Sessa Idrogetto Piaggio
The boat shown here belongs to one of the most exciting episodes in Italian leisure boating of the 1970s: jet propulsion in a small boat.
The yard and the collaboration with Piaggio
The boat comes from the Italian yard Sessa, later Sessa Marine. In the 1970s the yard worked closely with Piaggio – which is why the Piaggio crest sits right next to the Sessa lettering.
In 1973 Sessa was the first Italian yard to fit the new Piaggio drive as standard in compact sports boats.
The drive
The boats were powered by a Piaggio marine engine coupled to a water jet drive (idrogetto) from the American manufacturer Berkeley. In Italy these units were therefore known as “idrogetti Piaggio-Berkeley”.
The installation produced around 35 hp, of which about 20 hp reached the jet drive. The advantage of the water jet: running in shallow water, with no propeller at the stern.
The models
At the Genoa Boat Show in 1973 Sessa presented two boats with the Piaggio-Berkeley drive:
- Mambo Jet – 4,50 m
- Gabbiano – 3,90 m
Sources
Barche Magazine, report from the Genoa Boat Show 1973 · Yacht Digest, history of Sessa Marine · Sessa catalogue 1973 (Cinisello Balsamo).