Builder Riva Yachts

History of the company

The Riva shipyard was founded in 1842 on Lake Iseo. A young boat repairman, Pietro Riva, had just moved to Sarnico. A big storm that year on the lake almost destroyed the fishing fleet and Riva repaired many of the damaged boats, quickly earning the trust of the locals. Soon Pietro himself started building boats, then he was succeeded by his son Ernesto Riva. Under him, the Riva boats were equipped with engines. After the First World War, Serafino Riva turned the Riva from a vehicle into a sport and leisure boat. In the 1920s and 30s the Riva collected many records with its racing boats.

The 1950s were the years of Carlo Riva, and the brand became synonymous with elegance and status.

Redwood varnished Scoiattolo, Ariston heated up the market. Then there was the twin-engined Tritone, the Sebino series, and then Florida. In November 1962, the main myth of Riva was born - Aquarama, equipped with two Chris-Craft 185 hp engines. With its luxurious exterior, it accelerates to 40 knots, becoming a symbol of Riva par excellence, a «brand inside the brand». In just a few years, Riva flooded the Cote d'Azur, displacing its competitors.

In 1969, the first fiberglass Riva Bahia Mar 20 and Sport Fisherman 25 appeared. The models were finished with wood. Despite the success with the composite, the production of wooden Riva continued until 1996 (models St. Tropez, Superamerica).

In 1969 Carlo Riva sold the shipyard to the American Whittaker and stayed in the position of shipyard director for 2 more years. The last family member in management was Gino Gervasoni, who left the shipyard in 1989. That's when the shipyard moved to the Vickers group and later joined the Vickers group Ferretti Group.

Status .

Since the 2000s, part of the Ferretti Group.

Production

The historical production facility with an area of 36 thousand square meters is located on Lake Iseo. The second building base of 60 thousand square meters is located in La Spezia.

Features

Riva is a true boating legend and a synonym for style in yachting and is on such a level that even the sailing public, who refer to motor yachts as "soapboxes" can appreciate the lines of Riva's classic boats. However, now it is mostly true of the «old Riva», the rarest of which have become auction jewels. Although tradition and heritage are treated with great care at Riva, the yachting world still distinguishes between Riva and Ferretti Riva.