CULO BONITO
HELLWIG PANTHER — EAST GERMANY — 1970s
CULO BONITO
“Cute Ass”
2-3 Guests and 1 Skipper
1970’s classic styling
Culo Bonito is a ‘Hellwig Panther’ built in East Germany during the early 1970’s during the GDR. We took on this little 16ft boat on due to its very unique stern (rear) styling which is where it’s name Culo Bonito originated from — literally translated as “Cute Ass”.
She is currently undergoing a full restoration and will be offered for private charter once completed that will be during the 2023 season for 2/3 passenger’s
Culo Bonito was originally powered by a Wartburg 3 cylinder 2 stroke car engine on direct drive - therefore no gearbox so the boat could only travel forward as she had no reverse gears! You have to admire the Skipper’s skills at getting her in and out of her berth.
Protecting the environment of the Thames
To make the boat more suitable for the Thames we decided to replace the polluting 2 stroke engine with a more environment friendly 4 stroke unit, which means up to 90% less harmful emissions for local wildlife.
With the original engine being rear mounted, limited space and without the necessity to reduce the cockpit seating area it’s taken some time to find a suitability sized engine unit. Luckily we have managed to acquire a Robin Reliant marine engine and gearbox which is the perfect fit and also benefits from being extremely lightweight.
Culo Bonito — Her Story
The Restoration
With her 1970’s styling, ‘Classic’ is perhaps a better description of this boat than ‘vintage’. But the restoration still involves the same care, work and passion that we give to every one of our vintage fleet. Take a look at some of the work-in-progress below.
