Unveiled at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025, the Aquariva Special greets the world as both heir and renewal of Riva’s most storied model. With its soulful contours, Petrol Blue sheen and unmistakable poise, this is boating’s purest expression of heritage meeting the now.
There are boats, and then there’s Riva. Few names in craftsmanship inspire such unbroken devotion, their varnished mahogany and flawless chrome forged into legend long before most of us first dreamed of sea air. This year at Cannes, the Italian marque rekindled that legend with the launch of the Aquariva Special—a boat that doesn’t so much replace its predecessors as pick up their story mid-sentence.
More than two decades since the Aquariva first took up the Aquarama’s mantle, this latest incarnation sails into a class of its own. Over 300 examples of the model have graced the water since 2001, but this “Special” edition marks a moment deserving of its title—one reserved until now only for the great Aquarama itself.
Faithful to those timeless, flowing proportions that made the Riva silhouette so instantly recognisable, the new Aquariva balances classical grace with the modern lines honed by Officina Italiana Design’s Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta. For over thirty years, their studio has shaped every Riva afloat, and here again their touch is as restrained as it is brilliant—refining, never reinventing.
At a glance, the 10.07‑metre craft gleams with renewed intent. The windscreen has been elegantly reimagined for a sleeker, more aerodynamic form. At the stern, a broader swim platform with subtly curved steps invites an easy dip into the sea, while details such as the handrail and mooring cleats pay delicate tribute to the former Aquariva Super.
Even the familiar mahogany fascia now carries a lighter, contemporary look, colour‑matched to the hull and complemented by redesigned air grilles. The result is harmony—heritage viewed through a polished, present‑day lens.
Step aboard, and that balance deepens. The cockpit envelops guests in a U‑shaped lounge upholstered to echo the hull’s hue, the craftsmanship so tactile it almost seems to hum. A table at its heart can lower to transform the dining space—elegant for eight—into a sun‑drenched recline for two. Shade glides up at a button’s touch, courtesy of an electro‑hydraulic bimini discreetly stowed in the sofa back.
The forward section continues this thoughtful dialogue between beauty and practicality. The helm, traditionally analogue, can now host dual digital Boening displays for integrated navigation, paired with the option of a joystick for smooth, intuitive mooring. To starboard, a modest galley neatly conceals a sink, refrigerator and worktop—ample for mixing sundowners or sharing a few Mediterranean nibbles at anchor.
From an engineering perspective, much has evolved beneath those gleaming decks. The hull is now laminated by infusion rather than hand, a change that lightens the craft and unlocks the possibility of housing the Seakeeper NG6 gyroscopic stabiliser—a technological marvel that cancels roll and keeps the boat level even in motion. Combined with the switch to Humphree interceptors over the previous flaps, the handling feels effortless, measured, and unmistakably Riva.
Twin 370HP Yanmar 8LV engines deliver a cruising speed of 36 knots and a top speed of 40.5—numbers that matter less for their precision than for the pleasure they create.
Yet for all its performance, the Aquariva Special remains a design story rooted in reverence. “We touched the lines only lightly,” notes Micheli. “Our goal was to align her with today’s Riva codes without disturbing her soul.” And indeed, the soul is intact—undaunted, resplendent, and now shimmering in Petrol Blue, the livery chosen for her world premiere at Cannes.
This, ultimately, is what defines the Aquariva Special. Not the newness of its features or the innovation beneath the hull, but the way all of it seems to serve one enduring truth: that elegance never ages, it only evolves.
As she glides out, sun scattering across her lacquered curves, you understand why Riva’s creations are never merely boats—they are dreams, handcrafted to last a lifetime on the water.
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