Better Boat: A Little Off the Top

A funny thing happened as I was driving the Riviera 565 SUV through the Broadwater inland waterway on Australia’s Gold Coast en route to a sea trial in the Coral Sea. While weaving through the channel, being careful not to get too close to the myriad sailboats moored right in the way of pretty much everyone, I saw a curious sight. It was a surfer paddling along on his board. He was long-haired and tan and and etched with stringy muscles common to athletes who compete not just to win a game, but to survive in the harshest of elements. We were not particularly close to land. The channel was wide and brown and reportedly filled with bull sharks. And he had at least a half-mile paddle on his little fiberglass potato chip to get out to the inlet where massive rollers broke themselves upon the jetty. And yet he progressed along his path totally content, and projecting an inward calm.

The whole scene struck me as very Australian. Throughout that vast and danger-laden continent, you find men (and women) willing to risk life and limb to test themselves against the rugged environment they call home. And they do it with a sense of camaraderie that borders on ecstatic. Perhaps it’s an outcome of Australia’s history. The very same men who now take on the roiling and ever-powerful waters surrounding the country are descendants of men who dared to take on something nearly as insurmountable—an Industrial Revolution-era British penal system. And hell, if you’re going to be shipped halfway around the world for challenging the Powers That Be, it helps to make tight friends with the guys who are along for the ride, doesn’t it?

All of which brings us to the Riviera 565 SUV. This is a boat that begs you to challenge the harsh Australian seascape, and have fun with your mates while doing it. She’s part of Riviera’s SUV line—which now includes the 445 and the new 515—and looks the part. Her lines, slightly boxy but not overly so, reminded me of a Range Rover, another rugged and versatile vehicle. And that makes sense, since the SUV line is a hybrid of sorts. One part gentleman angler, one part express cruiser, and all about having fun while out on the water, regardless of what the water is doing.

For a boat ostensibly measuring 56 feet (actually 60 feet 9 inches overall) the 565 is really pretty beastly. She’s got a beam of 16 feet 10 inches and she uses every inch of both measurements. Her accommodations level has three large cabins. The forepeak VIP stateroom on my test boat had optional twin berths installed in a V configuration since the owner likes to go fishing, and understandably his fishing buddies prefer their own space, though a larger single berth is also available. A door led to a head that shared an entryway to the hallway. The shower stall there was pleasingly large, at least for a non-American boat, though I guess Australians have been known to put on a little beer weight just like us. Another guest cabin to starboard had twin bunks and 6 feet 6 inches of headroom.

However, the star of the show was the master, two steps down and amidships. Awash in masculine, high-gloss cherry, the space featured a king-size island berth as well as a settee to port. Standardissue would have dictated plush leather upholstery, but on our test boat the master’s furniture was covered in an optional Macro Marine fabric that’s tough to tear and easy to clean.

The saloon is another strong point on the boat. The thing that immediately caught my eye were the four forward-facing Pompanette Platinum seats. Frankly, that just seemed generous to me. Anybody who’s ever taken a long voyage in open waters knows that a forwardfacing seat is paramount. It makes taking the motion of the waves easier, and because of these particular seats’ heights, they also grant the passengers a good view too.

The helm has no standard electronics setup, which gives the owner a pleasing amount of flexibility. My test boat had three Raymarine e- THE RIVIERA 565 SUV IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME BOAT AS RIVIERA’S 53 ENCLOSED FLYBRIDGE; same hull, same layouts. The main difference, of course, is the SUV has no upper deck, a situation which is actually addition by subtraction. The two main advantages to getting rid of the upper deck involve cleaning and ergonomics. Without the extra top hamper, the SUV becomes much easier for one guy to clean once in port, and helps the boat maintain the “wash n’ wear” ethos Riviera meant for her. Also, this isn’t exactly an inexpensive vessel, and that means many owners will be a little bit older, having saved up some dough after years of peak earnings. And without that extra deck, this boat becomes much easier for, say, a septuagenarian couple to use to the fullest extent. Smart thinking on Riviera’s part.