b'Nicolottaa Venetian balotinaLOA 35ft 9ins. Beam 4ft 7ins. Draft 8ins.Built in 1976 by Giovanni Giuponi in Venice.Carvel Oak and Pine hull side planking on Elm frames, marine ply bottom. Oak deck and fit-out.Restored 1999.It is a great privilege to have a boat like Nicolotta in the boatyard. She was built by the revered Venetian boatbuilder Giovanni Giuponi who was responsible for reviving and developing the extraordinary range of Venetian boats. Working outside our regular area of experience, the traditional Thames craft, requires caution. It is easy to fall into the idea that because you can build a Thames skiff then you can just as easily build a Venetian boat correctly. Different regional traditions have developed their own peculiar styles with very specific details as well as materials. Miss these subtleties and the boat is plainly wrong.Nicolotta is unusual for a Venetian boat because she is varnished not painted, although other boats built by Guiponi are also varnished. Painting and varnishing to a very high standard is a common tradition between the Thames and Venetian Boatbuilders and re-finishing Nicolotta has been our contribution to her custodianship. Although in private ownership Nicolotta is the flagship of the City Barge Venetian fleet. This Thames-based rowing club has well established connections with Venice and has revived the Thames connection with Venetian rowing which has existed since pleasure boating began on the river in the mid to late 1800s. 66'