m Beach - Rybovich Book

m Beach
DATING BACK TO THE HEADY DAYS OF THE JAZZ AGE PERHAPS. THIS TERM TODAY SIGNIFIES A
LEVEL OF FIT AND FINISH THAT IS POETICALLY PERFECI BY CAPT. BILL PIKE
I
2014 Pam Beach hternal onalBoal Sho!
R,m,^hr!',No .
:ans. Tne tin9he,l
abo@,
De
r.re,est@ on oy M,haatRtba\(hE
a - Pon Bea\h r ano t an
'
t tD.to* ) tvp
at@r'
ddly erough, given its deep identincation with a
wholly tropical spot in South Florida, the phnse
"Palm Beach Condition" probably got its start in a
super wealthy corner of the northeastem united states
or to pui a 6.er point on it, Nes?ort, Rhode Island. You knoB
where folks like the V.nderbilh, the Posts, ud the Asiors hug
out, at least part ofthetime.
lust imagine. Youie roaring along through the Roaring Twenties,
say. You\e got more money than Mr. Gatsby evq thought ofhavin:
Youve go1 a 30-room "cottage'on Bellevue Avenue in Newport d
a rsinter retreat in Palm Beach. And you've refrned your taltes to
the .ines lvhile travelling dtensively in Eurcpe. How do you gEb
even greater gra.deur? A yacbt, dght?
But hey, not just rny ol' thing I do. Nol for you. Nope, you've
gotta have
a
vessel
ihati
a cut above, a couple ofleagues beyond,
something that satisnes your mighty.nving for the s€a but also
caters to your highly refined se.sibilities. Something a guy like
Ilichelangelo or Rembrandr \vouid have signed ofion, had either
ofthem been inio shipyards.
A
BriefHistory Lesson
"Yeah, the whole thing probably did $an in NeD?ort-the big
money was up ther{ expl.ins Jim Moores ofMoores Marine, a
fabled wooden-boat repair and restoration fa.ility with locations
io Palm Beach as well as Beaufort, North Cdolina. nnd by lhe
time the 1940s rolled around, the children of the bi8 noney aI had
houses h Paln Beach too, mary of them desigtd, built, or at leNt
finished by rhe top European cmftsmen and designere of the day So
I
these people want€d their boats to be as perfect as their homesl
Two things made Floridai Atlaniic coast an ideal boating
destination for the rich. Fkst, the lishing was not only sp€ctacu
Iar but also spectacul ly convenient indeed, just east ot Singer
Island, only a precious stone's rhrow north of Palm Beach, ihe
Stream was only a paltry miie or so offshore. And second,
the weather in Florida, while a big draw in its own right, Sready
facnihted rhe building, finishing, painting, and sea trialing of
yachts, both n€w and old, year ?ound. fte vicissitudes ofwinter
simply djd not apply to Palm Beach d its enviro$.
.The
edly '50s constituted a heyday ofsorts;'says Moores, "I
mean, you had Rybovich on the Admnc side o{Florida, Spencer
Boat Company, E&H, Meritt, Whitice. It was fabuloDs Be.ause
we had this top dollar clientele as well as gr€at weaiher, a veritable
\4e*Jof DorrburldinS. boal md,nlendn(e.andboil rePairarose.
and with it .ame the talent necesMry ro keep the whole thing going.
Belise it or not. customers used to actualy buy TrmPys back then
aDd send them to Palm Bedch to be uPgraded, to Put them in'Palm
Beach Conditioni to give them thar perfecl PaLt Beach lookl
cull
--1
RollAndTip
Rubrails wilh grain-conti.uous scarfjoints. Entire saloons com
posed ofbook matched veneers. CaNel-planked hulsides edgeglued with Resorcinol and faired to a voluptuous smoothness.
While all of lhese contributors to Moores's touted Palm Beach
Iook were certainly imporlant during the 50s and '60s, there was
another fa.tor that was aho decidedly big'tine enamel'q?e
paint aDd the esoteric vagaries of its application.
With tools and matnals ofercePtionaly high quality, tech
niques and skills rhai were fully artisanal, and eDorrnous wealher
wnrdows that were simply unavailable elsewhere, the mid-century
2014 Palm Beach .lernalional Boal Show
,s
Palm Beach
look it was the old
ever a brand nafi; was identified with the Palm.Beach
tf
'iiiiici
ever gtaced the annals
place
as
palm
Beach as storied a
iara in west
oi recreational boatbuilding ancl boat repatr
=--_=-=-
.l
'/.-U:
.
--
l
M@lesMalhe,sMn^freicastawsthedelzilinefiathallnarksttgPalmBeachlook,''Fllp"Rybovich(filhl)andhisthreehmoussons.insei'iop),
"roll and tiC a hull
hoatvards ofPalm Beach could reportedlv
rh'r not r ''ngle bru'h
-o, "'" -,"
""a 'Plendor
"',toke'*r,
and
q^ulo
r" a clu'e
eren
in rhe;ndmel
'how'
experienced in\Pe(ror
fte uotr*.eemed d{ePttrely !TPle.
'areiul'
rr l<r'l
h^r Blalce'
't
Typrallr rropenplewould ru', h,uloffrnd p"rnldhull un'
,"ni.rttv fiom boo 'rr'pe ro gur*ale and the
,""t'i.,
".ot,e,
oir,"', roir"*i"g.1."g. l,-,.h'n8 verrLdllv d' well "hrle Jlwr)'
$et eJqe.
'orcouri.
,nJ etpent\e were i4\olved lor':'\av\ 4l
'krll
t,endu'n. rhe currenr 'eri , e manrSer ^r Mkhael Bvbov:'h &
ofone rime
S;ns in Palm Beach Gardens and a former emplovee
miintJntns
a
Rrho\ '.h
,omoeriro,. spencer Bo,r Lompdnv"Bul rhere wr' d
I ntt ,menul ciraree Jurine tne e,rrv'70' wh'n Pollarerhane
.,i',.,me,,e. rrirr rhe JhrJi,ndu'rry Wrrh AwlgriP dnd r
'.o*,.." r.r.o.t.l proor'edlnblhal equdledrheroll_Jnd lip
-. ""-a but rh . n "oulo l:'r much l"nger rnd requtre le* expe'
tise
from ihe standPoirt ofapplicationl'
The Pomr
0l
^l.t-swas an electtifvins indefatigable human dvnamo:"He
ti,bovich
pdinr rB Jnd
Lrre ae.rener mo rurloe; dnd o'eAds rll Ln'
",'
rn rhe mor n'ng
eigh'
rrum
$urk
H.
.,-"'r,v atihe rard. "ould
crme
d'd
ior
dinner'
home
rn
rtree,en,ng
eie'rr
uni'l
80
'hen
brk
*orl
"ridwas
L.rir ele\en o'ro.k or midnrgnr or $hare\er
with
a perfectlonist-everylhing had to be perfe't
And he
Tommv AbsolutelY Pertect"
,omd\ R\ bo\ tr h. oower \rrhin rhe Rvbo\ kh orBJir/dri"n
,np"lm
Be..h anJ;ndeyd.virh,nrheenrire\o,rrhlloriJd
ioaLbuldine commu rirr
Jndbatcd
u;rl
- tr'
htr de"rh in
immen\e ald c'rrinJPo \ irrrrarl)
1e72. He exPe' led
rorhrrgbJl
r^P
well as his shipwrights and painters'
Nolhins bur rhe ben $oLld 'uli(e. The pan'iprlaPpl'ed ro rePr'r'
s",ld'. And ir undoub'ed\ influenced 'he
*ar
"'
\ome
ol ni. \ourh t lor rd" LornPeriru^'
6erlo, mdn.e
sbelfwork fron himself
as
**
,.J."ni',.
ol 'ear
' or.nu,.c.oettinsaboJr'r,luP"lm
Be.Lh( old'rronu'urll'
qell" add' Mthae'
enr,iled leeor-ne hci rn rhar , orrdrrion a'
One
identified with Palm Beach condi
tion orthe Palm Beach look it wasthe old Rvbovich vard in
a place asever gracedthe annals of
w"it p"t- e"".h, a'
'turi"d
rnd
bodl repair And Da' l' tn rhe ddv'
ldinq
bo.lbu
re.,.Jliondl
td\ rn lJrge
evorurio 1 dnd rePurrriun ol rhe
ii"""i"t.,a *rn"1*r.e
the energ).
Ddrl.lri\elb\ dinqle.d)nann indivrdL'r: lomm) R/bovr(h'
i:.*,1,ru to'hb n;h"wMr(h"el. who todr) heads up \4i(h"'l
So* a moder n-dr)'Prnnfl- ol I're old vJrd rhe elder
n't
'on(epr
Irbo'ich. .omainrenancew.'dnolherbiEi-ror-me r'olou'
m,intenancc Mo't ol rhe boal' o". k lhen hJJ full_lime 're$'
rhir $ere on loD ofeterl l rle derdl everylhrng. all lhe rrne' So
whneler need;d
nel
NorhinS
wr'
ro be
dddrP\ed xa\ addre*ed in
rer go or r'losed ro fdll tnro
d
a
rimelv n dn-
rep'rrl'
2Ol4 Pa m Beach lnternationa Boat Show
a
I
YouGottaPavTo Plav
mtL r
r eu"*,r"," a \erv hiSh qualrty ol
Mopria
"-entid'
wedfier'"
rot lcomrnrurrerrr iomainrendce.dd Ihe Slear
_.n
dt"
e\todtion !ge.ial\r Moores. "Thdl\ why people hom Ne$ Iers'
NNtnelarl.dd tntrq lJdd and all up rd dom lhe Audrric
*abuiconrtnue ro brrnq rhex boar ' doq he'e ner roddl'
over the vears, Mooretand his emPlovees have deJt with a
the
number ofseriously complex, high prolile Projects, including
lirrle
so
lheres
pi".iaenr'dl)Eaht
Ho'PvHI?'
.",roori"n. rt'e
vrrl
doubl lhat Moore' \.4irine r' Per'ecdy cdprbl€ ol tn\e(rrn8
,
look one
sort of resel with all the glories of the Palm Bearh
Dickv. Dreci'e, pricev detailrr a time.
I"Le. rel,rNe+ 'ir.iehrfo'1sd LhinS lke PainrnE' Moore\ A
nuin, Ihoe rre.errri rh,ns. we dn ro rhNdr\ dur.l'uppo{' loll
l doni do.ILke fu,'n'rdn(e tr"
ot,,rherLeuD'erruund rhe.ounlD
uv
'
{
-'" ".,i1.ut<rlv \ou 'ldnb) addingthc'edu(er orrhinne"
.r*,i'ro rLtnorouenlv.lenine'l'il forlen mrnule\orso(prcPle in lhe
,.,1','ri, *rr rtr,''oeno,l 'r" e"r rir ne or"indu.ron tnrt"r'rrd ihs
vou,ri, r\o,.uihlyrgdin.rhe pornr beingro mrle rrrr dresullenr3
rr'.
ruralh ao'o'b-ed, norp"n'all) thereb) en'uringdu lheAdPor'
nnn nte sredtr,edand r}e pr nl flos out \moother' bener:
re
'
i,.ii",
when
*ai"."**.ar.Jq)"ba-kedupdlhrop'helrrools
gor.gf,r
Lhe Palm Bea(h
lool.dccordrn8to \'1oore',' \ou gotu
Europa brushes-sav four inchers'
,* [!u"Jir,. -u,a"','t.ike
Ths ie qonna co\r lou at'out $32 aPNe. And )ou cr or)ly u*i
n,'--i* ti*" *itf, **".odern pdinb &e* div' al l'a\l fot
oAD"ne. a,etu
ioiisrtp" rto
,16
Kat
rcne PataBed'nlco^ Naletheta/at tkatp
anatqepano S'dde tn'sh o1'he'o'ede( \ fdborp)
inbh r o' lc So we re ralkr' expensivel Which r ju$ pan ol $e deal'
ot@ube. \ou wdl perfecr? Palm Bea"h Pertecr? There\ no wJy
around ri. my fr,end. You Sotta pa) to Play: O
20 I 4 Pa m
Beach Lnternaliona Boat Sho