not least, the Honoris Causa Degree to Mambretti for his activity in the nautical field. We would underline that the name of his lab, E.RI.A. MARINE, means “Marine Experimentation Research and Applications”. We also plan and build an innovative hull for hydroplanes, allowing them to move easily and safely both in the water and on snow and ice. With his dearest young friend Massimo Musio Sale (nowadays one of the best designers and university professors in Milan and Genoa) Mambretti shares most of his ideas and starts a positive sports, styling and scientific cooperation, still growing. The numerous sports results, European championships and world records of his boats have convinced Riccardo Mambretti that, with the technologies known so far the monohulls have reached their limits and that the cats, that is their most direct competitors, in calm waters have shown to be much faster than even the best of them. We must do something decisive: a technical revolution is now necessary.