2019 Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition review

What a luxurious offering the latest Platinum Edition is – changes for 2019 take this vessel even more upmarket than its previous iterations. It’s unashamedly targeted at cruising couples and young families, and presents as a premium, coupe-style weekender with massive visual appeal.

And the evolution that this new model represents is far from just a makeover – some major behind-the-scenes re-engineering also comes into play.

The changes made to the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht in the lead-up to giving it its Platinum Edition makeover are so significant that the motor yacht maker has also badged it the Series II.

The most noticeable change is to the hull, which lengthens its waterline slightly from 13.93 metres to 13.97m. There’s an all-new, better-integrated 250kg-rated swim platform, too.

The hull is built using hand-laid GRP, with each layer of fibreglass cut out on a CNC router, and individually numbered so Riviera’s yacht-makers know which piece belongs in what part of the build process. The hull bottom is solid and the sides cored, while Riviera has stuck with its proven end-grain balsa cored deck design for strength and a solid feel underfoot.

Resins used to build the boats are also weighed to ensure consistency between builds.

Along the sides of the hull, slightly downturned chines and running strakes that follow their line help with a controlled ride. The full 4.7-metre beam runs well aft, helping place the (combined) 1200hp of the twin Volvo Penta IPS800 pod drives well apart to help with high-speed stability and low-speed manoeuvrability.

Like the other bigger members of the Sport Yacht line, the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition has a small kedge keel running aft, helping with straight-line stability but also with stability at rest where it resists rolling.

Speaking of rolling, the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition is now engineered to fit an optional Seakeeper gyroscope. That means all three models in the new Sport Yacht Platinum Edition range now have the option of employing this technology – which uses a 500kg-odd flywheel spinning at around 9000rpm to stabilise the craft while underway or anchored up.

The compact, aft-mounted Volvo Penta pod drive system allows the 2100 litres of diesel fuel to be carried athwartships, and also helps to maximise the living space inside the hull.

Riviera’s impressive attention to detail is apparent in the machinery spaces. The Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition is engineered to use a common water intake to minimise the number of skin fittings and all wiring is clearly labelled and colour-coded to help with troubleshooting and upgrades.

The boat’s electrical loads are controlled using CZone panels mounted at the helm or the saloon. The Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition’s electrical power is supplied via an 11kW Onan genset connected to a 2.5kW inverter.

The hull structure is protected by a five-year warranty, as are the Volvo Penta’s IPS800 units.

As well as the changes to the hull and engineering, the Platinum Edition bring a number of aesthetic and equipment updates to the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II. Riviera says this brings with it a “modest” price rise once the fact there is now no base model is taken into account.

Pricing starts from $1,301,600 for the Series II. And with it comes a lot more boat including the colour-coded targa top – in the case of our test boat, featuring Atomic Silver.

The most noticeable change, however, comes to the interior, where harder-wearing but still visually appealing Sunbrella fabric is used for most of the soft-touch surfaces. It is nicely textured in places where you can touch it, such as wall linings, and smooth where it is used out of reach.

The helm station is also changed, replacing leather surfaces with soft-to-the-touch Alcantara, and the helm chair to one that looks as though it has jumped straight out of a sports car.

Entry to the salon is via a starboard sliding door blending into the aft glass bulkhead that makes up the divide between the outdoor and indoor living spaces.

A U-shaped galley is to port, equipped with a quality Smeg twin cooktop, convection microwave oven, dishwasher, mixer tap over a stainless steel sink and plenty of refrigeration.

The benchtops are a nice marble-look surface with a gutter to catch any liquids. The forward section of this area has a classy looking “waterfall” benchtop, extending down to floor level. This is a signature feature that now extends to all Platinum Edition models.

Opposite is a wet bar backing onto the large lift-up glass window. Of note, the flooring throughout the space looks more premium, featuring light oak vinyl that contrasts the darker walnut finish on the cabinets.

The Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition’s dinette will comfortably seat five people. The table is trapezoidal so that the inboard edge of it angles inwards to make more space for people walking past to access the companionway.

A 32-inch television rises from the top of the companionway at the press of a button.

The starboard helm station features the abovementioned matching Recaro captain’s chairs and a large sunroof overhead. Deep and comfortable, the seats are ideally suited to long passage making. The skipper’s chair includes electric fore and aft adjustment, and a flip-up bolster at the front to make standing at the helm more comfortable.

The dash space is redesigned to better integrate the compass and provide more flat space for mounting larger touchscreens, and its new cowling uses Alcantara rather than leather. The Alcantara also extends around the top of the companionway.

The dash of our test boat is fitted with twin Volvo Penta 12-inch Glass Bridge touchscreens covering everything from a sounder to radar to chartplotter. A separate, smaller screen will also display real-time operating information from the big powerplants humming away quietly below.

There are also controls for the autopilot, a VHF radio, and a CZone panel for balancing the boat’s electrical needs at the press of a button. Backlit switchgear is laid out in a long row in front of the helm seat.

You’ll notice that powerpoints are plentiful throughout the saloon area, and include USB recharging ports.

The Sunbrella-lined companionway leads down to a small atrium with natural light filtering in from overhead. It is fitted with a 28-inch television complete with soundbar, making it an ideal, almost hidden escape for teenagers keen to hook up a games console.

Accommodation spans two cabins and two bathrooms with portholes. The VIP with its island berth in the bow enjoys its own 32-inch television and an upmarket ensuite with Grohe tapware, towel rails and more nice fittings. A distinct feature is the stateroom’s door, which recesses flush into the front of the cedar-lined cupboards when fully open

The walk-in aft cabin has boosted headroom and a real feeling of space – even back under the single bed area. There’s also plenty of storage including a hanging cupboard.

At first glance, there appear to be three single beds, but press a concealed button and one of the side-by-side mattresses moves on an electric actuator to create a double.

Opposite this room is the day head, complete with sink and shower.

All the accommodation space below has the option of plush wool carpet flooring, which really lifts the sense of luxury.

Walking up to the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition, you’ll notice the hydraulic swim platform is radically different. It’s now more shapely with rounded corners to give it a more blended, European look.

The platform is engineered to support a 2.7-metre tender that can be slipped into a garage accessed via an electrically lifting door in the transom. There are optional rails that slip into recesses to give the platform more security at anchor.

Steps from the swim platform lead up into a large cockpit space. This space has a new portside lounge that wraps around to the saloon bulkhead, and the barbecue shifts from the transom to adjoining the galley and Riviera has added an icemaker.

A lounge backs onto the transom. A Fusion audio system with Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay compatibility helps create an entertainment space.

As part of the Platinum Edition changes, the teak-lined cockpit floor now uses grey caulking replacing the black one used in the pre-Series II motor yacht.

Access to the bow is via wide walkways with deep handrails, stainless steel on top and plastic-coated wire on the lower part.

The bow contains two side-by-side sunbeds with adjustable backs, grab rails and drinkholders. This area can be covered with an optional shade sail if the heat gets too intense.

We praised the driveability of the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht back when it launched in 2014, and nothing has changed. It’s still sporty with a highly responsive helm that seems to shrink the boat down around you. That responsiveness is another of the big benefits of the Volvo Penta pod-drive system.

Visibility is good all-around, helped by deep saloon windows and the glass bulkhead behind.

Riviera claims a top speed of 34 knots for the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition, but on the calm, protected waters of the Gold Coast Seaway it’s easy to push past that with the throttles hard down.

Low-speed manoeuvrability is again helped by the quick-adjusting twin-prop pods, and a Volvo Penta joystick controller that can even crab-walk the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition sideways into a berth.

At less than 300 nautical miles optimal cruising range, the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition is not the sort of motor yacht you’d want to run too wide in on an extended trip. However, that range still opens up a lot of possibilities for coastal exploration, if that’s where your interests lie.

If you’re thinking about buying the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition, don’t hesitate to look at one of its larger siblings first.

Why? Well, it won’t take you long to realise that with the 4800 you get all the looks and attention to detail, and much of the amenity as the larger and significantly more expensive Riviera 5400 and 6000 Sports Yacht Platinum Edition models, all just wrapped into a more compact form.

If you’re a cruising couple or a young family wanting an affordable entree to the motor cruising lifestyle, the new 4800 lacks for nothing.

It’s the sort of lifestyle boat where you can be in Darling Harbour one weekend, Pittwater the next, and in stark contrast the Hawkesbury River wilderness for an escape.

In an age where getting away from everything is becoming harder to achieve, the Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Series II Platinum Edition the perfect escape pod.

Specifications
Length overall: 15.3m
Hull length: 13.9m
Beam: 4.61m
Draft: 1.18m
Weight: 18,565kg (est, dry)
Engines: Twin 600hp D8 Volvo Penta IPS800s, turbocharged six-cylinder common rail diesel engines with IPS15 pod drives
Fuel: 2100L, diesel
Water: 400L
Holding tanks: 151L
Accommodation: 5+1

Priced from: $1,361,600 including walnut timber finish; three LED TVs; colour-changing LED lights in the cockpit; saloon and stateroom roller blinds; 36,000, 24,000 and 12,000 BTU airconditioning condensers; stainless steel transom gates; 11kW Onan genset and 2.5kW inverter; twin Volvo Penta IPS800 D8 with cockpit joystick; Glass Bridge navigation/sounder touchscreens; autopilot; Volvo Trim Assist trim tabs; teak inlay on swim deck; four engine start batteries, two house batteries and two auxiliary batteries; four fenders; 27kg anchor with 50m of 10mm chain; eight strainless steel cleats; two shore power leads

Price as tested: $1,436,359 including stainless steel anchor upgrade; forward sun bed shade sail and fully integrated Fusion audio system; removable swim deck rails; upgrade to 13.5kW genset; CZone compatibility with iPad; 2.7m tender (outboard not included); galley and bathware packages; Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner; combination washer/dryer in day head; dishwasher drawer instead of pot drawer; black hull boot stripe; cockpit awning; solid surface benchtop colours in galley, cockpit and head; upgraded sounder/transducer; radar; underwater transom lights; engine room, cockpit, awning and anchor camera; dome and wiring for satellite TV

Supplied by: Riviera Australia