Boats built for a secret agent

Tucked away in a corner of the vast hall, all but lost amid the glistening white luxury cruisers and speedy runabouts, five of James Bond’s film dreamboats were showing their stuff -- nautical, but hardly naughty.

The featured attractions of this year’s New York National Boat Show, which lasts through Sunday, were not drawing much attention on a recent exhibition day.

But there’s a Steven Hauptman in every crowd, even a sparse one.

The Long Island teenager was having a private ball ogling the sleek fantasy craft that the various 007s used to overwhelm -- or escape from -- an endless variety of villains.

By his own account, Steven, 17, has about $5,000 worth of James Bond memorabilia, including action figures, DVDs of every film and autographs of some actors, and said he is rereading his collection of first editions of every book by Bond creator Ian Fleming.

“He even had a Bond theme for his bar mitzvah,” said Steven’s father, David, who did most of the talking. “He had a tuxedo, we played Bond music, we had centerpieces with the Bond posters, and the cake was a James Bond cake.” Steven invited Pierce Brosnan, the Bond of the moment, who didn’t show up, but “he sent me a note.”

Steven’s bar mitzvah present was a trip to London “to visit all the Bond sites,” the elder Hauptman said.

The Bond boats include a tow sled from the 1965 film “Thunderball”; a “bath-o-sub” from “Diamonds Are Forever,” made in 1971; the Amazon chase boat from “Moonraker” (1979); the Neptune submarine from “For Your Eyes Only” (1981); and Q’s jet boat from the 1999 film “The World Is Not Enough.”

A video screen shows scenes from the films in which the boats on display can be seen.

Other Bond items on display include a copy of Odd Job’s death hat from “Goldfinger,” a briefcase from “From Russia With Love,” a throwing star from “You Only Live Twice,” a photograph of “Dr. No,” and a SPECTRE ring from “Thunderball.”

The Bond boats are not for sale, said Todd Scott, a Baltimore publicist who played a key role in obtaining them on loan from the Ian Fleming Foundation.