I went to Naples for a test, and I found sun, calm sea and 25° Celsius. Looking for the bright side, it’s been the best way to appreciate the livability of Rio Sport Coupé 56.
The opening hard top and the retractable door can indeed convert this coupe almost into a pure open, and even with the roof closed you can still enjoy the pleasure of light, thanks to the transparent top. The interiors are available in different layout solutions, including the chance of a crew cabin.
Straight to the helm
But, with the helm wheel in my hands, I immediately go for the sea trial of Rio Sport Coupé 56.
The test conditions mimic a real cruise: 8 passengers, 38% fuel, and full water tank. We even have a dirty hull, as the test boat has a private owner and we got it straight after a full season of navigation.
We idle at 600 rpm, 7 knots, burning 10 liters per hour in total. Once out of the harbor, we slowly accelerate to find the minimum planing speed at 14 knots (1300 rpm) with a fuel consumption of 82 lph.
The vibrations that we heard during the acceleration go away once at cruising pace, which we deem being 24 knots at 2400 revs and 94 liter/hour per engine. At this speed, our navigation is pleasant indeed, so much so that we close the aft door and relax ourselves in some chatting.
Turning stability is good, and the boat manages not to lose too many rpm while maintaining a good angle. Pushing the throttle all the way down we reach 33 knots, with a total consumption of 308 liters per hour. In order to check the seaworthiness, we take advantage of the wakes created by other boats. The impact is good, but the hull slams sometimes when crossing these short waves at high speed. Unfortunately, the calm sea can’t return us a deeper feedback. Even during acceleration we reckon the same phenomenon, so much so that I believe that the builder is going to tune axles and propellers. As a last test, we start from still and push WOT: we get into plane in 14.6 seconds.
The swim platform features horizontal, rather than vertical teak elements: this has become a Rio Yachts trademark, although they’re not the only ones. Our boat’s cockpit is accessible only on the starboard side, as the owner wanted an extra-sized garage for a larger tender.
The stern cockpit is formed by a C-shaped sofa with a non-removable central table. I would have preferred an hydraulic table to extend the sun-bathing surface, but the relaxation area is actually large enough since the backseat can tilt down and adds to the solarium creating a space where three people can lay down at once. Above us, the hart top overhang hides a manual awning, which can protect the entire area, while the passageway is wide enough and leads to the second solarium on the foredeck.
The core asset of this boat, however, is the interiors. First of all, the sliding hard top allows an unbelievable amount of air and returns the feeling expected on an open boat.
To port, the dinette sports a sofa that runs along the whole side and an expandable table. To starboard, there’s several cabinets for stowing objects and the TV.
The console (with two independent seats) is not built on a fiberglass base, but rather on steel mounts: a smart solution, as it provides more space and brightness to the galley below. The dashboard features two Garmin screens to monitor navigation and show the images coming from the cameras. On the horizontal part a rectangular display gives all the information related to the two 800 hp MAN engines.
Going down the companionway we are surprised by a remarkable first glance: the galley to starboard is separated from the living room on the main deck, but the mentioned ”suspended” console and the long windscreen allow plenty of light and ventilation, making for a really cool layout. The home-like refrigerator and the oven, are to port, separated by the owner’s cabin door.
Inside the latter there’s a double bed and two small courtesy settees with a glass table. Amazing side windows provide light and offer a marvelous sea view, which will make you get upset at your neighbor when you’re docked in the harbor beside other boats. The master bathroom has a separate shower cabin and sports a black marble effect which is present in the other heads as well.
Rio Sport Coupé 56, a boat to “uncover”
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Before the master room, the guest cabin has twin berths, while the VIP one featuring a queen is located to bow, and the mentioned second bathroom, again with separate shower, is on the starboard side of corridor.
Coming to a conclusion…I would recommend this yacht to boaters who like to relax on board and who frequently host friends on daily trips. The ability to exploit the space is what impressed me most of this Rio Sport Coupe 56, as it’s capable to fulfill almost any need by simply changing the layout, in seconds.
Even on a charter point of view, it can be the right purchase, since eight people (as in our test) can comfortably share the area below the hard top. For real cruises, on the other hand, I deem six the ideal number of guests, so that everyone can have their own space in the cabins. A few minor flaws – in particular the hull vibrations in acceleration – could stop somebody, but as mentioned I think that some further modification will be made to adjust the transmissions once the boat is hauled.
(test by Carlo Luongo)
The numbers of Rio Sport Coupé 56
- Length overall …………… 17.55 m
- Beam …………… 4.65 m
- Draft …………… 0.76 m
- Dry displacement …………… 25.000 kg
- Fuel reserve …………… 2.250 l
- Grey water tank …………… 380 l
- Fresh water reserve …………… 740 l
- Passengers …………… 16
- Engines …………… 2×800 hp Man
- CE design category …………… B
Performance
- rpm knots mph lph nm/l range (20% reserve)
- 600 7,4 8,5 10 0,74 1332
- 800 9,8 11,3 22 0,45 802
- 1000 11,0 12,7 38 0,29 521
- 1200 12,7 14,6 76 0,17 301
- 1400 15,5 17,8 112 0,14 249
- 1600 20,3 23,4 152 0,13 240
- 1800 24,2 27,9 188 0,13 232
- 2000 26,6 30,6 250 0,11 192
- 2200 32,5 37,4 306 0,11 191
- 2250 33,3 38,3 308 0,11 195
Test conditions
Calm sea, 8 passengers, soiled hull, fuel 855 l, fresh water 740 l
Indicative price (VAT not included)
€ 1.240.000 with standard features and two Man I6-800 engines
