Riviera 46 Sports Motor Yacht....thoughts?

[Irie308]

With the disappointment of the route that Sea Ray went with their larger bridge boats to eventually not making them anymore. I've been wondering what our next boat would be. Would love the 52 but the QSM11 and the MANN maintenance is a deterrent for us. Have always been a fan of the Rivera brand but I'm really likoing this new 46 Motor Yacht they just released. Three good sized staterooms in this sized vessel is impressive. I was never a fan of the lower helm that all the manufactures seem to lean towards on their flybridge models . Always felt it took away from useful livable space. Pods wouldn't be by first choice but I hear good things from the Volvo IPS system. Biggest complains from friends is that sensor go bad and they are not cheap to keep as spares. What's your thoughts?

 

[Skybolt]

IPS over Zeus any day of the week. Volvo is really tough to get parts for and not the best diesel out there.

The rest of the boat looks really nice. Not a fan of the big windows in the hull, especially where you boat.

 

[Jeremygavin]

I love the Australian boats. I have been on the Rivieras and Maritimos at the boat shows, and really like them. I like that they are a sportfish style as opposed to a more European style, such as a Princess. I think I will be leaning towards a Maritimo just to stay away from pods. I have my eye on the Maritimo M55. They are north of $2.5 million new so I will be looking for a lightly used model when I am ready. Hopefully a bunch of the owners will spec them with CATs just for ease of parts and mechanics to work on them near me. That way in a few years when I buy a used one, I can get the engine at I want.

 

[Scott215]

How the hell do you guys afford that All your arms and all your legs

 

[Golfman25]

Consider parts and maintenance longer term. Guy on you tube works on a lot of high end boats and the foreign brands seem to give him the most trouble figuring things out and searching for parts.

 

[Scott215]

I wouldn't mind having something in the load of mid-30s but that is an unreal boat I couldn't pay to maintain it or put gas in it​

 

[becnme]

I recently bought an IPS powered boat after being against pods for years. I am still amazed at the increased handling, better performance and better fuel economy along with the quiet, smooth and odor free operation of the pods. Yes the parts are more expensive! The newer pods are trouble free if maintained correctly. My current boat was offered in 2007 with pods or v-drives and the pods were so popular Formula stopped offering the v-drives To get the same performance I get they needed 660 HP engines at an over 40GPH cruise. I truly believe that in a few years the next generation of buyers will not want a shaft boat which will make them hard to sell.

Recently a friend bought a new Riviera 52 SUV. It is an incredible boat with IPS. The quality is top notch and performance is great for a 35 footer let alone a 50.

 

[Golfman25]

I truly believe that in a few years the next generation of buyers will not want a shaft boat which will make them hard to sell.

I hope not. I get v-drives are somewhat of a PIA. But nothing beats the longevity, simplicity, and ease of maintenance of straight inboards.

 

[Alex F]

With the disappointment of the route that Sea Ray went with their larger bridge boats to eventually not making them anymore. I've been wondering what our next boat would be. Would love the 52 but the QSM11 and the MANN maintenance is a deterrent for us. Have always been a fan of the Rivera brand but I'm really likoing this new 46 Motor Yacht they just released. Three good sized staterooms in this sized vessel is impressive. I was never a fan of the lower helm that all the manufactures seem to lean towards on their flybridge models . Always felt it took away from useful livable space. Pods wouldn't be by first choice but I hear good things from the Volvo IPS system. Biggest complains from friends is that sensor go bad and they are not cheap to keep as spares. What's your thoughts?

Hey Dean,
It sounds like we have different sources steering to different conclusions. Anyone I knew with Volvo/Pods combo always had issues. Just ask Larry to tell you about Bill's story about his Rivera....Volvo dropped the ball big time.

My first reality check moment was when about 10 years ago a dock mate hit something. The way his Pods took the hit, it simply sank the boat.

Another case, the Pod did what it designed to do on an impact, just sheared off...bye-bye $25K...and it's only for one Pod.

Another case, Pod's transmission died on a trip...Software related issue.

I can go on and on. All the cases on about 5yr old vessels with barely 500hrs on them.

Now let's compare this with my own experience. Back when we had our 320DA, while on a trip, we hit partially submerged telephone poll at 27MPH. It was a loud boom which felt VERY uncomfortable or actually scary. After few minutes of reassessing the "damage" there was very hardly noticeable vibration on one side. Got home cruising as normal without missing a bit. Later on got the prop tuned for couple hundred bucks. I'll take this type of a damage any day.

The more you learn about the reality of the situation, not just how cool the joystick is (with skyhook and all) and how efficient they are, the more you'll realize how spoiled we are with our power and underwater setup.

Lastly, I think Rivera are great quality boats. It's just when they come with Volvo/Pods combo is where I turn the other way. Same goes for Zues equipped vessels.

Just my 0.02c

 

[Maybe A Dancer]

It's all a tradeoff, a compromise.

New Riviera with perfected pod drives - OK - now calculate the 2-3 year depreciation cost on that beautiful boat.

I'm a firm believer in mechanical diesels with straight or Vee drives.

No electronic circuit boards to fail in an outdoor saltwater marine environment.

Batteries charged?

Clean fuel?

Compression good?

OFF WE GO !

I believe there was a GOLDEN AGE period of time when Sea Ray designed/engineered and built some really high quality large production boats.

Those larger boats built both before and after this GOLDEN AGE period do not meet this standard.

The BONUS for some is that those GOLDEN AGE vessels are now at the bottom of their depreciation curve.

Depreciation is a huge cost factor in this arena and no one really talks about it.

BEST !

RWS

 

[ranger58sb]

Would love the 52 but the QSM11 and the MANN maintenance is a deterrent for us.

What issues have you had with MAN maintenance?

-Chris

 

[copb8tx]

That Rivera is what Sea Ray should've been building all along. What a well thought-out boat and easy to look at as well.

I'd consider an IPS boat if I could reconcile myself to the annual maintenance cost. I think it's a mature, well designed piece of equipment. It's also hugely prolific and only growing in popularity. You just have to be willing to pay to play.

Anyone willing to swing a check for a new Rivera isn't too concerned about the maintenance cost and didn't get to where they are without considering the depreciation curve and accepting the trade-offs.

 

[Irie308]

Agreed, the pods are a deterrent. However its seems that's the only way to get 3 good sized staterooms in a sub 50' platform. Like I said it wouldn't be my first choice specially after living with our super reliable mechanical Cummins. Have a few dockmasters with he Volvo package. Will track their maintenance plan for a while to see how they do and get some real world feedback. Aside from the powerplant and propulsion package on this new Riviera I'm a huge fan of the layout. We really love our 42DB however we really would like a 3rd stateroom. That all being said, 1.6 million is not in the budget for the next boat unless we hit the billion dollar powerball!

 

[Irie308]

What issues have you had with MAN maintenance?

-Chris

No issues, just don't want to write that check.

 

[Stee6043]

That 46 Riveria is almost 53 feet long? At that point why not also consider a Cruisers 60 Fly?

 

[Irie308]

That 46 Riveria is almost 53 feet long? At that point why not also consider a Cruisers 60 Fly?

Haha...the 60 Fly is probably 65 LOA. My 42DB with platform is about 49' LOA. As far as my marina is concerned its 42. Was in Block Island for the 4th of July and harbor master was not letting the 50' boats on the majority of the town moorings. Our friends had to go anchor. We called that "big boat problems".

 

[Skybolt]

It's all a tradeoff, a compromise.

New Riviera with perfected pod drives - OK - now calculate the 2-3 year depreciation cost on that beautiful boat.

I'm a firm believer in mechanical diesels with straight or Vee drives.

No electronic circuit boards to fail in an outdoor saltwater marine environment.

Batteries charged?

Clean fuel?

Compression good?

OFF WE GO !

I believe there was a GOLDEN AGE period of time when Sea Ray designed/engineered and built some really high quality large production boats.

Those larger boats built both before and after this GOLDEN AGE period do not meet this standard.

The BONUS for some is that those GOLDEN AGE vessels are now at the bottom of their depreciation curve.

Depreciation is a huge cost factor in this arena and no one really talks about it.

BEST !

RWS

And there you have it in a nutshell. Spot on, great post.

Curious what you think the golden age is?

 

[Skybolt]

Haha...the 60 Fly is probably 65 LOA. My 42DB with platform is about 49' LOA. As far as my marina is concerned its 42. Was in Block Island for the 4th of July and harbor master was not letting the 50' boats on the majority of the town moorings. Our friends had to go anchor. We called that "big boat problems".

That is an issue in a lot of marina's. My LOA is 54 with the platform and dinghy. I have issues here in the Chesapeake also.

Have you considered a pilot house? They seem to be very well suited for cruising and accommodating three staterooms. I've been looking at these recently, don't mind the 12knt cruise.

 

[Irie308]

That is an issue in a lot of marina's. My LOA is 54 with the platform and dinghy. I have issues here in the Chesapeake also.

Have you considered a pilot house? They seem to be very well suited for cruising and accommodating three staterooms. I've been looking at these recently, don't mind the 12knt cruise.

We have but it would be some time before we commit to only going 12kts. Even though we often trawl at 8-9knts we need the option to get up and go when time or weather is not on our side.

 

[FootballFan]

I guess the pods are improving. But still seems somewhat sporadic.

A friend bought a new boat with IPS about 4 years ago. They cruised (well tried too anyway) extensively.

One engine/pod never had a problem. The other side no one could keep it running. One issue after another. New boat under warranty - manufacturer of the boat kept pointing back to Volvo. Volvo kept saying it was how the manufacturer had "deployed" the technology. Our friend used to laugh that he knew every boat lift from FL to Maine cause he had been out of the water in most of them.

He finally got rid of the boat. Swore off pods.