2018 Riviera 39 Sports Motor Yacht launched

Riviera has lowered the cost of membership to its motor yacht range, launching an entry-level Riviera 39 Sports Motor Yacht into the family.

Featuring what the boatbuilder says is a “sporting cockpit and sporting performance”, it becomes the first Riviera product to slip in at less than 40 feet in a decade. Riviera hopes it will resonate as a “good entry-sized boat” and appeal to “a whole new generation of buyers”.

The boat features an open flybridge on a stand-up fishing and entertainment platform that Riviera Group owner, Rodney Longhurst, said was “solid, straight tracking, dry and stable”.

“This really is a 34-knot bluewater sea boat,” he said at the 39’s launch at last week’s Sydney International Boat Show.

The 39 features an open flybridge, a move that Riviera said opened up even more entertaining space than offered in a single-deck layout. A folding bimini over the flybridge stows forward to create a day bridge.

The Riviera 39 Sports Motor Yacht has a fixed swim deck accessed via a transom door. Onboard, the aft space of the 39 features a saloon area with an open cockpit, and a barbecue built into the transom and facing the swim deck.

The cockpit features a teak table and a portside lounge that is set against an awning window. Optional fold-out seating built into the port and starboard coamings is available.

The foredeck features an optional sun lounge with folding backrests and drink holders.

Inside, the Riviera 39 Sports Motor Yacht features American oak trim and a starboard galley backing onto the cockpit.

The lower cockpit includes a leather helm-and-companion seat, a leather sports wheel, twin engine controls, an IPS joystick and twin navigation displays.

A lounge area opposite the helm faces forward, while the entertainment unit, featuring a lift-up television, radio and CD sound system with iPod interfaces sits in front.

Upstairs, the flybridge controls - accessed via a teak-trimmed starboard ladder - feature a twin helm-and-companion seat, sports wheel, and engine controls including a Volvo Penta IPS joystick. Navigation displays are housed behind a raked windscreen. Behind it is an L-shaped lounge.

The lower deck contains a pair of staterooms that can accommodate up to five adults in a queen-size walk-around bed, and a midship twin that can convert into a double bed. Big windows let in plenty of natural light, with an ensuite including shower and toilet that can also double as the day head.

Power comes from twin 435hp Volvo Penta D6 IPS 600 turbo-diesel pod drives with the option of joystick controls. The engines are covered by a five-year, 1000-hour warranty.

Fuel capacity is 1500 litres.

The experience of bumping the boat in and out of a hardstand, and even transporting it to new water, should also improve, with Riviera focusing on housing the flybridge’s electronics inside the windscreen to minimise the risk of damage. The forward-folding bimini also provides a level surface for a cover to enclose the entire flybridge, including the electronics.

Riviera has said the 39 Sports Motor Yacht could add a hard-topped flybridge version if pressure from the North American market for one justified the decision.

Overseas sales currently account for around 55 per cent of the Australian boatbuilder’s market, with US buyers showing a preference for hard-topped flybridges - minus the lower helm station.

Riviera chairman Rodney Longhurst said the version of the dual-console 39 Sports Motor Yacht currently offered buyers “the best of both worlds” by having the option of a fully protected internal or exposed flybridge helm.

SPECS
Length overall: 13.27m
Hull length: 12.06m
Beam: 4.26m
Draft: 1.2m
Dry weight: 12,990kg
Fuel capacity: 15500L
Water capacity: 390L
Holding tank: 80L
Sleeping capacity: 5 persons