The unique partnership between Italian builder Riva and illustrious designer Mauro Micheli has yielded another gem with the Riva 88’ Domino Super, a yacht that combines understated style with a particularly innovative fusion between exterior and interior design, not to mention first-class performance.
If any builder knows how to square the circle, it’s Riva. This is a brand that first came to prominence in the 1960s and since then, despite the market’s ups and downs and changes in ownership and management, has been a beacon for luxury boat owners all over the world.
Build quality, performance and an ineffable style set each and every Riva in a class of its own, and the new Riva 88’ Domino Super is no exception. It’s not an easy task to maintain iconic status over the course of decades, but the Italian brand has been able to keep intact its seductive power and authentic charisma. By examining the Riva 88’ Domino Super, we can try to discover what makes Riva yachts so unique.
The Riva range spans from the 27-foot Iseo, the smaller model among the brand’s runabouts, to the superb flagship, the all-aluminium 122’ Mythos. Now, the new Riva 88’ Domino Super (and its sister 88’ Florida) represents the epitome of top-end design and quality.
Riva’s meticulous approach to yachtbuilding and detailing is apparent everywhere onboard the Riva 88’ Domino Super. The perfect interior and exterior paintwork of the all-timber surfaces and the mirror-like hull coating ensure an immediately stylish feel, whilst still keeping water resistance to a minimum. However, what we appreciate at first glance is the magnificent silhouette designed by Mauro Micheli of Officina Italiana Design.
Thanks to a full-width, full-height sliding door the saloon and the cockpit turn into a seamless space offering guests a wide choice of places to socialise, relax or enjoy meals.
Micheli has worked with Riva since 1984. Since founding his own design firm with Sergio Beretta in 1994, he has designed every Riva, upholding but also refreshing the unmistakable, timeless Riva style. We asked him how he does this.
“Dealing with an icon is a delicate matter, and Sergio and I plunged ourselves into the Riva style,” Micheli says.
“The secret is not to take anything for granted. We have been working on many different projects, our mission being to keep alive the Riva style while also proposing something innovative.
“In a few words: hard work coupled with a great amount of creativity.”
When asked what makes Riva so special, the Italian designer says that all Riva models reflect a lifestyle that goes beyond fashion. “Riva creates exclusive products that are not subject to market trends,” he says.
The Riva 88’ Domino Super’s cockpit is where indoors seamlessly transitions to outdoors, befitting a yacht designed for a sophisticated, luxurious lifestyle.
The Riva 88’ Domino Super is proving itself a worthy heir to the Riva 86.
“This model is ambitious and fascinating”, says De Vivo, Ferretti Group’s chief commercial officer. “It is the result of a painstaking design process aimed at further improving a very successful model which boasted a good sales record.”
Micheli, on his side, likes to define the 88’, in both the Florida and Domino Super versions, as the successor to the Riva 86’ rather than a restyling of it, and explains that some repeats are inevitable and part of the brand’s strategy.
“Together with the Ferretti Group’s engineering department, we developed the 88’ according to an existing, proven naval platform,” says the designer.
“Usually, all Riva models remain in production for years, this is the brand’s approach to the market that perfectly fits with our own philosophy.
Natural light is abundant in the saloon thanks in part to a large two-piece windshield.
“When designing the 88’ Domino Super, our aim was to create something enjoyable and durable, and we tried to figure out the needs and lifestyle of the intended owners. A glamorous yacht, yet not in a show-off sort of way. It may sound weird, but colour was not a secondary consideration in the overall design. Indeed, colour is always a design feature for us.
“We designed the 88’ Domino Super with an intense London grey hull and moon grey superstructure in mind, and the proportions between the yacht’s hull and superstructure have been defined accordingly,” Micheli says. The yard also offers a different colour scheme, metallic ice or light silver with titanium grey details, or grey sand coupled to charcoal grey.
The Riva 88’ Domino Super’s well-balanced profile encompasses a small sundeck. “Our priority was to offer further exterior space without detracting from the yacht’s distinctive elegant lines,” Micheli says.
Despite its relatively small dimensions the sundeck represents a tremendous social space, in addition to the highly livable cockpit and forward lounging area. The pilot station has been placed in the central part of the sundeck making room for a large C-shaped sofa at the bow and a large double sunpad astern.
As for the interior, Micheli says that while guests have at their disposal large and well-appointed outdoor spaces to enjoy sun and sea breeze, after swimming or sunbathing the yacht’s interiors provide a refreshing and private environment. As privacy and full-height glazed surfaces don’t necessarily match, Micheli and his staff have created an ideal separation between exterior and interior spaces. This choice helped them create a sleek profile where streamlined windows, both on the superstructure and hull, enhance the yacht’s sleek and muscular lines.
The cockpit is where outdoor and indoor spaces join. Thanks to a full-width, full-height sliding door the saloon and the cockpit turn into a seamless space offering guests a wide choice of places to socialise, relax or enjoy meals. Airy and bright, the saloon features long and elegantly designed windows that let natural light in, while keeping an intimate and relaxing atmosphere. A large two-piece windshield provides extra light and, along with the generous headroom, enhances the feeling of space and volume
The owner’s suite is defined by its large rectangular windows.
Extensive use of striped rosewood, combined with white or dark leathers underlined by polished steel frames, provides a warm yet sophisticated feel throughout the yacht. Officina Italiana Design designed most furniture and selected armchairs, chairs, tables and decorative items by reputed manufactures such as Poltrona Frau, Hermes, Knoll and Dedar.
“On the lower deck, large windows have been designed to offer great views and air,” says Micheli. The owner’s suite, located amidships, has large rectangular windows in both the full-beam cabin and bathroom. As the bed has been offset to port, the cabin has more livable space and looks larger. VIP, double and twin cabins are well appointed and benefit from a linear and sophisticated decoration brightened by large and partially openable windows with portholes.
A well-appointed galley with restaurant-grade appliances is on the mezzanine floor. Accessed from a stair to port, opposite the main helm station, it has its own window and also benefits from the light arriving from the windshield.
Like all Rivas, the Riva 88’ Domino Super offers excellent performance. Equipped with twin MTU 16V 2000 M94 delivering 2638hp, she reaches a maximum speed of 40 knots; a meatier version with two MTU 16V 2000 M93 engines allows for a top speed of 38 knots. She has been designed to be a pleasure to drive and most owners will enjoy being at the helm on the sundeck, as her performance provides a thrill equal to that of driving a sports car.
Model Riva 88’ Domino Super
Year of build 2015
Builder Riva Yachts – Ferretti SpA
Country of build Italy
Naval Architect Advanced Yacht Technology Ferretti Group
Exterior styling Mauro Micheli – Officina Italiana Design
Interior design Mauro Micheli – Officina Italiana Design
LOA 26.84 metres
Length at waterline 21.42 metres
Beam 6.29 metres
Draft 1.82 metres
Displacement (full load) 75.2 tonnes
Construction GRP
Classification Rina B + F + Aa
Hull Type 12° deadrise warped hull with spray rails
Engines 2 x 2435-hp Mtu 16V 2000 M93, 2 x 2638-hp Mtu 16V 2000 M94 (opt)
Stabilisation system Seakeeper (opt)
Speed max 38/34 knots
Speed cruise 40/35knots
Range 330nm @ 34 knots, 320nm @ 35 knots
Fuel capacity 7500 litres
Freshwater capacity 990 litres
Berths 8
Crew 4
Tenders Williams Turbojet 325 or 385 (opt)
Text Maria Roberta Morso
Source: http://www.oceanmagazine.com.au/j/index.php/current-issue-69/1653-domino-effect