Riva Yachts, icon of italian design

The shipyard or Riva was established in 1842 in the Iseo lake, in Sarnico, Itlay. It was a sudden and devastating storm, which made irreparable damages to the local fishermen ships, what convinced a young ship-owner and artisan who had already moved from Laglio, near Como, to perform a feat and to repair a large part of the boats, wining the trust of local people.

This was the beggining of Riva’s legend, and a man, Pietro Riva, who immediately, after moving to Sarnico, became the owner of his own destiny.

This was the place were the first boat signed by Riva took place, immediately they highlighted because of their unique style and personlity. Riva suddenly gained respect and recognitions; also the shipyard grew thanks to Ernesto Riva’s vision, who succeeded his father Pietro and introduced internal combustion engine in Riva boats. Thus began the times of cargo and passengers boats which operated in Como Lake.

After de First World War, Serafino Riva gave the final push and returned to the shipyard artisan manufacture, giving the step that changed Riva’s history: he took the production of transportation boats to power boating, that at that moment was arising. Between the years 1920 and the decade of 1930’s, Riva, thanks to his racing yachts, collected a huge amount of victories and records in national and international competitions.

The 1950’s decade were Carlo Riva’s years. Since he was a kid, he never knew the limits  of his passion for boats and the family business. At that time, Riva had become everywhere the synonym of elegance, state and perfection.

Riva Aquarama

riva 2

In the 60’s, with Carlo Riva in the top, the company launched the Aquarama model. This model became the italian ”Dolce Vita” icon, main character of the French riviera and italian summers. A luxury available for a few. Riva Aquarama’s success was immediate. Its beauty, velocity (50 knots in some versions) and its careful handcrafted production turned this boat in the Ferrari of the sea.

The Riva Aquarama – fabricated between 1962 and 1972 – were very exclusive (just 281 produced), very expensive and incredibly sexys. They were very fast boats thanks to their lightweight configuration and two engines, normally Chrysler or Cadillac with maritime adaptations and combination power between 185 and 400 CV. Enough for these boats with five seats and incorporated deck ideal for sunbathing, to reach a speed of 40 knots, equivalent to 75 km/h.

Aquarama Lamborghini. Two engines V12 and very classy

It was ordered by a special order to Riva by Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1968. Instead of the American engines, Lamborghini wanted a power out of all the records. What better engines than two 4.0 V12 engines of the Lamborghini 350 GT, first sport car of the brand? A wooden powerboat, with beautiful curves and 24 Italian cylinders looked like a dream come true. Each one of this terrific V12 with six double body carburetors reached 350 CV.

The engines were modified for its maritime use, with a big race and a range of performance between 5.000 and 7.000 rpm. After Ferruccio’s death, the boat ended up in a storage, covered with a canvas. It was rediscovered a few years ago and it has been submitted to a long restoration period. Each piece was dismantled, they obtained other engines and they have returned it to the original state. Is the fastest Aquarama in the world, reaching 48 knots (90 km/h).

The engines have 340 CV each of them, they are adaptations of the originals V12 of Lamborghini 350 GT. To adapt them to a boat, they have needed and received help from the Lamborghini museum. An engine rotates to the left, and the other one to the right. An ex Lamborghini engineer helped them before dying, Bob Wallace.

Production

Its production lasts until 1996 with many variations and models:

Aquarama: 281 boats made from 1960 until 1972.

Aquarama Lungo: 7 boats made in 1972.

Super aquarama: 203 : 281 boats made from 1960 until 1970.

Aquarama Special: 277 boats between 1972 and 1996.

Riva today

Riva Yachts, with Grupo Ferretti’s support, continues the saga with a range of boats Open and Coupe, those counts with 27 feet of its smallest model (Iseo) to 122 feet of their biggest one (Mythos).

With a strange beauty and elegance, Riva Yachts has been a synonymous of smartness and simple elegance. What it really stands out in all Riva yachts, Open, with Flybridge (high bridge) or Coupe, are the indoors, maximum expression of the Italian artisan ability, that makes Riva a luxury brand immediately recognizable.

Its Open, Aquariva Super, is the heir of the well known Aquarama of the 60’s and 70’s. With a length of 33 feets (1,8 meters) and a beam of 9 feets (2,8 meters), it counts on a capacity for 8 persons with an inside cabin and a bathroom. The difference between its predecessor is that the Aquariva comes with a V8 engine of 370 CV power that reaches a 41,5 knots speed (76,8 km/h) and a cruising speed of 36 knots (66,7 km/h). It has an operating range (with cruising speed) of 150 nautical miles (279 kms).

A luxury affordable for a few

Some originals Riva Aquaramas can still be found, but you will have to shell out between 300.000$ and 500.000$ (if you are lucky and you can find some of this original jewels) and an additional amount to leave it in an acceptable condition to revive its golden ages.

An Aquariva Super is not cheap, its price ranges from 500.000€ to 600.000€ depending on the options.