by Riviera premiered its 645 SUV at Sanctuary Cove and is developing a new flagship 78 Motor Yacht, with hull two destined for Phuket via Thailand dealer Lee Marine.
Riviera has revealed details of its upcoming flagship 78 Motor Yacht, with hull two expected to arrive in Thailand by mid2022 through Lee Marine, the Australian builder’s longest serving international dealer. The hull destined for Phuket will feature the enclosed flybridge option and be powered by upgraded MAN 1800hp engines.
Riviera’s biggest-ever model, usurping the 72 Sports Motor Yacht, the 78 Motor Yacht has an overall length of 80ft 8in, a 72 hin hull and a beam of 19ft 8in. The first unit for Asia has been ordered by a couple upgrading from a 68 Sports Motor Yacht, which they purchased in 2016 and used in Australia before shipping it to Phuket and cruising extensively in Thailand and Myanmar.
The 78 offers greater room for customisation than any other model from the builder, which worked with Italian superyacht designer Luca Vallebona on the interiors.
“Riviera really wanted to step up their game on the 78 Motor Yacht, which is over and above anything they’ve done before. The interiors are clean and stylish, and already show a new and fresh direction for Riviera,” said Martin Holmes, General Manager of Lee Marine, who has been with the company since 1997.
“For the owners of hull two, the build quality and reliability of Riviera was never in doubt, and the yard were listening closely to their suggestions and feedback about the 78 Motor Yacht. With the knowledge gained from cruising aboard the 68 Sports Motor Yacht, the idea of designing a bespoke Riviera flagship made for a confident choice.”
Lee Marine, which has represented Riviera in Thailand since 1998, was introduced to the future flagship in 2019. A full-size mockup was later built at the factory, so Holmes and the owners had the opportunity for a guided tour and to get a feel for the space, albeit via a Zoom call.
“As with all new Riviera models, owner and dealer feedback was closely listened to and it was fascinating to see the design evolve,” Holmes said. “The 78 Motor Yacht takes Riviera’s proven, trusted characteristics of a great hull, offshore capability and superb build quality, but now focuses more on becoming a ‘yacht’ where the spaces are more generous and sumptuous.
“Every corner of the yacht has been studied and refined, so this promises to be the best Riviera yet, with bigger generators, bigger tanks, increased soundproofing and a toy garage aft.”
Lee Marine has been working closely with Riviera but also Vallebona, whose portfolio includes the 42m Mondomarine Serenity, a winner at the 2016 World Superyacht awards. All involved are working to create an interior reflecting the desires of the Phuket-based owners.
“Riviera’s collaboration with Luca has been a great success in my opinion and provided scope to create a highly personalised interior,” Holmes said. “He has brought a very clean style, with Italian touches.”
RIVIERA PREMIERES 645 SUV
In late May, Riviera staged the world premiere of its 645 SUV at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. The flagship of a sixmodel collection that combines the blue-water pedigree of the Sports Motor Yachts line with the single-level living area of the Sport Yacht range, the 615 SUV has a 63ft 8in hull, an overall length of 69ft 8in with swim platform and bowsprit, and a beam of 19ft lin.
Riviera Australia owner Rodney Longhurst said: “The wonderful versatility of the SUV design lends itself perfectly to a larger yacht. The 615 takes our SUV to a new level with even more space, performance, cruising range, accommodation and luxury.”
The model is available in Classic or Newport editions. The Classic features elegant interior furnishings, a versatile foredeck entertaining space and four guest cabins. The Newport includes a distinctive Tungsten silver hardtop, spacious foredeck sunpad, avant-garde saloon features and three guest cabins with a lower-deck lounge.
Features include alfresco deck dining and a saloon with an aft galley and island bench. The foredeck zone provides seating for up to 10 people, an insulated ice bin, stereo and locations for fenders and ropes. The Newport Edition includes a large sunpad.
The teak cockpit includes an optional three-seater transom lounge or live-bait well and optional awning extending from the sleek hardtop aft, as well as a dual-plate, electric barbecue. A few steps up from the cockpit is a semi-enclosed alfresco deck offering a sofa to port that extends to a double daybed. An L-shaped lounge to starboard includes a drop-leaf teak table.
Inside, the saloon has a galley along the port side with an island bench. The walnut dining table is located behind the lounge and can be deployed by moving away four cushions and lifting the table up and out.
The helm offers the option of two or three seats facing three 24inch screens, while the forward starboard corner of the saloon can be a relaxing lounge, workstation or cocktail bar.
On the lower deck, the full-beam master stateroom has 1.95m of headroom, a central queen-sized bed, chaise lounge, large cedar-lined wardrobe and generous aft en-suite bathroom. A space beside the en-suite can be personalised to suit an owner’s needs: laundry, utility room, crew cabin or even additional accommodation
The forward VIP suite includes a queen-sized bed and en-suite bathroom. The second guest stateroom to port has two single berths that slide together to form a double berth and has en-suite access to the day head. Directly opposite is a fourth stateroom with twin crossover berths. The Newport Edition configures this area as an atrium lounge. $
Source: Yacht Style Issue 60, www.rivieraaustralia.com, www.leemarine.com
