Incredible new Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht on show

Having driven the new 68 Sports Motor Yacht to 31. 6 knots off the Gold Coast just days before its coastal delivery to Sydney, we can attest that this is an incredible luxury cruiser.

We will go so far as to say this is the best production flybridge motor yacht we've experienced from an Australia yard and certainly the most sophisticated Riviera ever.

The low engine noise and lack of vibration — thanks to the big 1550hp MAN V12 engines coupled to special Seatorque shafts with V drives — sets the bar for motorcruising comfort.

The hull from superyacht specialist Frank Mulder is just beautiful, carving a path like a scythe and in perfect balance.

With a 2000nm+ range at displacement speeds, and a 520-570nm+ range at
17-22 knots cruise, the 68 Sports Motor Yacht — and its 72ft sister ship with
extended cockpit — are destined for some serious passages, voyages and sea
miles.

Designed to CE Category A certification, the new Sports Motor Yachts  have
near-autonomous offshore cruising ability. Think the Australian
coastline, but also the South Pacific and Oceania, plus export markets. Already 10 of these boats averaging around $5m have been sold.

But it's the overall depth of design that is  special, with two years' of input from would-be owners and top designers to get these boat just right before production began.

Every 'station' you visit from the foredeck seating to the large cockpit
that can swing a game chair, from to the mezzanine level entertaining area to the aft
galley, and the accommodation down below plus flying bridge three floors up, has something special about
it. The result is a whole new class of Sports Motor Yacht.

SYDNEY BOAT SHOW DEBUT
Riviera will host the World Premiere of its amazing new 68 Sports Motor
Yacht at the 50th Sydney International Boat Show opening Thursday August
3-9 at Darling Harbour.

The beautiful new 68-footer, with a purposeful styling that matches the boat's long-range intent, is one of nine Riviera's that will be displayed at the 2018 Sydney boat show.

The vision for the Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht came about as a close collaboration of existing customers and the Gold Coast yard’s senior design team.

"The owners we spoke with were seeking a true blue-water boat that combines long-range performance with a good turn of speed when it's needed, with the ability to fish, dive, or provide the perfect platform to completely relax with family and friends," Riviera owner and Chairman Rodney Longhurst said.

USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN
Moving around the big boat is safe and easy courtesy of generous side decks and high bulwarks that reach to the foredeck, which itself has many features and options never seen before on a Riviera.

The foredeck can include a large tender and 550kg hydraulic davit. When the tender is launched, this area quickly transforms to an eight-seater sunken seating centre that can be shaded by a fold-away bimini.

There is also a pantograph side door from the saloon direct to the side decks, another first for Riviera, but in keeping with the passagemaker and long-range cruising roles that the 68 and 72 will likely fulfill.

The large cockpit caters for sportsfishers, watersports enthusiasts and keen entertainers, while the elevated al fresco mezzanine has a sprawling dining area before boat’s central U-shape gourmet galley, which connects back outdoors through a large awning window.

A separate port side door from this mezzanine leads to a staircase and the dayhead and shower below decks. There is also a nearby utility room or comfortable crew cabin with direct access to the engine room.

FIVE-STAR SALOON
The saloon features a plush lounge to port and a dining area that can seat up to eight people to starboard. While the 68 and 72 have familiar Riviera styling, the luxury fabrics, natural timbers and leatherette panelling elevate these Sports Motor Yachts to their own class. Of course, soft furnishing options are virtually boundless.

A large TV forward of the galley rises at the touch of a button and is comfortably viewable from both lounge and dining areas.

An internal timber staircase provides direct access to the flybridge, which rates as a social cruising deck. The wide helm station is designed for up to four 22in navigation screens. The beautiful helm seats are from Norsap and fully adjustable for cruising comfort at sea.

Guests can relax on lounges along the entire starboard side facing an entertainment unit, while a fold-out double bed the offers skipper and further guests impromptu accommodation.

GENEROUS ACCOMMODATION
The main lower accommodation deck offers two stateroom options: the four-cabin Classic or the three-cabin Grand Presidential design with full-beam master stateroom.

The 68 Sports Motor Yacht at Sydney boat show has been built to include the Classic accommodation layout, with a midships master stateroom with en suite bathroom along the starboard side. With the bathroom doors open, you still derive a full-beam stateroom effect. The VIP guest stateroom forward includes a walk-around queen-size bed and a private en suite.

A third cabin aft of the guest stateroom on the port side features twin single beds that can convert to a double, while a fourth guest cabin on the starboard side has two full-size pullman-style beds. These two cabins share the boat’s third communal bathroom.

ENGINES AND TECH
In the standing-height engine room, twin 1550hp V12 MAN are coupled to V-drive Seatorque shafts. A pair of 1800 MANs is optional. The boat has aft docking stations with Twin Disc hydraulic thrusters with station-hold among its systems.

The 1550hp MAN engines with V-drives and Seatorque shafts gave 31.6 knots top speed during our test (smack in the middle of the forecast 30-32 knots), with hitherto new levels of smoothness.

The low sounds levels — just mid-60dba in the bridge at cruise — and lack of vibration creates a truly first-class experience.

The Riviera Sports Motor Yachts is a showcase of new technology that includes next generation CZone digital switching that interfaces with an iPad and offers remote diagnostics and dial-in for servicing crews.

SYDNEY BOAT SHOW DISPLAY
Company owner Rodney Longhurst was thrilled with the development of this new collection of Sports Motor Yachts that will showcase Riviera’s world-class design and the skills at the 50th Sydney International Boat Show.

The big Riv' display also included the Riviera 6000, 5400 and 4800 Sport Yachts, the practical 525 and 445 SUV models, the offshore 52 Enclosed Flybridge model and 43 Open Flybridge.

The Belize display will include a detailed presentation of the marque's latest classically-styled motor yacht, the Belize 66, which has recently been announced. The display will also showcase the 54 Daybridge model.

We've also been tipped off that there will be breaking news of a new Riviera duo in the sub-40ft class designed to get new blood to the fold.

Stand-by for more on the Riviera 68 and 72 Sports Motor Yacht in our impending test report from the first test drive during the chopper shoot off the Gold Coast!

More at Riviera.