Riva Aquariva Super for Sale

Riva Aquariva Super Specifications

The specification that defines the Aquariva Super is the construction method, not the engine package. Unlike the Aquarama it succeeds, the Super is not an all-wood hull—the hull and basic structure are moulded GRP on a 16.5-degree deadrise monohedron form with spray rails, manufactured to RINA certification (modules B + C + Aa for sound emission). What sits on that GRP hull is what makes the boat a Riva: a laminated mahogany deck and cockpit coaming with maple inlays, worked by hand at Sarnico and finished under 18 to 20 coats of Stoppani marine varnish—ten coats applied by brush and a further ten by spray gun, flatted back between coats. The result has more in common with a Steinway piano lid than with a production GRP dayboat.

The engine specification follows Riva’s deliberate preference for straight-shaft diesel propulsion in this segment: no Volvo IPS pods, no sterndrives, no outboards. Launch boats shipped with twin Yanmar 6LY3-UTP in-line six-cylinder diesels rated 380 HP each; during the production run the factory transitioned to twin Yanmar 8LV-370s, a marinised common-rail V8 delivering 370 HP each at 3,800 RPM. Both packages route through an electronic two-speed gearbox that sharpens acceleration in the low-speed range (where single-speed shaft drives tend to lug) and preserves the full 41.5-knot top end when the second ratio engages. The Super is the smallest Riva in production to retain this shaft-drive configuration—a choice dictated as much by the aesthetic of the uncluttered transom as by performance.

At 5,250 kg unladen and 6,600 kg with fuel, water and crew, the Super carries roughly 1.3 tonnes of variable payload—not a great deal, which is why range sits at a comparatively modest 155 nautical miles from the 480-litre tank. The CE Category B (Offshore) certification permits operation in winds up to Beaufort 8 and waves up to 4 metres, but nothing about the Super’s 0.96-metre draft or 130-litre water capacity encourages genuine passage work. This is a yacht built to move eight people from Portofino to the Cinque Terre for lunch and back, not one designed for Ibiza-to-Palma crossings. Buyers who want both should consider a Riva 56 Rivale or the larger 68 Diable instead.

Performance & Handling

At speed: With the standard twin-Yanmar package, the Aquariva Super holds 36 knots as a genuine cruise and 41.5 knots at wide-open throttle in flat water. Transition onto the plane occurs at around 14–16 knots and is undramatic thanks to the two-speed gearbox’s lower ratio, which lets the engines build boost cleanly before the shift point. Once on the plane the 16.5-degree deadrise monohedron tracks cleanly on the spray rails—enough v to clear moderate Mediterranean chop, not so much that the hull becomes fuel-hungry or tender in beam seas.

Shaft drives as a deliberate choice: It is worth being explicit about why Riva has kept the Super on straight shafts rather than migrating to Volvo IPS pods or Mercury sterndrives, both of which would deliver better joystick docking and marginally higher efficiency. The answer is aesthetic as much as technical. Pods and outdrives clutter the transom with visible hardware; shaft drives vanish under the waterline and leave the Super’s signature teak-and-chrome bathing platform uninterrupted. The trade-off is close-quarters handling—the Super docks the old-fashioned way, with twin throttles and a bow thruster, and it demands competence from the helm. There is no joystick. Riva considers this consistent with the brand proposition.

Wrap-around windscreen: The Super’s signature feature at the helm is the wrap-around windscreen—a direct visual quotation of the Aquarama’s, itself named for the widescreen Cinerama cinema format of the early 1960s. At 36 knots the screen keeps the helm station dry in anything short of a head-on rainstorm, and the low coaming means driver and front passenger sit in the breeze rather than behind glass. The chrome-plated windscreen frame, horn, cleats and rubbing strake are all CNC-milled solid stainless, chrome-plated by hand in Lombardy—a detail easy to miss from the quayside but impossible to ignore once you are aboard.

Range and fuel planning: The 480-litre fuel tank is the Super’s practical constraint. At 36-knot cruise the Yanmars burn roughly 150 litres per hour combined, giving an honest three-hour endurance or the stated 155 nautical miles standard range. Throttled back to displacement speeds the same tank delivers significantly more range, but nobody buys an Aquariva Super to cruise at 8 knots. Owners treat it the way Ferrari owners treat a 296 GTB: short, high-tempo day runs with fuel stops built into the plan rather than open-ended passages.

Sea state: The Super is CE Category B rated and perfectly capable of a Force 5 Mediterranean summer sea, but the low cockpit coaming and wide wooden foredeck reward calm conditions. In a confused Tyrrhenian chop the Super becomes noticeably wetter than a comparable walk-around such as the Pardo 38, whose higher freeboard and enclosed T-top are built around different priorities. The Aquariva Super is a yacht that picks its days—and the days it picks, nothing else in the segment looks or feels the same.

Design & Material Language

The Aquariva Super is the most deliberately curated boat Riva builds. Officina Italiana Design have been responsible for every Riva exterior since Mauro Micheli’s studio was formally founded in Bergamo with Sergio Beretta in 1994; Micheli himself joined Riva’s in-house style centre a decade earlier in 1984 after winning a yard design competition. The Super’s proportions—a long, low sheer; a wraparound windscreen pulled back across the cockpit; a truncated aft cockpit running into an oversized bathing platform—are a conscious restatement of Aquarama design vocabulary, not a wholesale copy. The hull sides are deeper, the freeboard taller, the chrome-work modernised for contemporary stainless alloys and plating processes.

The wood itself: The Super’s deck, cockpit coamings and aft sunpad surround are laminated mahogany, inlaid with pale maple stripes along the centre-line and around the seating. The timber is sustainably sourced and worked in-house at Sarnico by joiners who also handle the wooden sections on larger Riva models. Once laid, the deck is finished with the varnish sequence for which Riva is known: twenty coats of Stoppani marine varnish, applied in alternating brush-and-spray passes, flatted between each application. The result is a deck with optical depth—you see through the varnish into the grain—rather than the sealed, plastic-feeling finish that polyurethane top coats leave on production wooden dayboats.

The cockpit: Officina Italiana’s cockpit layout is unchanged in its essentials from the original 2000 Aquariva 33: helm to starboard with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a low instrument binnacle, twin facing bench seats forward that fold flat into a sunpad, a U-shaped aft sofa, and a small wet bar to port. The Super’s 2010 update refined the instrument housing, added discreet multifunction displays for Yanmar’s electronic engine management, and modernised the chrome hardware. The materials catalogue is short: mahogany, maple, leather, stainless steel. There is no carbon fibre exposed on the Super’s exterior, and no composite trim anywhere the eye falls.

Below-deck cabin: The Super has a single cabin below—sleeping two in a double berth that fills the forward hull—with a retractable head compartment that pulls out of the port hull side when needed. Headroom is limited, the portlights are small, and nobody cruises long distances aboard. The cabin exists to provide somewhere to change, shelter from a squall, and occasionally stay overnight at a quiet anchorage. The interior finish continues the mahogany-leather-chrome vocabulary of the cockpit; it is not a significant living space.

The Aquariva by Gucci: In September 2010 Riva and Gucci unveiled the Aquariva by Gucci at the Cannes International Boat Show, a made-to-order variant customised by Gucci creative director Frida Giannini to mark Gucci’s 90th anniversary in 2011. The Gucci version paired Riva’s standard varnished mahogany deck with a glossy white hull in a Gucci-specified shade, green crystal windscreen, Guccissima- print upholstery and the green-red-green Gucci web running along the waterline. Base pricing started at around €590,000 (roughly USD 750,000 at the time), and production was limited to made-to-order hulls through Riva’s dealer network. The by-Gucci commission is the clearest evidence that Riva and Ferretti Group position the Aquariva Super as a luxury-goods object first and a boat second.

Aquariva Super Ownership: What to Expect

Aquariva Super ownership costs reflect its position as a premium Italian design object rather than a production dayboat. Buyers should budget accordingly:

• New pricing: List pricing for a new Aquariva Super sits at approximately €595,000 ex-VAT, rising to €700,000–€750,000 once typical options (upgraded upholstery, audio, teak bathing platform upgrade, cockpit cover) are specified. The 2010 Aquariva by Gucci special edition started at €590,000 and ran to significantly more for fully bespoke finishes. Fully equipped, a new Super delivers to the European market at £600,000–£650,000 including VAT.
• Used market: Pre-owned Supers currently trade between roughly €250,000 and €616,000 depending on year, hours, condition of the varnished deck and engine package. The 2010–2014 launch-spec boats with the Yanmar 6LY3-UTP 380 HP engines represent the entry point; 2018–2022 examples with the later 8LV-370 V8s and refreshed interiors sit at the top of the range. Average asking price across the global brokerage market sits around €430,000, implying a 25–30 percent depreciation over a decade—shallower than almost any comparable GRP runabout.
• Annual operating costs: Budget €25,000–€50,000 annually for moderate use (8–12 weeks per season). This includes a premium Mediterranean berth for a 10-metre mahogany-decked boat (€6,000–€20,000 on the Côte d’Azur; less in Croatia or the Balearics), hull insurance (1.5–2.5 percent of value), Yanmar engine servicing, fuel (roughly €5,000–€10,000 for typical seasonal use), and—most importantly—the ongoing varnish maintenance that keeps the Super looking like a Riva.
• Varnish maintenance: This is the defining ownership cost. The 20-coat Stoppani finish is not a one-and-done application. UV breaks the varnish down gradually, and a quality yard inspection every winter with touch-up and recoat as needed is essential. Budget €3,000–€6,000 annually for varnish maintenance on a stored boat, significantly more if the deck has been left uncovered in full Mediterranean summer. A full strip-and-recoat every 5–7 years runs €15,000–€25,000 at an approved Riva refit yard.
• Resale strength: The Super holds value exceptionally well for a dayboat. The combination of controlled production volume, the Aquarama lineage, and the absence of any direct mahogany-decked competitor means that a well-kept Super on the brokerage market rarely lingers. Hulls with documented service histories, original varnished decks in good condition and low engine hours regularly command prices close to their original delivery figure a decade on.

The Aquariva Super is a boat that rewards owners who treat it as a curated possession rather than a utility vehicle. Short, frequent runs on calm days; storage under cover whenever possible; annual varnish inspection by a Riva-approved yard; and a careful hand at the helm—these produce a Super that continues to look and perform like the factory-delivered article for decades. Neglect produces a boat that is expensive to restore and, in a badly weathered state, noticeably less saleable than any equivalent GRP dayboat.

How to Buy a Riva Aquariva Super

New build vs used: Riva continues to build the Aquariva Super to order at Sarnico, with lead times typically in the 10–14-month range depending on specification and yard schedule. Because the design has been stable since 2010—refinements have been limited to the engine package and discrete systems updates rather than sheet-metal changes—there is less reason to buy new than with most yachts: a well-kept 2016–2020 used example is visually and functionally indistinguishable from a 2024 new build, at roughly 30 percent discount. Buyers who want a specific upholstery colour, custom chrome finish or the latest navigation electronics should order new; buyers who want the Super itself will find better value on the brokerage market.

Key Considerations for Buyers

• Varnish condition: The single most important survey item. Look for checking, crazing, or lifting of the varnish around fixings, along the sheer line, and at the base of the wrap-around windscreen. Bleaching of the mahogany where the varnish has thinned is reversible only by strip-and-recoat. Maple inlays should be sharp and uniform; any mismatch, patch or repair is a negotiating point. Ask for varnish refit records from the Riva dealer network.
• Engine package and hours: Early 2010–2014 boats with Yanmar 6LY3-UTP 380 HP in-line sixes have an established service record; later 8LV-370 V8s are smoother and cleaner-burning but share common-rail complexity with the rest of the modern Yanmar range. Low hours matter less than documented service. Verify both engines through a Yanmar-authorised technician.
• Electronic two-speed gearbox: Unique to the Aquariva Super in Riva’s current catalogue. The shift mechanism is electronically controlled and should engage both ratios cleanly under load. Hesitation, clunking on shift, or failure to hold the upper ratio under full throttle all suggest worn actuators or low transmission fluid—neither cheap to correct.
• Hardware and chrome: The chrome-plated stainless fittings—windscreen frame, cleats, rubbing strake end caps, horn, handrails—are hand-finished in Lombardy and expensive to replace. Pitting, bubbling or flaking chrome on any of these items suggests either salt-water exposure without freshwater rinsing or below-standard storage. Replacement runs through Riva’s Sarnico parts operation rather than any marine chandler.
• Provenance and by-Gucci hulls: The Aquariva by Gucci 2010–2011 hulls command a modest premium on the used market over standard Supers of the same vintage, but only where the Gucci paintwork, Guccissima upholstery and green crystal windscreen remain original. Repainted or reupholstered Gucci hulls should be valued as standard Supers. Request original delivery documentation through the Riva dealer.

The Super is a yacht that rewards careful buyers. A surveyor who understands Italian yacht construction, who can read varnished wood as well as GRP, and who has seen enough Rivas to distinguish factory-original finishes from refit work is essential. Budget €2,500–€4,500 for a full pre-purchase survey including engine assessment, sea trial at full speed, and a close inspection of the wooden deck under UV light.

Aquariva Super vs Competitors

The Aquariva Super sits in an unusual competitive position: there is no direct rival. No other production builder combines a laminated mahogany deck, a 33-foot length, a wrap-around windscreen, and shaft-drive diesels. The boats that cross-shop with the Super therefore tend to be category rivals rather than size-for-size equivalents—American status dayboats, Italian walk-arounds, and British sport runabouts that buyers consider when weighing the Super’s price premium against more practical alternatives.

Aquariva Super vs Hinckley Picnic Boat

The Hinckley Picnic Boat is the American cousin of the Riva proposition—a status dayboat built by a specialist yard at Southwest Harbor, Maine, using Kevlar-reinforced GRP rather than mahogany. The current Picnic Boat 37 S runs 11.79 m LOA, 3.43 m beam, and uses twin 370 HP Yanmar 8LV diesels coupled to Hamilton HJ274 waterjets rather than shaft drives. The flagship Picnic Boat 45 fits twin Volvo D11 725 HP diesels to Hamilton HTX30 jets for a 40-knot top end. Hinckley does not publish list prices, but a new Picnic Boat 37 S typically delivers at roughly USD 700,000–USD 1,000,000 depending on specification; pre-owned MKIII examples trade from USD 400,000. The Hinckley is the practical American alternative—waterjet shallow draft, Down East styling, all-weather pilothouse—and has none of the Super’s Italian design intent or varnished-mahogany theatre. Buyers choosing between the two are really choosing between two different cultural registers rather than two different boats.

Aquariva Super vs Chris-Craft Launch 36

The Chris-Craft Launch 36 is the closest American analogue by size: 11.63 m LOA (with swim platform), 3.30 m waterline beam, 16,000 lbs dry, twin MerCruiser 8.2L V8 sterndrives or Volvo Penta 430 HP sterndrives for a top speed of about 51 mph (44 knots). Chris-Craft styles the Launch 36 with mahogany accents at the helm—steering wheel rim, dashboard inlays, optional teak decking—but the structure and decks are GRP, not laminated wood. A new Launch 36 delivers at roughly USD 400,000–USD 450,000 with a well- preserved used example such as a 2017 Limited Edition listing at USD 359,000. The Aquariva Super is approximately double the price at list, for a boat that is 3 feet shorter, 370 HP less powerful, and 2 knots slower at the top end—but that sits in a different material and cultural class. The Launch 36 evokes Chris-Craft’s Michigan mahogany heritage; the Aquariva Super embodies it.

Aquariva Super vs Pardo 38

The Pardo 38 (technically the P38 in current Cantiere del Pardo naming) is the contemporary Italian walk-around alternative: 11.90 m LOA, 3.60 m beam, approximately 7,000 kg displacement, powered by Volvo Penta D6-380 or D6-440 sterndrives (or triple Mercury 300 HP outboards) for top speeds approaching 50 knots. Pardo bases the 38 at around €410,000 in sterndrive trim, rising to USD 625,000–USD 650,000 with full options. The Pardo is the more versatile boat: higher freeboard, a T-top with shade, a proper forward lounging foredeck, a larger and more usable below-deck cabin. It is also faster in a head-sea, more fuel-efficient at cruise, and more modern in every functional sense. The Aquariva Super offers none of these advantages—it offers, instead, an €150,000–€180,000 premium paid for laminated mahogany, chrome detailing, and Aquarama lineage. Buyers cross-shopping the two are deciding whether they want a boat to use or a boat to be seen in.

Aquariva Super vs Fairline F//Line 33

The Fairline F//Line 33 is the British response—designed by Italian Alberto Mancini for the Oundle yard, launched 2019, 9.99 m LOA, 3.5 m beam, with Volvo Penta sterndrive options running from twin V6-250 petrol (500 HP combined, 33 knots) through twin D3-220 diesels (440 HP, 32-knot cruise) to twin V8-430 petrol (860 HP, 48 knots max). Base list is approximately £359,000 with the V8 twin petrol configuration reaching £460,000 before options. The F//Line 33 is the most direct size-for-size rival by LOA, and it is meaningfully faster, more fuel-efficient and considerably cheaper than the Aquariva Super. What it does not have is the Super’s wooden deck, the chrome detailing or six decades of runabout heritage. The F//Line is a modern GRP sports cruiser with Italian styling applied from Northamptonshire; the Super is an Italian object that happens to be powered. The £140,000–£200,000 price delta between them buys cultural specificity, not capability.

The Honest Positioning

None of the competitor boats above is wrong. Every one of them offers more practical yacht for less money, in a more modern configuration, with fewer ongoing maintenance demands. The Aquariva Super survives in this company because it does not pretend to compete on those terms. It is a luxury-goods object with a hull attached, built by the yard that created the Aquarama, finished with a mahogany deck that traces a visual line back to 1962. Buyers who want a practical 33-foot dayboat should buy the Fairline or the Pardo. Buyers who want the Riva should buy the Riva and accept what comes with it.

For a comprehensive comparison tool allowing side-by-side specification and pricing analysis across Riva, Hinckley, Chris-Craft, Pardo and Fairline dayboats, visit the Hulls.io Market Intelligence platform.