Julie and Chris are the second owners of GC4. They became acquainted with Clarion Boats way back in

1985, when there 1965 Sunflash was damaged on their honeymoon and was very close to sinking. An object in the water touched the original bottom that had become soft with its age causing the leak. It was shipped to Dwight for repairs. Later seeing Dwight build the Gold Cup boats it was always a dream to have one. His Quality and attention to detail and the fact that he became a friend made the boat seem just the right fit. We had to wait for used one being sold to get a bit of a discount on the original cost. The original owner used the boat on the St. Lawrence. So off we went to Clayton N.Y. to purchase our dream boat. This award winning all Canadian project was built in Campbellford Ontario. The Gold Cup series of gentlemen’s racers was conceived by Dwight Boyd in 1986 with the final design being completed by Steve Killing in 1987. The Clarion GC boats were inspired by and built in reverence to, the Gold Cup Race boats of the 1920’s and 30’s. In particular the famous campaigner “Baby Bootlegger”. Clarion sought to capture the spirit and exuberance of this spectacular racer and indeed of the era. With rounded sheer and fluid lines, the Gold Cup 25’s are beyond the ordinary and create excitement on the water or at the dock. Riot is the fourth and the last of the series, her keel was laid in 1993 and registered in 1995. Although all four boats were built on the same hull form, each one has its own individual characteristics and details that distinguish it from the others.

Her  engine has been rebuilt  in 2021 provides by Jeff Titshall and now has 520 hp and 600 lbs/ ft of torque to provide spirited performance for this Gentleman’s Racer.

The costume seats and interior were redone and upgraded for better comfort by Linda, who did a wonderful job. 

Construction

Riot is a cold molded construction build.  She is hand built using selected woods and has her own custom hardware cast in bronze and chromed. The main stringers are made from laminated Meranti BS 1088. All longitudinal, chines, sheer and battens are made from solid mahogany. All of the components are made then pre-coated with three coats of epoxy on ALL inside surface prior to assembly. Once the framework is rigid it is “skinned” with a layer of 6 mm Meranti plywood, pre-coated in the inside surface with epoxy. The bottom is laid down in full sheets of 15 mm (5/8″). Bottom plywood joints are scarfed at 8:1 and occur on a frame. The forward part of the bottom where the twist becomes too severe is made up of a triple laminate of 1/8 – 1/8 – and 3/8 plywood cut in about 3 inch widths and laid up diagonally to take the twist and roll. The bottom is then faired and layer of 10 oz fiberglass cloth set in epoxy is applied to the waterline For a bullet proof bottom.  From the waterline up the skinned hull receives a final laminate of 6 mm solid mahogany planking bonded with epoxy. This gives the look of a traditionally planked boat but with none of the problems. All highlight and inlayed wood is a hard wood called Padauk.