The 56' Rivale Super is the updated version of Riva's 17-metre open, the 56' Rivale. She made her world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival and went on to the Genoa International Boat Show. The yard describes her as a thorough restyling that keeps the bold character of the original while giving her a more balanced, more contemporary look. The aim was to reinterpret the sportiness, elegance and closeness to the water that define the brand in a present-day idiom.
She is drawn by Officina Italiana Design, the studio founded by Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta, which has designed every Riva for more than thirty years. The project was developed together with Ferretti Group's Strategic Product Committee and Engineering Department.
What has changed?
The most visible change is around the windscreen. The deck profile has been redrawn there, and its new counter-curve makes the silhouette look sleeker and more up to date. The side grilles are now finished in the hull colour, so the surfaces read as one and the lines look cleaner.
The cockpit has had a series of ergonomic improvements, which the yard says add comfort and make her easier to use. The model page does not, however, set out the changes one by one. At 17.27 metres (56 ft 8 in) overall and 4.74 metres (15 ft 7 in) in beam, she remains, as the name suggests, a 56-footer.
The Rivale layout
When Riva launched the original 56' Rivale, it described the core layout as follows. A large sunpad sits aft, with the mooring gear housed in compartments under stainless-steel lids. Behind the helm, a unit along the bulwark holds a fridge, ice-maker, grill, sink and bar equipment for at least six. An electro-hydraulic bimini with clear side screens shelters the main-deck lounge, and forward there is a sunpad with an adjustable backrest that can be covered.
Below, a lounge and dinette share the saloon, with the galley to port. A garage in the stern takes a tender beneath a carbon-fibre hatch. Long hull windows and flush portholes are among the Rivale's defining features. For the Super, the yard does not say how much of this specification is carried over unchanged, so the current equipment list should be requested from the builder during purchase discussions.
Cabin options
The 56' Rivale Super comes with a choice of two lower-deck layouts. The standard arrangement has two guest cabins, two bathrooms and a crew cabin with its own bathroom, which suits owners who will keep a skipper or deckhand on board. The optional layout replaces the crew cabin with a third guest cabin. It also has two bathrooms, but no crew bathroom.
On the original 56' Rivale, the master cabin's bathroom was to port. The VIP cabin was forward with its bathroom to starboard, and the crew cabin was reached through its own separate hatch. Either way, she is rated for up to 14 people on board.
Engines and performance
Standard power is a pair of 1,000 hp MAN V8-1000s driving through V-drives. With these engines she tops out at 34 knots and cruises at 28, with a range of 210 nautical miles at cruising speed.
The optional twin 1,200 hp MAN V8-1200s raise top speed to 38 knots and cruising speed to 32. In this configuration the range at cruising speed is 200 nautical miles, and the yard gives these figures as preliminary. She carries 2,300 litres of fuel and 530 litres of water, and her draught is 1.45 metres.
Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length overall | 17.27 m (56 ft 8 in) |
| Hull length | 17.16 m (56 ft 4 in) |
| Waterline length | 13.99 m (45 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Draught | 1.45 m (4 ft 9 in) |
| Displacement | 27 t light, 31 t laden |
| Engines | 2 × MAN V8-1000 (1,000 hp); optional 2 × MAN V8-1200 (1,200 hp) |
| Transmission | V-drive |
| Maximum speed | 34 knots (1,000 hp), 38 knots (1,200 hp) |
| Cruising speed | 28 knots (1,000 hp), 32 knots (1,200 hp) |
| Range at cruising speed | 210 nm (1,000 hp), 200 nm (1,200 hp) |
| Cabins | 2 guest cabins + 1 crew cabin, or 3 guest cabins |
| Bathrooms | 2 (plus 1 crew bathroom in the standard layout) |
| Maximum people on board | 14 |
| Fuel | 2,300 litres |
| Water | 530 litres |
| Design | Officina Italiana Design, with Ferretti Group's Strategic Product Committee and Engineering Department |
Performance figures for the 1,200 hp configuration are the yard's preliminary data.
Who is she for?
The 56' Rivale Super is for buyers who would rather have the closeness to the water and the pace of an open than the volume of a flybridge. A cruising speed of 28 to 32 knots makes a real difference on day trips and short passages, while a range of around 200 nautical miles at cruising speed means refuelling stops need planning on longer routes.
The standard layout, with two guest cabins and a crew cabin, suits owners who will run her with a skipper. The three-cabin version is aimed at families who handle the boat themselves and want more room for guests. The most important decision before placing an order is which layout, engines and specification suit the way you will use her, and our broker can work through that with you.
In brief
- The updated version of Riva's 17.27-metre open made her world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival.
- A new counter-curved deck profile at the windscreen, hull-coloured side grilles and ergonomic improvements in the cockpit.
- Two lower-deck layouts: two guest cabins plus a crew cabin, or three guest cabins.
- Twin MAN V8s with V-drives give 34 or 38 knots flat out and a range of 200 to 210 nm at cruising speed.
