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RivieRa 515094

The new RivieRa 515 SUv, wiTh iTS cRoSSoveR appeal and emphaSiS on eaSe of USe and acceSS, maRkS a leap inTo new TeRRiToRy foR

a mUch-loved aUSTRalian manUfacTUReR. Jeni Bone iS ThRilled by a yachT ThaT iS pRacTical, poweRfUl and exTRemely STyliSh. pleasure

boat

pleasure boat

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BEACH HOUSE LIVINGAbove left: The cockpit features an island storage centre, offering space for an optional additional barbecue and live bait tank with filter and glass front. There is also an optional integrated and interchangeable table. Above: The saloon has a pleasant beach house feel, and features natural timbers, an L-shaped lounge and hi-lo dining table. Right: The elevated helm’s padding around the display is deliberately designed to be similar to the dashboard on a sports car.

The new Riviera 515 SUV made her world debut at the Riviera Festival of Boating in May. It’s not just an innovation, a crossover to appeal to

Riviera stalwarts and aspirants alike, it also heralds a new era for the quintessential Australian boat brand. It’s the second new boat born of the collaboration between owner and chairman, Rodney Longhurst and CEO, Wes Moxey.

At 50 feet, it’s a compact, tidy boat, unintimidating for newcomers to boating and with plenty of the performance, space and novelties to interest old salts. The 515 is a big-cockpit boat with bluewater capabilities for the former-flybridge brigade who perhaps, because of age or a growing family, want the ease and single-level living of a sports yacht.

‘Euro styling’ is a catchphrase attached to this model, and the bold, confident lines of her profile and interior earn this tag. According to Moxey, the striking exterior profile of the 515 “is just the first indication that this is an entirely new style of Riviera”.

“From the moment you step on board you will sense this is a new approach from Riviera,” he announced during the festival, adding that six full-time design staff and a couple of contractors worked on this project. And it shows.

Designed in-house using Unigraphics 3D software, which allows designers to see the exact size, space and scale of every aspect of the boat on the computer long before a single piece of timber is cut for the plug work, the 515 SUV epitomises ingenuity.

This boat is loaded with details that will appeal to newcomers to the Riviera family, as well as current owners who might feel it’s time to move on to a boat more suited to their needs and those of their cross-generational clan.

“This is the ideal boat for flybridge people who might be getting older and don’t want to deal with stairs and ladders, as well as young families who want to enjoy the company of all their guests onboard,” says Stephen Milne, director of brand and communications at Riviera.

“It’s a very social boat – the spaces just flow through from cockpit to helm so everybody gets to mingle and talk with each other.”

The boarding platform is ideal for tender storage and there is the option for a hydraulic platform that can be fitted to the boat to accommodate a rigid bottom tender. Stainless steel rod racks, ladder and rails complete the picture.

Double-side transom doors allow access from both the port and starboard sides, plus there is a number of transom door options to suit cruising or sport fishing. The cockpit can only be described as a stage for fun. It’s massive. It boasts an island storage centre with space for an optional double barbecue or live bait tank with filter and glass front. There’s room for a table and seating for up to 12 people, and behind the cockpit lounge is a freezer and recycling bin for convenient access while entertaining. There are even toe kicks for the avid angler.

RivieRa 515096

There is an abundance of storage with a central self-draining moulded lazarette bin for fenders, ropes and other gear integrated into the cockpit floor.

Behind a panel under the cockpit awning window are the battery switches, ideal for immediate access, rather than having to head down to the engine room. Not that this is a challenge, since access to the engine room is via a nifty hatch in the step between cockpit and saloon, a partial opening that provides egress while still allowing thoroughfare above.

Down below, in addition to the full-height ceiling, the gelcoat finish and first-class engineering are testament to the 515’s incredible craftsmanship. It’s well lit and well ventilated. Again, this is all about making boating easy, and each system is labelled, within reach and at eye line.

Standard power on the 515 SUV is the new generation twin Cummins QSC Zeus

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600 pod drives that deliver improved fuel efficiency, faster cruise and top speeds with aft facing propellers and joystick control for close-quarters manoeuvring. With little effort at all, the 515 SUV tops 30 knots, with 22-24 knots cruising. At cruising speed, the 515 uses 160 litres per hour and delivers a range of 390 nautical miles with a 10 percent fuel reserve.

Hitting her straps at 30 knots, the ride is smooth, even without stabilisers. The skipper, Peter Welch, mid-way through a demonstration of the 515’s tight turning circle, says that boats under 60 feet don’t require seakeeping gyros, but Riviera offers them as an option. “People are well educated these days and gyros are much more affordable,” he says. “Some people want them for stability and seakeeping.”

There are two engine options available on the new 515 SUV. The standard engines are Volvo Penta IPS 800s 441kW (2 x 600hp), while the engine options are larger IPS 950s 533kW (2 x 725hp) or Cummins Zeus pod drives – 442kW (2 x 600hp).

“australian manufacturing is an incredibly potent and important brand value to riviera owners. they know how hard won that status is”

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SMOOTH RIDEThe Riviera 515 can

reach a top speed of 30 knots with a cruising

speed of 22-24 knots. Below: The master

stateroom has an ensuite and can be

located either forward or aft depending on

preference. Below right: Two well-appointed

bathrooms can be found below decks in a flexible

accommodation plan.

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In keeping with the user-friendly ethos, Riviera offers owners basic training through their dealer network, as well as 24/7 assistance. Fortunately for many boaters, a lot of this model’s systems are computerised.

The highly sophisticated C-Zone control system means that like your home, your Riviera can operate on smart functions depending on whether you’re underway, at the marina entertaining, preparing to switch off for the night or leave your boat unattended.

Side deck access has been enhanced with grab rail and optional extended bow rail. This boat also features an impressive commercial air intake system designed to keep the engine room cooler, thus reducing fuel consumption.

On the bow, sunpads and a smooth surface make this yet another area for socialising and enjoying the distinct ‘Riviera lifestyle’, which the manufacturer promotes, and indeed embodies with all sincerity under Rodney Longhurst. At just 48, and dad to three small boys, Longhurst has made a lifetime commitment to driving and developing Riviera.

“There are no plans to build offshore,” Milne states categorically. “Australian manufacturing is an incredibly potent and important brand value to Riviera owners, many of whom are also small business owners or involved in manufacturing. They know how hard won that status is.”

The cockpit flows into the saloon. Characterised by natural timbers in American oak, teak and wenge on the stairs, offset by taupe and beige leather and vinyl, the feel is pure beach house – inviting and easy to maintain come sand, seawater or Sémillon.

Spacious and bright, the saloon features an L-shaped lounge to port with a hi-lo dining table which folds and lowers into a coffee table.

Adjacent to the dining area is a three-seater settee, which has a middle seat base that can slide out as an ottoman and form additional seating around the main dining table. An optional

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RivieRa 515100

MODEL 515 SUV

BUILDER Riviera

yEAR OF BUILD 2014

COUNTRy OF BUILD Australia

DESIgNER Riviera design team

NAVAL ARCHITECT Riviera design team in collaboration with Volvo Penta

INTERIOR DESIgNER Riviera design team

DESIgNER Riviera design team

LENgTH OVERALL 17.24 metres

WATERLINE LENgTH 16.15 metres

BEAM 5.01 metres

DRAFT 1.18 metres

DISPLACEMENT 26 tonnes (at full load)

HULL CONSTRUCTION Fibreglass

ENgINE Twin Volvo IPS 800 diesel (480kw/626hp)

OUTPUT 480kw/626hp

PROPELLERS Volvo Penta P3

DRIVE TRAIN Volvo IPS

gEAR BOx Volvo Penta IPS

SPEED MAx 31.5 knots

SPEED CRUISE 24.5 knots

RANgE 355 NM @ 24kts (cruising speed)

FUEL CAPACITy 3,000 litres

FRESHWATER CAPACITy 750 litres

BLACkWATER CAPACITy 750 litres

gREyWATER CAPACITy 400 litres

gENERATORS Onan EQD 13.5kV

gEN-SET SIZE 13.5 kVa

NAVIgATION ELECTRONICS Raymarine 2 x gS 165 display, Raymarine RS 130 gPS

DEPTH SOUNDER Raymarine CP 450 Sounder, B265 Transducer,

Raymarine CP 100 Sounder with CPT120 Transducer

RADIOS Raymarine

COMMUNICATIONS Raymarine

ENTERTAINMENT Fusion

gALLEy APPLIANCES Miele (Optional)

OWNER & gUEST BERTHS Full-beam Master, forward VIP, 2 singles starboard

MAx PEOPLE ON BOARD 15

PAINT Iridium hull stripe

PRICE AS TESTED AU$1,595,486.00

smaller dining table can be fitted, which lifts out from the settee and sits between the two remaining seats to form a workspace or additional seating for guests.

Forward of the settee is the TV and Fusion sound system stored beneath the dash on the starboard side. The TV is visible from all vantage points aboard.

Feedback suggested Riviera owners place a high priority on mingling, preferring to barbecue off the back or enjoy their freshly caught fish in a wok, rather than slave in front of an oven. So, there is none of the usual kitchen clutter to spoil the views or the mood.

The simple U-shaped galley features an awning window direct to the cockpit area. In the headlining above the galley there is a rod locker complete with clips for rods and reels, catering to anglers and entertainers. The overhead cupboards are finished with two-pack to offset the satin-finish American oak timber cabinetry.

In the elevated helm there’s space for two 16-inch display screens, as well as a steering wheel positioned just off centre and two Navigator low-back helm chairs. The padding around the helm display looks for all the world like the carbon fibre on a sports car dash, a detail that Longhurst spent many days designing.

“We want people to come on board and feel like they could drive this,” explains Milne, adding that a joystick control in the cockpit adds to ease of operation.

Wrap-around windows providing 360-degree views are amplified by Webasto sunroofs above the saloon, which open the hardtop with the push of a button. Webasto is a Dutch brand that has been around since 1901 and that in 1956, pioneered the first steel sunroof for Daimler-Benz, so needless to say, these sunroofs are slick and seamless. you can be cocooned and cosy, or open to the elements: the choice is yours.

Below decks is a flexible accommodation plan featuring three generously sized cabins and two bathrooms. The master cabin can be located either forward or aft and has an ensuite bathroom in both optional layouts, allowing owners to have a hand in customising their boat to suit their preferences. If they choose the master aft, the bathroom door can be moved back to convert it to a private ensuite.

The two aft cabins boast full-height headroom. Large hull windows with opening portholes on both sides ensure a flow of fresh air and natural light. Optional hull port lights are available for the forward stateroom.

The twin room is no afterthought wedged under a staircase. It’s broad and roomy and would suit adults as easily as grandkids. A Miele washer-dryer is set in a cavity below the stairs, along with other clever storage spaces, with room enough to mount TV screens.

Cupboards are all fragrantly cedar-lined to prevent mould and deter silverfish, and the mini-Dyson vacuum concealed within is ideal for zipping around cabins.

For interiors and accessories, owners have access to the Riviera Experience Centre where they can choose from dozens of fabric collections, or thousands of custom interior options from various suppliers.

“We are anticipating a great reception for the Riviera 515 SUV at the Sydney International Boat Show,” says Milne. “We foresee strong sales. People now seem more confident following the initial reaction to the Budget. They had their lives on hold during the gFC and now they’re ready to emerge and follow the sun again, as it were. And from the response at the Riviera Festival of Boating, we have really achieved something special with the 515 SUV.” www.rivieraaustralia.com