Riviera’s Belize 66 sedan locks in October reveal

Riviera Group’s classically styled Belize 66 has locked in an October 2018 debut, with the boatmaker confirming the retro-chic sedan will make an appearance at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show (USA).

Riviera chief executive Wes Moxley said the company would take a group of existing Belize 54 owners over to the US to see the boat revealed, with at least a couple of them expected to fall for the lines of the 66.

“It will be a stunning product,” Moxley hinted at last week’s Sydney International Boat Show.

The Belize 66 will use similar hull dynamics to the smaller 54, with builds taking place at Riviera Group’s Kha Shing boatmaking yard in Taiwan.

A daybridge version of the Belize 66 (pictured, above) is also planned. Up to nine different layout options are available.

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which kicks off from October 31, is one of the world’s premier motor yacht events.

The Belize 66 boasts a new level of customisation and bespoke options to cater for world markets — sedan or daybridge, three or four cabins, a large aft utility room or optional crew quarters, and various helm configurations.

Side bulwark doors, or transom gates from the teak-laid swim platform, grant access aboard. Three quarters of the platform is fully submersible to assist in tender launch and retrieval, while a smaller section remains fixed. The garage under the cockpit will hold a 3.30m tender.

The teak-laid cockpit features a dinette and L-shape seating and a barbecue either across the transom, transverse and further inboard, or on the bridge.

A watertight hatch is hidden under the cockpit lounge for access to a full head-height engine room that can include crew quarters, storage for water toys, or even a walk-in wardrobe off the master stateroom.

Back up top, walk-around decks lead forward to a sundeck with large sunken U-shape lounge and a central dinette table that converts to a daybed.

Lounge backrests are stored in lockers on either side and an insulated cold locker for drinks is forward. The entire area can be sheltered from the sun via a fold-up canopy.

The daybridge has bimini or hardtop options, internal stairs from the saloon, a wide dashboard and sports wheel. Lounges abound, with a timber dinette and food preparation space with barbecue, sink and fridge.

A signature awning window leads from the cockpit to the aft galley which features stone benchtops and European appliances. Free-standing furniture and bespoke fabrics and finishes allow for flexibility, while a pantograph door links back outdoors to the port walk-around deck to, among other things, assist docking.

In the daybridge model, the optional minimalist helm layout offers a single seat and room for a large L-shape lounge with a coffee table.

For sedan owners, and those boating in cool climates, a more expansive helm houses a central leather helm chair facing a sports wheel and expansive dashboard with navigation systems and controls.

In this lower helm set-up, guests are accommodated with a companion seat on the starboard side and a viewing lounge to port. Either way, a massive curved glass windscreen wraps around the helm for unfettered views.

The Belize 66 caters for family living, entertaining or comfortable couple cruising, with three or four cabins and the option of additional crew quarters with abundant storage and cedar-lined lockers.

The four-cabin configuration includes a guest stateroom forward with twin wardrobes and ensuite bathroom, bunk cabin to starboard, and twin cabin to port. The beds in this cabin can slide together to create a comfortable double bed.

The twin and bunk cabins share a bathroom and a stacked clothes washer and dryer are in a companionway cabinet forward of the bunk cabin.

The master stateroom amidships includes a bathroom on the starboard side and large twin wardrobes.

The three-cabin option provides what Belize calls the Grand Presidential suite amidships, with full-beam master stateroom and an ensuite with twin vanities and bidet option, and an optional walk-in wardrobe.

Power for the Belize 66 will come from the Volvo Penta IPS 30 pod drive system, delivering 30-plus knots and what Belize claims will be class-leading fuel economy. Features include Volvo Penta's Station Hold and joystick control for fingertip manoeuvrability.

SPECS
Model: Belize 66 sedan
Length overall: 20.7m
Waterline: 18.2m
Beam: 5.4m
Draft: 1.5m
Fuel capacity: 4500L
Water capacity: 700L
Holding tank: 500L
Sleeping capacity: Up to 10