David Lockwood•31 May 2012

REVIEW

Riviera 53 Enclosed Flybridge

Name: Riviera 53 Enclosed Flybridge
Brand: RIVIERA

New standard twin IPS 900s outperform former triple IPS 600s

HIGHS

- New twin IPS 900s are superior to the old triple IPS 600s (see story for details)

- Massive internal volume akin to a 60-something footer

- Great design with lots of well-executed stations

- Near faultless interior layout and great finish that reflects the price tag

- Big flybridge is a virtual penthouse

- Aft galley and mezzanine seating boost living space

- Full-beam stateroom with panorama windows

- Deep cockpit for outdoor pursuits and entertaining

- 400 nautical mile cruising range at 23.1 knots

- Riviera brand power is exceedingly strong and the boats are well supported

- Resale value or demand is always there for second-hand Rivieras

- Riviera has exited receivership

LOWS

- Longevity of the IPS engines and pod drives remain an unknown

- The 53 is a big boat that might even be considered daunting

- Personally, not smitten by the faux marble splashbacks in the bathrooms

- This is a $2 million boat and, thus, requires tipping in a cool million-plus for existing Riv owners thinking of upgrading

OVERVIEW

- New best seller is better

Some two years in the making, well considered and executed, Riviera’s 53 Enclosed Flybridge takes our iconic boat builder to an exciting new realm. When the boat was released at Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May 2011, crowds flocked to the point prospective buyers bemoaned the fact they couldn’t even get aboard.

Indeed, the 53 is a magnetic, alluring and imposing boat. It towers into the heavens, with hitherto new levels of freeboard and a new go-fast look. The hull is different from your average shaft-driven Riviera -- it’s fully resin infused for starters -- while the generous accommodation plan breaks altogether new ground. Then comes the fit and finish that is in keeping with a near-$2 million luxury cruiser.

Rather than playing it safe, Riviera created a new benchmark to thrust the company into the pleasure-boating future. You get more of everything but fuel consumption, spray and noise. But don’t just take our word for it.

Some 23 of the new 53s had been sold at the time of writing (June 2012). This is quite some achievement in otherwise trying times, especially considering Riviera exited receivership in early March, almost 10 months after the 53 was released. Predicably, 53 buyers are stepping out of 47s and 51s but also switching back to Rivera from other marques, we’re told.

Believing in the tenet bigger is better, the 53 Enclosed Bridge is an almighty cruiser. The bow is considerably higher than the 61 with more flare in the topsides. The cockpit appears deeper and longer, too, while the flying bridge looks down from the stratosphere.

Weigh-up what you get on this 53 and you’ll find it more in keeping with a 60. The boat’s accommodating nature stems from the creation of various living stations. You can hang out in the cockpit on the mezzanine seating, gather at the aft galley, layback on saloon lounges, wander up top to the flying bridge lounge, or sip a cocktail on the bow. And that’s before you step down into the boat’s three cabins and full-beam stateroom with headroom.

Indeed, the big hook is volume. Weigh-up what you get on this 53 and you’ll find it more in keeping with a 60. Wherever you look, you’ll find supersizing. Hence the affectionate title of space ship. But now there’s something else. Following our recent revisit to a new twin-engine variant, which from now on is the standard engine set-up, the 53’s performance is sweeter. Read on.

PRICE & EQUIPMENT

- Twice as nice in the engine department

Originally, Riviera also threw in an extra engine in its 53. Following the new 43 and retrofitted pod-driven 51 – now strictly built to order -- the 53 is the third pod-driven boat in Riv’s flybridge range. Its refreshing styling paves the way for future Rivieras like the just announced 49. See news item this site.

As standard, the 53 was originally powered by triple Volvo Penta IPS 600s, each D6 diesel engine generating 435hp at 3500rpm, for a top speed of 28.8 knots (1/4 fuel, full water at time of sea trial), according to Riviera’s official data. The base price was $1,754,600. Our test boat with $70,00 of Raymarine electronics, joystick, davit and more cost $1,928,728. But that’s for a race-ready or, rather, cruise capable boat with all the mod cons. Riviera don’t skimp at this level.

However, I made it known from the outset that I had reservations about these small D6 engines with IPS drives in such a big boat bound to be driven great distances along the coast. Add all the expected owner gear, tenders, watermakers, and so on, and that top speed is sure to suffer. Load-carrying torque just isn’t on par with shafts.

So I’m thrilled to see this new IPS II 900 power solution, using twin Volvo Penta 700hp D11 engines and the way bigger pod drives and props, as standard. Though we set eyes on these engines at Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in 2011, when the early 53s were built they weren’t available to Riviera at that time.

The good news is that the new Riviera 53 with twin IPS 900s has the same above base price, but the advantages are many. Suffice to say Riviera and Volvo Penta are thrilled. This is now an even more complete boat, in need of just a watermaker when we tested it. Consider the advantages for no extra charge:

- Greatly reduced servicing costs from two instead of three engines

- 1760nm of extra peak torque

- Smoother, quieter more refined from lower revving engines

- Lower rpm engines and drives means better longevity

- 10 per cent better fuel economy from 19-25 knots.

- Digital Position System (DPS), a station-hold feature

- Yacht Series 24/7 standard support from Volvo Penta

- Three-year servicing contracts available

- Optional exhaust bypass called Clear Wake so no rumble at idle

LAYOUT AND LIVING SPACE

- Entertaining and living stations abound

Hull #1 of both the triple and twin engine 53s that we have tested had a forward helm station for cruising, with an IPS controller in the cockpit for docking. But there is the option of a rear helm for those who prefer it, most likely gamer fishers. Either way, the design team is to be commended for creating upper and lower windscreens with minimal mullions to maximise the views. Big wipers are on hand, too.

While there is a hydraulic option, the deep optional boarding platform is akin to a waterfront balcony where you can unfurl a towel or two. Open-ended hawsepipes in the transom corners keep the decks clean while making docking safe for crew. Like just about everything else on the 53, the cleats are oversized.

Mounted centrally in the transom is one of the biggest (optional) outdoor amenities centres we’ve seen. Lift the lid and you’ll find a side-by-side Kenyon 240V hot plate and griddle, sink with hot and cold water, top-loading garbage bin, all traced by solid counters suitable for food prep. Oh, and there’s a drink holder so you can flip the steaks, plus drawers for storage, and LED deck lights shining on the hot plate, too.

If not underfloor in the usual lazarette now engine room then you’ll find handy storage in the side pockets with drains. Toe-kicks and high freeboard let you lean outboard with confidence. A dot-pattern non-skid runs from the gunwales to the bow, where a high rail with intermediate wire stretches well aft. There’s only one tight spot near the start of the side rail otherwise it’s a straight and safe run forward.

Riviera uses a recessed Muir windlass and there are fresh and salt water taps in the chain locker. The foredeck needs a tender and our initial 53 test boat had a 350kg Davco davit mounted in readiness. The square Bomar deck hatches include shade and insect screens, while the opening portlights in the full beam stateroom are alarmed so you can’t drive away with them open. These are the details that Riv gets right.

Incidentally, the boat has just one 15amp Shorepower lead and three-phase power. So if you haven’t got three-phase at your berth, you’ll need to run the generator to avail yourself of the boat’s air-con while running other big-load appliances like the barbie. At the anchorage, a standard 1200W inverter (we’d specify a 3000W model) and 24V fridges let you stay aboard while watching TV without needing the generator.

The aft-facing mezzanine seating under the cockpit awning is hot property, but we’d probably custom order a small table so you can do lunch here as well. If not via the barbie then food orders will be served through the awning window at the galley. But where some aft galley’s lead to compromises in the saloon lounges, this one’s a perfect model. In fact, we struggle to see how the layout can be improved upon. It’s almost as though they really did spend a couple of years designing the 53.

The U-shaped galley comes loaded with European appliances including induction cooktop, combi oven, (optional) dishwasher, big sink, fridge and freezer drawers. Two fridge drawers are also a feature of the wet-bar with icemaker under the stairwell. All counters are Corian with small fiddles, the joinery is signature high-gloss cherrywood, while the LED lighting seemed to do a reasonable job on a dull day. Hardwearing Amtico flooring is a good choice for these work areas.

In the main saloon forward, the opposing high-backed lounges are wonderfully comfortable. You can seat 12 here, up to eight around the dinette, with everyone enjoying circumambient views when not watching the pop-up TV. The lounges are long enough to serve as daybeds for dosing owners.

A couple of drawers add to the boat’s storage capacity, which includes a hold on the lower dash perfect for games, and a cupboard for the Bose. But I’m not so sure why boat builders are favouring the cube-style Bose speakers, as there are some great flush mounts these days.

ACCOMMODATION PLAN

- A five-star full beam stateroom with the works

The 53 has a three-cabin/two bathroom accommodation plan. Dressed in smart bedding, the third cabin doesn’t compromise. Its bunks are adult-length, there are hanging lockers and more drawers than you’d normally expect, ledges for personal effects, and a separate (optional) television and air-con controller.

Guests are treated to a queen-sized island bed in the bow, his and her hanging lockers and there are GPOs, while the mirrored bedhead, fabric feature panels, and ducted air-con creates a clean feel. Smart bedding and separate AV gear added to the luxe factor of the VIP.

Riviera has a new bathroom model on this boat, with designer touches such as backlit faux marble splashback, mini mixers and pencil shower rose, oversized shower, teak accents, porcelain sink, and the latest Vacuflush heads. There’s also natural ventilation, while the extractor fan is finally acceptably quiet. The vanity has been up-sized.

The liveability of this boat reach hitherto new heights in the owner’s full-beam stateroom back aft and down a few steps -- it’s a two-level accommodation plan -- that signifies the boat’s huge volume. There’s headroom around the king-sized bed, panorama windows with optional opening portlights for natural cross-flow ventilation, a nest of drawers and a cedar-line walk-in wardrobe with special shoe-rack.

Owners also get a two-seater lounge to port, a big screen TV fitted flush into the joinery, and a bookcase. Generator noise is barely audible and, with a great big aft en suite with five-star shower, owners really can live aboard the 53. A washer/dryer and linen press in the companionway add to your self-sufficiency, providing you add optional watermaker. But for a few bits of gear like this, the 53 ticks the boxes coveted by 95 per cent of Riviera owners.

ENCLOSED FLYBRIDGE

- A room with a view and more

Accessed via an internal staircase, with a hatch that adds to the safety factor when underway, the flybridge travels in rarefied air. It’s yet another station where you can entertain, send the kids, or kick back while cruising. The lounge that wraps around a dinette can seat eight facing an as-yet-fitted television. It also converts into a double-sized skipper’s or nipper’s bed.

A fridge and sink are handy amenities when cruising or dial-up lunch via the boat’s integrated intercom. The aft end of the lounge has a reversible backrest to create an aft-facing seat if you prefer to watch the wake or vanishing landscape.

The view from the leather Pompanette co-pilot seat is stirring, but due to the offset helm to port you also gain another lounge alongside. This means four can cruise together, spot the ocean life, and enjoy the ride. Abundant grab rails let you move about safely while underway, while a sunroof and opening windows and rear clears keeps you connected with the real world.

MECHANICAL AND HULL

- Twin IPS delivers even more servicing room

While Volvo Penta’s compact 5.5 litre six-cylinder diesels are mounted abreast in what would otherwise be the boat’s lazarette, the twin D11 10.8-litre engine installation puts the engines further forward, linking them to the pods with jack shafts. Still, you can easily trounce between the engines, find the sea strainers, check the fuel filters, look for leaks, and cast your eye over the generator.

Riviera has gone to some effort to keep the water out, using a double seal and deep gutter around the electric-lift cockpit sole. We trust this will ensure the engines remain dry even when the boat’s cockpit is used for serious game fishing. A new dorade engine vent and Delta T fans assist ventilation.

Thankfully there’s an internal servicing hatch under the aft-galley floor should you need to enter the engine room at sea. As we understand it, only the triple IPS 600 rig can be optioned with crew quarters for the European market.

As it was, there were a few machinery items such as the generator, air-con units, battery charger and so on dotted about the place. Such was the remaining room -- and near full headroom -- that custom storage options are possible.

The single 3500 litre fuel tank is forward, roughly on the fulcrum for the least effect on trim, with a sight gauge and twin Racor fuel filters per engine. We also noted twin blackwater tanks for greater holidaying ability, a separate grey-water tank for the showers up front, and low-maintenance batteries. The generator has its own start battery, too, something not always a given.

Riviera has made a conscious decision to tidy-up its engine room and cabinetry and covers now conceal all the wiring looms, batteries and suchlike. Cast your eye around and it’s all white, clean and non confronting. The boat also has a BEP can-bus switching system that includes preset modes such as night entertaining, day cruising, at dock, and so on. Flick a switch and you enter the relevant mode.

It’s also our considered view the 53 hull is the driest Riviera in the fleet. Designed in accord with Volvo Penta, the beamy hull rides high on the water, a trait we’re seeing with all IPS-powered boats. This high running attitude teamed with the high freeboard and flared topsides mean spray was noticeable by its absence.

Riviera assures us the boat remains dry even in adverse weather. For a boat long famous for its generous accommodation, that’s a real achievement. But in heavy weather, running on your flat aft sections isn’t so smart. You might need to call on trim tabs if the weight of an aftermarket tender on the bow doesn’t help glue it to the water. You want that forefoot working.

Another thing we didn’t miss is running noise. Whether in the flying bridge or saloon, the aft-mounted engines are amazingly quiet when cruising. We tested another 53 with shafts on the same day and the difference was noticeable. Polite conversation was 60dB and the triple-engine 53 generated 68dB at cruise, we’re told. But now everyone acknowledges the twin IPS 900 boat is even quieter and smoother.

ON THE WATER

- Twin IPS 900s are the ideal cruising combination

Power to weight ratio is key to the 53’s performance. Originally tipping the scales at just 22,300kg with triples, the 53 weighs an extra 600kg with twins but has oodles more torque. But the engines into gear and it now feels more responsive. The big Duoprops give a shaft-like feel, with greater purchase that will be appreciated running hard down sea. A shaft man, I was convinced.

While our test with the triple IPS 600s we saw 27-28kts top speed on the day -- Riviera says its a 30 knot boat -- but with the new twin IPS 900 it hits 30.7 knots with full 3500 litres of fuel and 750 litres of water. It gets there defiantly, powering out of the hole thanks to a steep torque curve and bigger props, and as Volvo Penta says you get 10 per cent better fuel economy at 19-25 knot cruise speeds.

The 53 with IPS 900s does 0.12-0.13 nautical miles to the litre or an average of 8 litres to the nautical mile. You will get a 400 nautical mile cruising range at 23.1 knots at 2000rpm, according to the supplied data. But the range drops only 40 nautical miles at 28.6 knots. So if seas allow…

Conversely, at hull speed of about 9.2 knots, the triple IPS 600s are a good 40 per cent more fuel efficient compared with the twin IPS 900s. But this isn’t a go-slow boat, right.

Either way, the 53 is an intuitive boat to command. That’s due to the Volvo Penta IPS system, with joystick and throttles, the great views of the ocean road ahead, and comfortable cruise speeds where, in the is IPS 900 set-up, the engines are ticking over at 1800-2100rpm instead of 2800 to 3300rpm with triple IPS 600s. I know what I prefer.

VERDICT

- $50 million in Riv 53s in a year says it all

The most exciting Riviera, accounting for 23 sales in a year, now has improved. But while the 53 breaks the well-worn mould, adopts the latest pod-driven engineering, and makes full use of the accommodation gains, this new twin IPS 900 set up puts forward an even more convincing argument yet to jump ship from your shaft-driven clunker and embrace the future.

Having now exited receivership, with new Australian ownership, new impetus drive and get up and go, Riviera is a good bet. The new twin IPS 900 boat we drove is now heading for Hamilton Island before eventually ranging back home to South Australia. Yep, the 53 is finally a serious cruising boat.

Specifications

Price as tested: About $1,928,728 with twin Volvo Penta IPS 900s and optional forward helm, cockpit joystick, Davco davit, teak-laid cockpit, transom barbecue, large swim platform, cabin AVs, dinette double berth, dishwasher, opening stateroom portlights, painted hull, awning, upholstery upgrade, carpet upgrade, galleyware kit, Raymarine electronics, and more.

Priced from: $1,754,600

LOA: 18.20m

Beam: 5.13m

Draft: 1.25m (max)

Weight: Around 23,200kg (dry w/standard twin IPS 900 engines)

Sleeping: 6+2+2

Fuel Capacity: 3500 litres

Water Capacity: 750 litres

Holding tanks: 273 litres

Grey water: 250 litres

Engines: Twin 700hp Volvo Penta D11 IPS 900 turbo-charged, fully electronic, six-cylinder common rail diesel engines with IPS II drives

Supplied by:

The Riviera Group,

50 Waterway Drive

Coomera, Qld, 4209

Phone (07) 5502 5555

See www.riviera.com.au.

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Riviera 53 Enclosed Flybridge

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