A STEP BEYOND: A CONSUMATE CRAFSTMAN DESIGNS HIS OWN.

What do you do when you’re a boat builder and restorer of renown? You take it to the next level and learn the art and science of navel architecture to design and build your own masterpiece. Kevin Fitzke, a 40-something Minnesota-based Riva restorer and master craftsman - also built the jaw-dropping gentleman’s racer, Bugbite. And now, he’s designing and building his next and even more ambitious gentleman’s racer, Miss Moonshine. But let’s step back a couple of years to tell you how Kevin arrived here.

While Bugbite was a modification of a historical Ventnor design, Miss Moonshine has been designed by Fitzke from the keel up. To do that, Kevin mentored under renowned naval architect, Michel Berryer, who designed 25 years of stunning crafts for Van Dam. Michel is easing toward retirement and is generously passing the torch onto a new generation of builders like Kevin. Fitzke apprenticed for over two years, learning the fundamentals of hull design, hydrodynamics, and specialized CAD design. As the renderings reveal, the overall hull design was inspired by the iconic designs of John Hacker and George Crouch. Classic and timeless in every detail but built with more modern techniques in ways that matter.

With an overall length of 23-feet, a 6-foot-one-inch beam, and a 19-foot five-inch running surface, Miss Moonshine hits the sweet spot in size and proportions, with seating for four, but two ideally. It will be powered by a modern GM 350 with 320 horsepower, assembled by Fitzke, and will have the convenience of a (hidden) bow thruster. Construction will be African mahogany laminated with CNC framework, and hand-beveled cold-molded construction. The sides and decks will be double-planked, cold-molded Honduran mahogany with a triple planked cold-molded African mahogany bottom.

So, how do you make all that mahogany planking fit perfectly into the complex curves of that torpedo shape? Fitzke built a perfect ¼ scale model, nearly six feet long, as renderings can only go so far in terms of determining plank construction. As the full-size boat is already under construction, he nearly needs to multiply the plank dimensions by four from the scale model. Of course, in the meantime, Fitzke is adding an electric motor and remote control to the giant model, for yet another indication of how beautifully the full-size boat will move through the water.

But the wood is only part of the story. As Fitzke demonstrated on Bug Bite, the hardware, upholstery, and gauges are the crowning jewelry. Inspired by vintage watches and the dashboards in pre-war Grand Prix cars, Kevin has meticulously designed all the hardware himself. All the hardware will be 3D printed and machined out of stainless steel and aluminum before polishing and plating. Fitzke has also spent the last two years honing his upholstery skills and investing in vintage sewing machines. So, he’ll also fabricate the classic tuck and roll upholstery and canvas cover.

The result will be one very special craft… and singular experience. A moving piece of hand-made artwork, that will move like virtually nothing else on the water.

Miss Moonshine will premiere at the 2024 September ACBS International Show, Woods & Water II, at Gull Lake, Minnesota. Of course, there it will be surrounded by some of the world’s most stunning and valuable gentleman’s racers of all time. And that’s fitting. If you’re moved by Miss Moonshine, Kevin is now an officially registered US boat manufacturer, so he can build a bespoke version for you.

And the name? Well, if it isn’t obvious, like the spirit, Miss Moonshine can bring a lot of pleasure, but she’ll also be capable of delivering quite a kick.