Riva 54 Metri Yacht Keeps Carlo Riva’s Dream Going

The late Carlo Riva, who grew his family’s boatbuilding business into an internationally renowned brand, long yearned for a superyacht to bear the Riva name. The Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard splashed the newest Riva honoring that wish, the first hull in the Riva 54 Metri yacht series.

At a celebration yesterday at the yard in Ancona, Italy, turquoise confetti burst in the air before the yacht lowered into the water. Alberto Galassi, Ferretti Group’s CEO, spoke of how “the new wonder of the sea” results from the ongoing collaboration with the Officina Italiana Design studio. Simultaneously, he noted that she “so magnificently celebrates the visionary genius of Carlo Riva and his megayacht project of the 1960s and 1970s.” In those decades, Carlo Riva designed a few megayachts for Northern European shipyards.

Construction on this first hull began in 2023, for a Kuwait-based owner. At nearly 180 feet (55 meters), the Riva 54 Metri yacht is the largest launch from Riva to date. Despite her length and four-deck stance, though, she still keeps volume under 500 gross tons.

Like her much smaller sisters, the Riva 54 Metri yacht has expansive alfresco areas. In fact, nearly 3,983 square feet (370 square meters) of deck spaces is for lounging, sunning, dining, and more. The beach area immediately catches your eye, especially because of the 16-foot-long (5-meter-long) pool. Sunpads flank it, too, mere feet from the transformer swim platform. The rest of the beach area is just as inviting. In fact, it serves as an ideal welcome area for guests boarding from tenders or a dock. A few steps up from the pool, guests can get a cool drink from the bar and then relax on adjacent settees and chairs. This already-open-air zone becomes even more open thanks to fold-down bulwarks.

When guests want a little more privacy, the megayacht has a lounge on the foredeck. Two big settees encourage good conversations and catching a little sun. Notably, they also conceal some of the yacht’s gear. Including the launching and retrieval mechanisms for the watertoys.

Inside, Officina Italiana Design has fashioned sophisticated spaces for the owner and his guests. Ten passengers, taken care of by a crew of 11, have accommodations on the lower deck and main deck. Materials such as Sahara Noir marble and Bianco Rhino marble are prominent. Additionally, and in keeping with quintessential Riva style, natural teak paneling and leather accents appear.

Final fit-out and sea trials are set for the next several weeks. Riva hasn’t disclosed expected speeds.

Officina Italiana Design italianadesign.it

Riva riva-yacht.com