From the classifieds: Riviera M370 Sports Cruiser

However, in the late 1990s, big US sports cruisers were a growing part of the market. Riviera, keen to tap into the design’s growing popularity and spurred by a falling Australian dollar that gave it a big advantage against the Greenback, announced in 2001 that it would start building its own version, the Riviera M370 Sports Cruiser.

This boat was built to a specific brief; take two couples to distant anchorages at a fast, safe cruising speed so the boat could anchor up for an entire weekend, and then shuttle at high speed back to the marina.

The Riviera M370 Sports cruiser features a forward master suite with an angled double berth featuring access steps on the portside. Cooling is supplemented via air-conditioning, and natural light and airflow comes via an overhead hatch.

Directly behind the master suite is the saloon, featuring an L-shaped lounge to port that converts into a Pullman-style bunk with room for a couple below. Opposite is a fully enclosed head with a separate shower stall.

An aft galley includes cooktop, fridge and in some instances even a microwave oven.

Upstairs from the saloon is the helm and cockpit space.

The helm is to starboard, and even back then featured plenty of space on the carbon-fibre look dash to mount an array of analogue gauges around a flat-screen multifunction display.

To port of the helm is the access to the bow, via steps and a foldable section of the windscreen. You can also access the bow via rather narrow side decks.

When new, the Riviera M370 Sports Cruiser featured a full-length bimini with clears running from the trailing edge of the windscreen to the Targa arch.

The helm also features a U-shaped lounge aft with a drop-down fibreglass dinette. This area included a wet bar and sink, making it ideal for entertaining. An icemaker was on the options list.

A door through the transom leads down to a large aft deck and swim platform. This area includes a large locker, and a freshwater washdown.

The engines are accessed by lifting the floor in the cockpit.

The most popular choice of powerplant for this boat were twin freshwater-cooled 375hp 8.1-litre 496 MerCruiser big block inboard engines, although the standard specification was twin 300hp 5.7-litre units. Volvo Penta diesel power also was an option.

The “sports cruiser” tag was deserved, with the Riviera M370 Sports Cruiser able to nudge into the 25 knot-plus zone at a sedate 4000rpm.

In 2005, the much improved Riviera M400 Sports Cruiser, a new 40-foot model that heralded the arrival of a new interior design direction for the Gold Coast motor yacht maker, was introduced as a replacement for the Riviera M370 Sports Cruiser.

These days, the Riviera M370 Sports Cruiser represents some pretty good value for what is pretty much in the league of a 40-footer.

Look for a boat that its original owner was keen to stack with choice bits from the options list, such as a bow thruster that helps with wrestling the big, torquey MerCruiser engines around tight berths.

Some of them, such as this one, will also come with a tender fitted to the rear swim deck, helping with excursions ashore.