Riva’s SportRiva 56 is a dangerous yacht. It will blur your eyesight, disturb your emotions, mess with your mind.
Walking down toward the SportRiva, your mind says, WOW!
If you ever watched “Under the Tuscan Sun” and dreamt of an Italian villa, this is it…
Rivas have always had a (well-deserved) reputation for being chick magnets. They build boats for collecting crumpets in Monaco, preferably in itsy-bitsy bikinis, and transporting them to St. Tropez for a lazy soufflé and a bottle of Dom Perignon, followed by a nap on the sunpad.
Cocktail table that expands for dining.
Sleek console for the wet bar and outdoor kitchen equipped with a Gaggenau grill, sink, and fridge.
A large window overlooking the cockpit from the saloon hinges up and, combined with the sliding door, blends the two areas into one alfresco living space.
The décor is both subtle and soothing: fine elm wood, anthracite fiberglass, and leather that’s as soft as gelato.
The dashboard is trimmed with leather bearing the subtle pattern of carbon fiber.
If you thought the saloon was impressive, step down to the cabins. In the owner’s stateroom forward, the bulkheads and the frame around the queen-sized berth are finished in a leather as buttery as the softest Brioni loafers. The raised stitching is set off by polished stainless steel trim and pale elm. You’ll want to hug it.
The en suite owner’s head is equally stylish, with a stainless steel sink set in a frosted-glass vanity, a Euro-style spigot from the bulkhead, and a large shower with a tower of spray nozzles.
Just aft, two guest cabins are separated by the stairs. Both have twins but, in the port cabin, the nightstand can be moved and the inner berth slides over to create a queen-sized berth. This cabin has a private door into the day-head, creating a second en suite stateroom.
And the color, ahhh, the color. Lesser yachts are white, like plain vanilla. This SportRiva was a color so delicious you’ll want to lick it: Roman Bronze. If you happen to have a few rare coins in your change pocket from ancient Rome, you’ll see the SportRiva is the exact color of a denarius from, say, about 22 centuries ago—and just as rare.
With her 15-degree transom deadrise, she had a soft ride in the choppy Gulf Stream off Florida!!!
The SportRiva 56 is just plain spectacular. Own this yacht, and you’ll start saying ciao, and double-kissing your friends in greeting, your Armani blazer draped over your shoulders. This may be the most lusted-after Italian since Gina Lollabrigida.
Specifications:
Length
17.57m / 57′ 8″
Width
4.64m / 15′ 3″
Draft
1.40m / 4′ 8″
Displacement
29.71 (half load)
Fuel capacity
602 gal
Water tank
145 gal
Engines
2 x 900-hp MAN CRM diesels
Fuel type
Diesel
Price as New: $3M+
Overview:
When you first look at the Riva SportRiva 56, it seems that it is a typical coupe with a sporty character: the rapid lines, the dashing slope of the windshield entering the roof. And only an advanced windscreen gives off a successfully integrated flybridge with an additional control station and two soft sun beds.
Ideal for hot spots: You can also lie in the sun upstairs and relax in the air-conditioned closed salon.
The only minuscule way up the flybridge is by stepping on the soft white leather of the sofa and asking guests to move over to the cockpit.
The galley on the SportRiva 56 is located behind the wheelhouse but not at the right side of the saloon, as on most yachts, but on the lower deck. As there is no ceiling above it, it is possible to communicate with the public in the salon while preparing the pasta.
In the galley there is a door leading to the skipper’s cabin on the starboard side.
Thanks to the porthole and a separate bathroom, this cockpit is much more comfortable than even on larger Riva yachts.
