Not much is known about this Century Mark II besides that it is fast and loud. The most unique thing about this Retro Runabout is the rare Berkeley jet drive considering the make and model. Century was known for their direct drive applications at the time that this boat was produced and even with the complete switch to fiberglass in the 1980's the company predominantly stuck with sterndrive applications for their non-competition ski boats.
Like many of the Berkeley Packajet applications from the 1970's, this one came with a Oldsmobile 455. The 7.5L big block is sure to throw massive rooster-tails at full speed (50+ MPH). This 'Hot Rod' model shares some similarities to the Arabian such as the side-bench seating arrangement and upholstered rear deck. The bow deck appears to be an ode to its bigger brother with the hood-scoop-esque styling. If the Arabian was the bigger brother then the Ski Fury is definitely a close cousin. The direct drive from the Ski Fury compliments the Mark II's V-drive or jet setup in the same length hull. The bow deck styling and bottom-side transoms are also very similar.
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For the first ever blog entry on Retro Runabout we will cover a classic 1980's Century, the Riviera 5-Meter. This boat is the smaller cousin of the Riviera 6-Meter that came with a Mercury 470 and Alpha 1 outdrive. They came in either red, navy blue, or purple and were built between 1981 and 1988 from what we have been able to determine. According to the 1983 brochure the 5-Meter is 16' 4.5" with a 27 gallon fuel tank. That tank paired with the 470 should give you a whole afternoon's worth of cruising around. The purple example we have here today hails from Wisconsin and looks like it needs a bit of interior TLC. |
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Copyright Terranean Image, LLC © 2016
Copyright Terranean Image, LLC © 2016