Tritone #209 was delivered in 1962 via Monaco Boat Service to Mr. Gaudad, resident of Caluire in the French Alps. Upon delivery, the boat was equipped with two Chrysler Sea-V M80s of 177 Hp each.
The boat was named LEGONE.
In the 80s, the boat came to Sweden in worn condition and ended up with “Riva-Walle” at Atlas carpentry on Justerö in the Stockholm archipelago. Walle restored the boat over several years and also replaced the worn out Chrysler engines with new Crusader V8 350 cui. Now the boat also got a new name: CORAI.
In 1992 the boat was exhibited at the fair Allt för sjön in Stockholm and thus the history of Riva Club Sweden begins. Several people who already owned a Riva met and among them was Harald Parmell who owned an Ariston from 1957 named JARMEA. During the fair, Harald collected names of interested Riva owners and in 1993 the club could be constituted with Harald as president.
In 1994, Harald steps up and buys CORAI, which is now renamed to its current name CORALL. A couple of years later one engine fails after water enters a cylinder due to an incorrectly fitted muffler and both engines are replaced with new Mercruiser (GM) V8s.
Harald’s brother Bengt, who spent most of his life sailing “Skargards cruisers” of all different sizes, buys CORALL in 1998 and the boat is allowed to remain in Nynäshamn. In 2003 the bottom of the boat needs to be replaced which is done by Kungsörs Båtvarv.
The original bottom in 12mm baked plywood is replaced by an epoxy-glued bottom of 3 x 4mm mahogany plank which is laminated at an angle with increasingly narrow dimensions the more double-curved the bottom becomes towards the bow. The result is a very strong bottom without built-in tensions.
In 2013, it is time for another hull restoration. The assignment goes to Stockholms båtbyggeri, which works on the boat for a year. Among several people involved, Bengt especially appreciated Kristina Bredwad, whose contribution made wonders in both large and small ways.
The following year, CORALL was launched again in Nynäshamn in front of cheering spectators, but already a year later it was time for an engine change again. The now 19-year-old engines have had enough of seawater cooling. Peter Dahlin builds two new V8s of just over 230 Hp which reproduce the boat’s original specified top speed of 40+ knots.
In previous years, the boat has always been stored in the Parmell brothers’ own premises for the winter, but now CORALL is stored at a boat yard instead. This also allows for ongoing maintenance between seasons. In 2021 a less successful update of the varnish results in having to sand down 6-7 layers. Bobby Cyrus and Mats Ahrenborg, both with a lifetime of experience with wooden boats and varnish, are called in and restore the varnish with Epifanes one-component varnish on top of a foundation of Stoppani.
In recent years, CORALL has appeared in various different contexts. In 2022 she was involved in a commercial filming and in 2023 she first ended up at the boat fair Allt för sjön (Riva Club Sweden’s stand) to appear later in the autumn in Sandhamn for filming the continuation of Murders in Sandhamn.
Now, after 25 years as the owner of the boat, Captain Bengt feels that his own age is starting to take its toll and therefore CORALL is for sale. Those interested can contact the webmaster via the website’s contact form.