Riviera 68 Flybridge
required for bluewater cruising.
In designing the hull, Riviera
partnered with naval architects Mulder
Design in the Netherlands – who has
the distinction of designing three of the
fastest superyachts in the world.
The hull is built to CE standards,
obligatory given that so much of
the company’s sales are now found
overseas, with America the major
region – but Europe is firmly in sight.
Construction is handlaid fibreglass
with foam core topsides and solid
fibreglass on the keel, longitudinals and
other key structural areas.OFF TO SEA
Manoeuvring a 50-tonne, A$3.4 million
motoryacht is not to be done casually,
so my concentration was fully focussed
as I stood on the flybridge to ease
the Riviera 68 off. Pushing the Twin
Disc joystick to one side, the Riviera
obediently followed as the fore and
aft thrusters engaged with the twin
propellers to keep the hull parallel to
the dock as I cleared.
The tall flybridge generates a lot of
windage, so this system is essential for
non-professional skippers who want
stress-free handling.
My sea trial would be a coastal
voyage north from Sydney, in order to
experience swells rolling up from the
Southern Ocean to test this new hull.Many Riviera owners venture south
of Sydney to explore the wild shores of
the Southern Ocean around Tasmania
and Australia’s southern coast, so these
boats are built with this in mind.
Accelerating through Sydney
Harbour, the comfortable leather
bucket seat and clear views all round
gave me the confidence to enjoy the
ride rather than worry about the
shipping on the harbour.
Leaving the harbour entrance, I
initially went south to confront the
southerly swell and feel the Riviera rise
to the waves.
Only dull thuds were felt and no
groaning came from any furnishings.
Turning to the swells invariably
brought a steep roll to my steering
position – one reason why European
boats often include a downstairs
console as well – but once heading
north again, the Riviera rode the swells
with ease doing a comfortable 27kt and
a fuel burn of 520L/hr.
Throttling back to a more
economical cruise speed of 22kt
showed 367L/hr, which would give a
range of about 400nm.
Increasing these figures can be done
by slowing to displacement mode of 8kt
which would give a range of 1700nm
or more, ideal for those major sea
crossings; something this Riviera 68
will do with aplomb.Riviera 68 Flybridgefacts & figures
PRICED FROM
A$3.4 MILLIONGENERAL
MATERIAL GRP
TYPE Monohull flybridge cruiser
LENGTH 22.86m
BEAM 6m
DRAFT 1.76m
WEIGHT 45,900kg (light ship)
CAPACITIES
FUEL 7000L
WATER 1000 litres
PEOPLE 8ENGINE
TYPE 2 x MAN V12 1550hp
WEIGHT 2270kg (each)
PROPELLORS Nibral five blade
GENERATOR (Primary) 27.5 kW;
(Backup) 13.5 kW
MANUFACTURED BY
RIVIERA AUSTRALIA
50 Waterway Drive,
Coomera, Queensland
+61 7 5561 7266
[email protected]28 trade ab oat.com.au