At Riva, coupé has always been synonym with sporty and yet stylish yachts, bound to immediately become cults - the heirs and the continuators of a history of success. The new 76’ Perseo, the latest heir of this tradition, is now making its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2015. This coupé yacht has been conceived preserving the family feeling with the other models in the brand’s sporty range, and deservedly joins other true masterpieces in Riva’s recent production, including the Ego Super and the Domino Super.
“I always feel a deep pride and sense of responsibility when a new Riva yacht comes to life.
The Riva 76’ Perseo has inherited the brand's 173-year-long history and 'poured' it into a product that is the state of the art from any and all points of view” - comments Ferretti Group’s CEO, Mr Alberto Galassi.
“We have been through the challenging and fantastic experience of creating something extraordinary, that we can’t wait to present, starting from the Cannes boat show, to all our customers and the lovers of the myth of worldwide yachting.”
Riva 76’ Perseo stems from the cooperation between Mauro Micheli, the co-founder with Sergio Beretta of Officina Italiana Design (the firm that exclusively designs the entire Riva range), and Ferretti Group’s Engineering Department. It has an overall length of 22.98 meters (75.5 feet) and a beam of 5.75 meters (18.10 feet).
This yacht immediately strikes the eye for its sporty features and elegance, further enhanced by its colour shades. The first hull, which has already been sold and will cruise the Japanese seas, boasts the well-known Moon Grey metal silver - which is the dominating color on the boat and is found both in the hull and in most of the superstructure - combined with Riva’s classical Bright Black, which has been skilfully used to better define the sporty, stylish shapes and volumes designed by OID.
The yacht’s sporty look is further highlighted by the over 40 square meters of glazed surfaces:
- the large hull glazing, on both sides, is outlined by two elliptical surfaces, ideally connected by the Riva logo, in polished stainless steel, one of the brand’s distinctive and traditional materials;
- the side glazing on the main deck, in turn, is ideally ‘cut through’ by a handrail installed along the edge of the superstructure, which makes the yacht’s profile even more slender, extends the overall size of the glazing in the main salon, and ensures even more safety along the outdoor passageways;
- the wide windshield, supported by a central stanchion, has the largest possible size, in order to offer the captain the widest and most thorough visibility.
The lowered gunwale near the side glazing ensures a magnificent view from the salon and makes the yacht look even lighter. The lowering of the gunwale by no means reduces safety along the outdoor passageway, as the gunwale is covered by a thin fibreglass layer painted in Bright Black - a part that, being in contrast with the glazing, is however, de facto, invisible in the perceived profile of the yacht. The spacious sun deck perfectly harmonizes with the yacht’s aerodynamic lines and ensures the utmost privacy and relaxation, besides allowing the opportunity to pilot the craft from a privileged position.
AFT AREA AND COCKPIT
The aft area has been conceived to ensure comfort for the guests and user-friendliness for the crew. The swimming platform slides down into the sea to be almost entirely submerged and turn into an underwater area where guests can relax and which can be used as a safe platform to come out of the water. To portside, a built-in staircase makes stepping back onboard from the water much easier. Once the garage door has been opened and the swimming platform lowered, launching and hauling the tender (up to 3.25 metres long) becomes really fast and easy. Upon request, a second water toy may be stored on the swimming platform, which will thus also be used for launching operations.
Access to the cockpit from the transom is via two convenient built-in side staircases finished in natural teak; from the quay, access onboard is made possible by the starboard electrical-hydraulic gangway. The cockpit area is fitted with an aft sofa that, upon request, can be turned into a large sunbathing area by adding a fibreglass fixed extension. In this area are also located some roomy storage compartments. Starboard, towards the bow, near the large up-and-over window, stand the dining table and an L-shaped sofa, inside which the life rafts are stored. On the left, under the staircase leading to the sun deck, is the accessway to the crew cabin. A small storage compartment left of the staircase contains the additional manoeuvring station.
All mooring equipment is concealed - a solution aimed at preserving the yacht’s elegant lines without reducing the simplicity of technical manoeuvres and while maximizing the ergonomic features, especially in the aft area. The traditional mooring compartment doors have been replaced by polished stainless steel fixed grids, under which are all bitts and winches. The engine air intakes, on the hull bulwarks, are also protected by polished stainless steel milled grids in Riva’s traditional style. The aft access gates add yet another stylish touch: they are no longer classical stainless steel structures, but come in the same shade as the hull and are flawlessly connected to, and almost perfectly concealed in, the central structure. This solution is a tribute to some iconic Riva models from the 1990s.
MAIN DECK INTERIORS
A large, almost six-square-meter, open space flooded by natural light welcomes guests onboard the 76’ Perseo. Walking past the sliding glazed door that, together with the up-and-over window, ensures perfect continuity between the interiors and the cockpit, a furniture unit can be found on the port side and extends up to halfway through the salon. This area showcases the TV, featuring an electric lifting system, and the audio & video appliances. Further, near the lowered section of the gunwale, is the dining area seating eight people, with an L-shaped sofa, a glass table and four more chairs by Poltrona Frau. On the starboard side, the salon features a large living area with a coffee table and a large sofa embellished by stylish Armani Casa by Rubelli cushions. The living area softly unravels forward into the pilot station area, furnished with two seats - one for the captain and one for the co-pilot.
LOWER DECK
The night area, below deck, is over 11.50 meters long. Most of it has been reserved for the Owner, who has available a full-beam suite that is worth of larger yachts. The 76’ Perseo features 3 cabins with private head.
The lobby is the place where onboard circulation flows are managed. From it, access can be gained to the master stateroom, located amidships , by taking two more steps down, towards the stern. Besides the bed, which faces forward, is a relaxation area furnished with a sofa, to portside, while on the starboard side are a cabinet with desk/vanity set running along the entire length of the glazing, which is arranged symmetrically on both bulwarks. On the left, forward of the relaxation area, is the walk-in wardrobe. The entrance lobby also leads to the head, divided into three sections including sanitary fittings, which are found towards the central part of the boat; the cabinet with twin washbasins are towards the bulwark, in front of the glazing; and the shower box is located forward.
Going down the stairs from the main deck, the galley can be reached, on the right-hand side. It is separated from the other rooms by a sliding door and is fitted with household appliances, a worktop, and the cooking top and the sink, which are arranged in an L-shape along the bulwark and towards the stern. Walking forward, a ceiling-high storage room hosts the washing machine and, upon request, a tumble drier, while on the starboard side access can be gained to the guest cabin, featuring single beds and an independent access to the head. The latter, if accessed from the lobby, can also be used as a day toilet. The VIP cabin, furnished with a double wardrobe and featuring an ensuite bathroom with separate shower, has been arranged at the extreme bow.
Great care, as usual, has been devoted to soundproofing the cabins. Furthermore all walls forward and aft of the master stateroom feature an additional insulation, ensuring maximum comfort and dampening the sounds coming from other areas and the galley. The fuel tank, installed crosswise between the Owner area and the crew quarters, ensures additional soundproofing. The sailor’s cabin, reachable from the cockpit and allowing for direct access to the engine room, develops crosswise and includes a sanitary fittings/toilet/shower area and a night area with two bunk beds on the starboard side.
SUN DECK
The sun deck is surrounded, aft and laterally, by a Bright Black handrail. In the center is a seat facing forwards, seating three people. A large sunpad can be found behind it. Another Moon Grey handrail with cushions serves as a backrest for the C-shaped sofa located in the forward area. Two large peaks can be found at the end of this seat. Upon request, a concealing pilot station can be installed in the right peak, where a person can sit when cruising, after sliding the central seat towards the bulwark. In order to preserve the flawless aerodynamic profile of the yacht even when it is moored in marinas, the glass and polished stainless steel hatch dividing the sun deck from the cockpit can slide and be concealed under the sunpads.
FORE OUTDOOR AREA
The fore area is characterized by a wide lounge. A large sofa facing forward is located on the deckhouse, and can be sheltered by a small soft top and two large storage containers on the sides. A wide sunpad, located at the bow, completes this private relaxation area. Also in the forward area, the mooring equipment compartment is on a lower level, built-in, in the deck floor and hidden by a hatch. This solutions allows to group together and hide all technical components and equipment, while removing any possible obstacles from the walking surface and combining safety and comfort.
INTERIOR DÉCOR
The new coupé is extremely sophisticated, and perfectly embodies the idea of ‘simple complexity’ that characterizes every single Riva yacht. Officina Italiana Design has worked with the architects and designers of Ferretti Group’s ‘Interior & Décor’ team to conceive original furnishing solutions, combining the brand’s traditional materials - wood, lacquered surfaces, leather, and stainless steels - with mirroring surfaces and marble. At the same time, the interior colour matching creates soft, pleasant contrasts between light and darker shades, the final goal being to convey a sense of warmth and cosiness.
The interiors are dominated by teak, combined with the steel of furniture edges and several obsidian-shade lacquered surfaces, such as the frames of the glazing on the main deck and in the guest cabins. The mirror-effect laminate used for the bed bases is quite unique. LED lighting can be found throughout the yacht, including the by-now typical LED ceiling panels. All indoor floors, except in the heads, are carpeted - a warm shade of grey melange with a jute base. Heads floor, in turn, are in a precious French marble.
The cabins, all featuring similar décor elements, are pervaded by skilful material and colour combinations. The TV set, for example, seems to be ‘floating' flush with a series of mirrors that line the wall where it has been installed, thereby minimizing its aesthetic impact. The wardrobe doors are mirroring too. Stylish dark lacquered inserts harmoniously match with leather in the bed band, which is in the same colour. The caramel-shade headboard, conversely, contrasts with leather and the lacquered surfaces, making the atmosphere even warmer and harmoniously blending with teak. The bedspreads and the cushions are all by Armani Casa by Rubelli. The wall lamps by Viabizzuno provide a convenient courtesy and reading light, in addition to the LEDs that frame the mirror above the beds. The three heads also boast innovative features, thanks to the charming Port Saint Laurent dark marble with golden inserts used for the furniture tops, the washbasins, and all floors, except in the showers.
ENGINES AND PERFORMANCE
The new coupé ensures excellent performance, in line with all the other successful models in the brand’s sporty range. The Riva 76’ Perseo comes with two V-drive MAN V12, 1,550 MHP engines, which allow it to reach a maximum speed of 33 knots and a cruising speed of 29 knots. The Owner can also choose more powerful engines, i.e. two MAN V12, 1.800 MHP each, that will push the yacht to a maximum speed of 37 knots and a cruising speed of 32 knots.