Model IntroductionThe Riviera 4700 Sport Yacht is a new undertaking for Riviera, best described as a sedan with a blend of classic and contemporary styling. It's a very good looking boat, with pleasing proportions and a hint of power below the curvaceous surface.
If this boat is representative of the rest of the line, U.S. and European builders alike might consider watching their wakes. The boat is superbly engineered, well built, nicely laid out for cruising with a large tender garage and a good performer with some of the quietest sound levels.
Construction
The hull of the Riviera 4700 Sport Yacht is built with a solid fiberglass bottom, including a skin coat of chop wet out in vinylester resin. The hull sides use Coremat as a cosmetic print-through blocker. Stringers and frames, made of fiberglass-encapsulated foam, minimize bottom panel size, and the plywood bulkheads are tabbed to the hull. Small parts, including the swimplatform and deck hatches, are built using a closed-molding process that created a tooled surface on both sides and a lighter, higher-quality component.
Hull Design
With computer-aided design used to draw the yacht's lines, this Frank Mulder-designed hull has a modified vee running surface. A pair of propeller pockets reduces draft as well as shaft angles.
Walkthrough
Cockpit
Starting the tour back aft, there is a large teak-covered swimplatform that provides safe and convenient access onboard from the dock. A tender garage that hinges open on a power lift holds a 10 ft. Zodiac RIB, and hydraulic rams lower the entire swimplatform well below the waterline to serve as a launching cradle for both the garage-housed RIB and a swimplatform-mounted PWC.
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