Yachting USA — March 2018

DÉJ À VU

i remember the 53 rivale blowing me away
when she joined Riva’s portfolio in 2003. We fl ung
her around the Bay of Cannes off the South of France
during what was known then as the Cannes Boat
Show. Here we are now, 15 years and an extra 3
feet later, with the next-generation model: the 56
Rivale, which I stepped aboard this past September
at the Cannes Yachting Festival. My expectations
were high, and so are Riva’s; more than 100 of the
53 Rivales were delivered, the last one just a year
ago. Indeed that’s a worthy tally for any mass-mar-
ket branded mid-50s model, but that’s not Riva’s
market position at all. Fitted out, a 56 Rivale can
weigh in north of $2 million. But, of course, such
things are purely relative. Top-end open cruis-
ers don’t get much better than this. ¶ Rivas are
yachts of a diff erent breed and, as they say, vive la
diff érence. The 56 Rivale does not beat her compe-
tition by being faster, off ering more accommoda-
tions, or even by being better engineered — although

SPOTLIGHT RIVA 56 RIVALE

210

NAUTICAL MILES

MAXIMUM

CRUISING RANGE AT

32 KNOTS

TALK ABOUT LONGEVITY ...

Riva has come a long way since Pietro Riva fi rst repaired

his brick-damaged wooden boat on Italy’s Lake Como in

1842. Today, Riva has 13 models and designs across its
      Open, Flybridge, Coupe, New Projects and Superyachts
      divisions, ranging from 27 to 295 feet length overall.

5 4 YACHTING MARCH 2018