Riviera 370

I guess it was only a matter of time before Australia's biggest and most awarded boat manufacturer, The Riviera Group, joined the lucrative and ever-expanding sportscruiser market. In a market primarily dominated by US imports, a weak Aussie dollar has resulted in an opportunity too good to pass up.

With The Riviera Group's infrastructure and expertise in building flybridge cruisers in both Riviera and Mariner marques, it seems a natural progression to bolster its line-up with a sportscruiser range.

In this instance, it's the Mariner name that carries the three new sportscruiser models: 290, 370 and 430. The 290 and 370 are both brand-new models built from the ground up, while the 430 is actually based on the 47ft Wellcraft Excalibur hull, so it's a much bigger boat than its name would suggest.

The two Wellcraft Excalibur models are no longer available in Australia. Indeed, the Mariners have taken their place. However, the Mariner 430 is re-badged as a 47 Excalibur for the US market. Currently, the Mariner name is only exported to New Zealand, while all other exports bear the Wellcraft name.

THE BUILDING OF EXCELLENCE
Although the sportscruiser range will be built at The Riviera Group's Coomera premises, the three models will be constructed in a slightly different manner to their flybridge stablemates. The boats currently go through a shed-to-shed production line which sees various stages of the boats completed in each shed. The new Mariners will be built wholly and solely in the one shed with no contract labour.

The shed was under construction as this story went to press, and it will be called 'The Building of Excellence'.

What The Riviera Group has done is hand-pick 60 of its finest tradespeople and apprentices to work in this new facility. According to the company, all are employees who have proven to have exemplary skills and great attention to detail.

Along with the three new sportscruisers, the Building of Excellence will also house the Mariner 3350 and the Riviera 3000. The company's goal is to produce one of each model per week. That's 260 boats per year out of the one shed!

The Riviera Group's contribution to boatbuilding in Australia must be commended. The company already employs nearly 500 staff and next year there will be no less than 64 apprentices on-site. Indeed, they are building a quality culture that can only improve the final products.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
The three new sportscruiser models are all sterndrive powered: either MerCruiser petrol or Volvo diesel. As most sportscruisers aren't used for really long hauls, the majority of orders so far have been petrols.All three models are comprehensively equipped; there are very few options. The idea is to provide a turnkey package without the hassles - just hand over the cheque, fuel her up and go boating.

It's a theory that obviously works, as sales from the recent boat show circuit have exceeded the manufacturer's expectations with 24 of the 290s, 23 of the 370s and 32 of the 430s already sold. We tested the Mariner 370 on a fine but blustery Gold Coast day. (Look out for tests on the 290 and 430 in upcoming issues of Trade-A-Boat.)

TRUE ENTERTAINER
The Mariner 370 is a true entertainer. Smart use of available space provides enough room to invite family and friends along for the ride.

The master stateroom is the most forward cabin. It features an angled double berth with steps on the port side to aid access. There is a cabinet at the foot of the bed which houses a TV. The TV is mounted on a swivel base, so it can also be viewed from an identical cabinet in the saloon. Very clever.

Other stateroom features include hanging locker, reverse-cycle air-conditioning, padded vinyl hull and headliner, recessed lighting, stereo speakers and an overhead hatch for natural lighting and ventilation.

A lockable cabin door separates the stateroom from the saloon. The saloon features an L-shaped lounge on the starboard side, finished in soft leather upholstery. This lounge features a pullman berth which, when raised, provides two bunk berths for the kids. The lounge is also serviced by a drop-down dinette.

AIR-CON AND MORE
All timber throughout the cabins is glossed beech. Carpet is a rich, royal-blue and furnishings are a gentle sand colour, provided by Natalia

The saloon is also equipped with reverse-cycle air-conditioning, Clarion six-stacker CD player, TV and appropriate lighting.

At the forward end of the saloon on the port side is a fully-enclosed head with a separate shower stall. The Vacuflush toilet is linked to a holding tank with dockside discharge facilities. Features include a vanity with Granicoat benchtop, wash basin, shelved storage cabinet and mirror. An overhead skylight and 12V lighting is also provided.

At the aft end of the saloon on the port side is the galley. Inclusions are a two-burner Fisher & Paykel Ceran cooktop, Granicoat benchtops, a Tundra fridge and a Sharp 800W microwave. Storage cabinets are provided both overhead and under the benchtops.

At the very aft end of the saloon is another lockable door which leads to the mid cabin. This cabin features a transverse double berth which is located under the raised helm. This cabin also has air-conditioning and features a couple of big storage cabinets; however, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who suffers from claustrophobia.

TO THE HELM
Three steps up from the saloon and you find yourself at the single-level helm and cockpit area. This is a big, wide access with plenty of headroom. The solid sliding door separating the helm area from the cabin is lockable.

The helm is located on the starboard side and provides good room and vision whether seated or standing. A benchseat gives enough room for the helmsman and a mate to sit behind the wheel.

Helm features include carbon-fibre dash paneling, which sets off the array of Mercury gauges nicely. There is also an Icom VHF, compass, depth recorder, fuel gauge, CD remote control and waterproof switches. There is still room left on the dash for mounting a sounder or chartplotter. The adjustable steering wheel falls nicely to hand; however, the binnacle MerCruiser controls are a bit out of a reach when seated.

An angled footrest is a clever touch, and what sportscruiser helm would be complete without a drinkholder?

Adjacent to the helm are three large moulded steps which lead to the foredeck. The centre section of the windscreen folds to port, and zips in the clears aid access forward. The sidedecks are wide enough to allow access to the foredeck. However, as there's no handrail, over the dash is the smarter option.

The foredeck features include a big bowrail, non-skid surface, windlass with foot switches and good-sized cleats.

A full-length bimini top from the windscreen to the targa is provided as standard equipment, as are the Vyback clears, which are not only zippered and velcroed, but also have neoprene tabs that aid waterproofing. When not required, the whole bimini folds back into a storage sock on the targa.

SPACE TO STRETCH OUT
The helm/cockpit area has plenty of seating. A three-seater lounge opposite the helm is a nice place to stretch out. A U-shaped lounge aft of the helm seats a minimum of six in comfort and also features a drop-down fibreglass dinette.

Opposite the dinette is a wet bar with sink and hot and cold tap. A large storage hatch below can be fitted with an optional cockpit fridge or icemaker.

A transom door on the port side provides access to a two-stage aft deck and swim platform. A large boot in the transom bulkhead can be accessed from the outboard side. This is a good place to store fenders and ropes, or even dive tanks for that matter. The boot lid stays up with a locking spring and there's a freshwater hose for washing down yourself or your toys. There is a step down from the aft deck to the swim platform which incorporates a recessed dive ladder.

BIG MERCRUISERS FOR A BIG SPORTSCRUISER
Access to the engine room is relatively easy - just remove the cockpit dinette top, lift up the cockpit carpet and the whole engine hatch folds aft on rams. This provides excellent access and there is ample room to move around the big MerCruisers. There is also a 6kW Kohler generator at the forward end of the engine room.

The testboat was powered by the standard petrol powerplants for the Mariner 370: twin MerCruiser 350 MAG MPI Horizons with Bravo II legs spinning 22in props. These 300hp V-eights proved a good match for the big sportscruiser.

LEVEL ATTITUDE
Out of the hole, acceleration didn't throw you back in the seat. However, once up and running the Mariner cruised nicely, with a pretty level attitude.

The 370 held the plane at 3400rpm while doing 21kt. The most comfortable cruise revs seemed around the 4000rpm mark, which translated to 27kt on the GPS. We hit the rev-limiters at 5000rpm, which provided the 370 with a top speed of 35.3kt.

Manoeuvrability was excellent both at idle and at speed. You could throw it around like a trailerable sportsboat at speed with no nasty tendencies, while the twin Bravo II legs supplied excellent torque when mooring.

The only thing that annoyed me while underway was the blowback of fine spray into the cockpit. The bimini siphoned the spray, so to alleviate this I suggest going topless.

The Mariner 370 is an extremely well-constructed and well-designed sportscruiser which is competitively priced in the market. I can hear the US sportscruiser importers shaking in their boots already.

HIGHS

LOWS