Riva launched 56 Rivale, a 17-meter express cruiser which debuted along with another product from an historical brand sharing the same values: Abarth 695 Rivale Limited Edition.
When the first Rivale was launched over ten years ago (it was the 52, 16 m long), the market imperative was the boat with hardtop. But even without neglecting that type of boat, Riva resumed the concept of big express cruisers, and made it their way: with a boat that broke the classical scheme of the super-sporty open boat, going in favor of a much more sought-after and exclusive design.
I surely think that, as Riva continued to develop this segment in even larger models such as 63 Virtus, 76 Bahamas and 88 Florida, the Rivale project was the “father” or at least the seed which gave birth to the modern open range of the Riva shipyard.
Today, Rivale comes back in style with a brand-new model, Rivale 56, which, just like the original, is assigned the task of exalting the great engineering and stylistic uniqueness that have kept the Riva legend always on top.
A boat packed with technology,
with stunning design
and profound values
At the heart of the project there is as usual Officina Italiana Design, with designer Mauro Micheli and CEO Sergio Beretta, and the Engineering Department of Ferretti Group. But this time there is a third party, indeed another immortal icon in this case of the automotive sporting world. We are talking of Abarth, the historic brand that with their exclusive tuning, based on a combination of craftsmanship, engineering and sporting spirit, has created legendary and unique cars. Today, seeing these values in Riva brand, Abarth “married” the 56 Rivale, creating a special limited edition of the Abarth 695, conveniently named Rivale, which debuted right along with the boat. It will only be produced in 175 units in the closed version and 175 in the cabriolet variant. Why 175? Because 175 is the years of Riva shipyard, claiming their foundation back to 1842.
On board Riva 56 Rivale
It is useless to get into stylistic descriptions, just look at the pictures to understand what we are talking about and have your opinion. But I want to point out some of the design aspects, particularly the very large exterior areas that call for social life while leaving well-defined spaces between the sundeck area, the dinette in the cockpit and an L-shaped sofa to bow beside the helm station. Equally well-defined are the walking areas and the two side passageways that lead from the cockpit to the swim platform. Which is perhaps a little too small, probably dictated by styling needs. In any case it is quite enjoyable as it can dive underwater.
In terms of proportions, to get such a large cockpit, you have to give up something somewhere: so the designers decided to reduce the fore deck, which however does not remain sacrificed. What’s really missing is the guard rail, so passengers only have the frame of the windscreen, which is too low for a comfortable and safe use. Of course the hand rail would have hindered, if not killed, the sinuous profile of the boat.
Inside, the elegance is typical of Riva: very refined and with a “minimal” inspiration. Polished mahogany, contrasted with very light fabrics, gives aesthetic significance to all areas.
The lower deck of 56 Rivale is organized into three cabins. In order to give more space to the master room, the dinette amidships has been slightly reduced, still without making it too small.
What about performance?
56 Rivale is offered with two Man 1000 HP engines, and an optional twin Man delivering 1200. In the first case, the shipyard declares a cruising speed of 31 knots and a top of 35, while with the more powerful engines these values rise to 34 and 38 knots respectively.
Another option is Seakeeper stabilizers that make cruising and anchoring even more comfortable.
The numbers of Riva 56 Rivale
- Length overall 17.27 m (56ft 8in)
- Length LH 17.16 m (56ft 3in)
- Length waterline 13.99 m (45ft 10in)
- Beam 4.74 m (15ft 6in)
- Full load draft 1.45 m (4ft 9in)
- Dry displacement 27.000 Kg
- Full load displacement 31.000 Kg
- Standard engines EB Man 2×1000 HP
- Optional engines EB Man 2×1200 HP Fuel reserve 2.700 l (713 US gal)
- Fresh water reserve 400 l (105 US gal)
- Passengers 10
- CE design category A
