The magnificent new Riviera 645 SUV is heading for boating adventures in every corner of the US following her Americas premiere at Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show by Australia’s world-class luxury motor yacht builder.

Six new owners are now looking forward to delivery of the largest and most sophisticated SUV ever built by Riviera as the company welcomed many new motor yacht owners to the global Riviera family following the boat show.

The flagship of Riviera’s SUV collection shone at the world’s biggest in-water boat show, leading to orders from new owners in Florida, Puerto Rico, California and the Pacific North-West.

The 645 SUV was among 10 luxury motor yachts showcased and Riviera is now preparing to welcome further new owners who are awaiting delivery of their new motor yachts from across the Sports Motor Yacht, Sport Yacht, SUV, Flybridge and Belize collections.

The Riviera 645 SUV combines the blue-water hull pedigree of the lauded Sports Motor Yachts with the single-level living attributes of a Sport Yacht.

California dreaming

California-based Paul Plotkin, who currently owns a Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Platinum Edition, is looking forward to the delivery of his new 645 SUV which he says will take his boating and entertaining to a new level.

“My wife and I have had as many as 15 family and friends aboard our 4800 Sport Yacht, so we decided to get a larger boat,” said Mr Plotkin. 

“It’s the right move for us at the right time. We looked at the Riviera 64 and 68 Sports Motor Yachts. I think they’re wonderful boats, but the 645 SUV works best for our way of boating.

“The great feature of the 645 SUV is that we’re all on the one level. When standing at the helm, you can look forward and see people on the foredeck, then look behind and you can also see everyone aft on the alfresco deck and cockpit.”

Mr Plotkin was also impressed with the distinctive styling of the 645 SUV.  

“My wife and I have studied the lines of this boat and it has really good proportions, and it just looks cool. The 645 will also fit nicely on our dock in Coronado, California, so we’re excited!  

Entertaining and relaxing aboard the Riviera 645 SUV is a breeze on the superb alfresco deck.

“Sometimes visiting family prefer to spend the night on the boat rather than in the house, so with the 645 SUV it’s essentially a three-bedroom and three-bathroom extension to our home!  

“For the record, we aren’t planning to sell our 4800 Sport Yacht. Since we have another home, we’ll dock the second Riviera there.”  

Florida Sunshine

Florida-based Jonathan Lefcourt has owned boats for more than 37 years and is new to the Riviera family after purchasing a 645 SUV.

Mr Lefcourt said Riviera's reputation for building high quality motor yachts, or ‘great sea boats’ as he described it, made the decision easy.

The light-filled entertainer’s saloon with a fully equipped aft galley.

“All in all, the 645 fits the bill for us, and I think the boat will be a winner for Riviera and its owners,” said Mr Lefcourt.

“We live in South Florida and the Florida Keys eight months of the year and cruise the north-east US for four months.

“I fish a lot in Marathon and off the coasts of Broward and Miami Dade Counties. Having owned multiple flybridge yachts over the past 30 years, we decided it might be time for a change. 

“My last yacht was a great boat, but our next boat had to have more range, 28-plus knots cruise, four staterooms, a larger master head and a larger galley.”

The full-beam master stateroom and aft galley with island bench, make the most of the grand scale afforded by Riviera’s flagship SUV.

Mr Lefcourt said the outdoor space and single-level layout was ideal for the style of boating he now enjoys.

“Plus, we get the cockpit with the great grill and fridge-freezers.  Going up and down ladders or stairs isn't so easy under way, and we travel with our dog Tito, so having the one level is perfect.”

Among the many 645 SUV features that impressed Mr Lefcourt is the convenient access to the engine room from the master stateroom and the external digital deck filler gauges that make both engine checks and refuelling easier.

“There are so many features in the 645 that cross a fishing, convertible and an express boat and that is perfect for how we want to use our boat now. The 645 checks off most, if not all, of the boxes we needed.” 

The full-beam master stateroom and aft galley with island bench, make the most of the grand scale afforded by Riviera’s flagship SUV.

Seattle and the Pacific North-West

A Riviera owner in Seattle, Washington, is equally looking forward to taking delivery of his new 645 SUV after spending the past summer enjoying the Riviera lifestyle aboard his 505 SUV.

“We use the 505 a lot and we love it, especially the performance and ease of handling,” said the owner.

“The 645 SUV is a larger version of the 505 SUV and that gives us more room. It has bigger staterooms, including a king-size bed in the master.

“We plan on putting four helm seats up front so two couples can see where we are going when cruising.  We are also looking into the larger engines, so we have the option to cruise in the low to mid-30 knot range when needed or wanted.”

The Riviera 645 SUV makes her US premiere at Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Living the Riviera dream

Riviera owner Rodney Longhurst said the Riviera team were proud of the praise the 645 SUV received from boating enthusiasts in the US following her Americas premiere.

“We warmly welcome all of our new and returning owners across the model range to the Riviera family and acknowledge the trust they have shown in our team to make their boating dream come true,” said Mr Longhurst.

“Fort Lauderdale was extremely positive for Riviera, and we are especially pleased with the response to our newest addition, the 645 SUV which offers sporty and adventurous boating on a grand scale.”

The Riviera 645 SUV was named as one of the NBC Sports Best of Show yachts at Fort Lauderdale this year. The award recognises innovation in performance, design, technology, and architecture for models making their debut at the boat show.

The 645 SUV combines the high-level blue-water hull pedigree of the lauded Sports Motor Yachts with the single-level living attributes so much loved by Sport Yacht owners. Available in the Newport and the Classic editions, with three and four-stateroom accommodation respectively, the SUV flagship offers a spacious all-water-sports cockpit, superb alfresco relaxing and dining deck, a fully equipped aft galley in the light-filled saloon and a luxurious foredeck entertaining space. 

“As an Australian company with a passion for creating world-class motor yachts, our achievements at Fort Lauderdale affirm our team’s vision to create the ultimate boating experience through excellence in the design, performance and superior finish of our luxury motor yachts,” said Mr Longhurst.

www.rivieraaustralia.com