Riviera 27 rebuild: Project boat

If you visited the sprawling 2015 Gold Coast International Marine Expo you might have seen it. We sure did. A 1988-model Riviera on the hardstand that had undergone a loving restoration. New engine, new paint, gleaming stainless steel, fresh-laid teak decks and more. Very cute. We could take our family away on this one.

Having been involved in a few project boats and restorations before, your scribe stopped to pay tribute and pay his respect to the hard work by the poor tragic who got caught up in it all. We jest, of course, but boat restorations do have a habit of taking over your life, don’t they?

This classic Riviera 27 called Kaos piqued our interest for logical reasons, too. A pocket flybridge cruiser, the Riviera 27 rebuild is a good fit for our classifieds’ sites, BoatPoint and boatsales, where we have a few would-be projects for sale.

At the time of writing, there were 11 x Riviera 27s listed for sale on our sites with asking prices from about $35K to almost $85K, depending on the boat’s age, its iteration and, moreover, money spent, restoration and repower, with a new engine or not.

You will definitely need to have the engine and sterndrive fully surveyed for a boat that was built more than 20 years ago and has doubtless spent its life in the water. But more and more Riviera owners are thinking about these kinds of options, at least refits, if not yet repowers, with existing boats these days. The Riv’ hulls certainly last.

Back to this 1988-model Riviera 27 Hardtop project and a showcase of the Riviera yard’s aftermarket work.

Long-serving Riviera employee Chris Browne bought the boat in original condition off a Riv’ colleague. He will tell you that was the beginning of his refit that left almost no fitting unturned and saw him turn up a few new ones to show off his impressive stainless-steel craftsmanship, too.

"Once I got started I couldn't stop. Working here and building new Rivieras makes that the standard. And the standard has been raised since Rodney [Longhurst] has bought Riviera and is on the ground," Browne says.

RIVIERA 27 MODELS
- Flybridge, Hardtop and Targa models
Launched in 1987, and in production until 1992, the Riviera 27 was available in Flybridge, Hardtop and Targa models, with either single diesel or twin petrol engines, all with sterndrives. Some 34 of the pioneering craft were built all told.

The Riviera 27 restoration you see here was a 1988-model, boat #25, and a fantastic little family flybridge cruiser with a character all of its own. We’ll get to the fun drive and ride soon.

Meantime, it helps that Browne is one a long-serving stainless-steel wizard, who has worked at Riviera for the past 24 years. He started when he was 20 years of age working with stainless steel and is now a craftsman of great repute responsible for the stunning ‘brightwork’ on all Rivieras right up to the 75 flagship.

It also helps that this restoration was completed with the assistance of the Riviera Aftermarket facility and its crack team. With more than 5000 Rivieras built and still mainly floating today, Aftermarket is a growing part of the business.

With shipwrights, engineers, respray facilities and lots of other talent in house, Aftermarket is becoming a kind of boat beauty spa for savvy owners looking for a tart-up and some boat-tox. Find a nice old Riv that takes your fancy and get a professional rebuild and the engineering done at the Coomera sheds. Such possibilities start with this 27 footer…

RIVIERA AFTERMARKET

The big investment on this 27-year-old Riv was the repower from the old 200hp Volvo diesel to a new 260hp Volvo Penta D4. The aforesaid Aftermarket team completed the installation. A new alloy fuel tank and a new stainless-steel water tank were added, along with all the lines and filtration, plus a SidePower bow thruster.

The spray booth was used for the hull’s new two-pack paint job, which certainly made the Riviera 27 eye-catching. Looking in the cockpit, all the timber lockers were replaced with fibreglass models, while there were all new stainless-steel skin fittings, new portholes, a new gunnel, boot and pin stripes as well.

Naturally, Browne let his stainless-steel skills shine. The boat had a new bow rail; swim platform with rail for his barbecue, fenders and more; a new flybridge ladder; flybridge daybed; Euro cockpit awning with stainless steel poles; black Breezeway window covers; plus a teak cockpit floor with electric ram for terrific engine access. The boat has a new saloon door.

At the foot of the all-new sliding saloon door is a custom stainless-steel floor grill with Riviera insignia. It’s these kinds of details, in the stainless-steel work especially, that point to a restoration of the highest order. The 12V wiring was done in house, with new LED lighting, plumbing, LPG gas system, refrigerator and new switch panels.

Indoors, the Riviera 27 sleeps four thanks to a vee berth in the bow and convertible dinette in the saloon that features an all-new high-gloss teak table to match the glossy new teak joinery throughout. The boat has a moulded bathroom with wall-hung shower and a new electric toilet with holding tank and Tankwatch gauge.

“It was a labour of love. I like boating with the wife, we plan to head away on weekends, but I love working on boats and that’s the reason for the restoration,” Browne says, showing us everything including a custom two-pack aluminium cover to conceal the plumbing lines leading to the new electric toilet.

The timeless blue upholstery adds a classic nautical feel, while Corian has been used to modernise the galley counter, where amenities include a two-burner stove and microwave oven.

Back on the water, the new stainless steel anchor and chain look barely used, as we start the engine, tweak the bow thruster, and pull away from the fuel wharf at Runaway Bay.

ON THE WATER
- A fun family cruiser with a personality
You could do a lot worse than this big 27-footer as your family weekender. With sleeping for four and a separate bathroom, there’s nothing to complain about. The cockpit and saloon living spaces are especially accommodating. The flybridge isn’t the biggest, but you wouldn’t want any more weight up top.

With the single 260hp D4, Kaos wound up to about 22 knots, though it seemed faster with the wind in your hair in the open upper station. The second internal helm had been retained and would make a nice spot from which to cruise between anchorages in the morning with the family, coffee in hand, before the boat traffic got too, err, chaotic.

Those of us that drove the boat couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces. As with all Riviera 27 Flybridge boats, she leans into the turns. She kind of goes over a long way. But then that’s it. She firms up, banks about, scoots out of the bend and pops back up on an even keel. All the while you’re cackling.

Cruising at 16-18 knots, the 27 footer gets places and, in no time, we toured the main drag of the Broadwater. Those favourite boating boltholes and anchorages for weekending are close at hand. We guess you're burning about 25-30 litres at fast cuise per hour. Affordable.

The boat’s sunny disposition and personality combined with abundant space and a functional layout, which remains the backbone of most Rivieras today, endears the 27 to a restoration.

When you consider all the Riviera 27s, 32s, 35s, 40s, 42s, 43s, 47s, 51s and more, there’s certainly no shortage of potential project boats. Get Aftermarket to do the dirty work and major engineering then finish it off in your own time and budget.

One thing, with a Riviera, you’ll always find a buyer.