The Legacy of Riva: 10 Legendary Boats in the History of the Iconic Brand

The history of the Riva boats dates back to 1842 when Pietro Riva, a young man from Northern Italy, began repairing and building yachts on Lake Iseo. Carlo Riva, his great-grandson, built wooden boats that were the epitome of the glamorous era of the 1950s and 60s. Carlo Riva drew inspiration from the American boat builder Chris-Craft, for whom he worked as an agent, and later developed his Crusader engines from 1967 to 1996.

The popularity of fiberglass in the second half of the 20th century contributed to the crisis and decline in sales of Riva wooden boats. Although Carlo Riva released the Rudy fiberglass model in 1969, he decided to sell the company in 1970. In 2000, Ferretti Group bought the Riva brand and revived it.

The 10 most incredible Riva boats in the history of the legendary brand include:

1. Corsaro (1946-1955): the world's first classic Riva boat, a two-seat series of boats based on the sporty AR Sport model. Production began in 1950, and the range included boats from 4.8 to 5.65 m in length.
2. Super Tritone (1950-1966): Riva's first twin-engined series. By the time the standard 221 Riva Tritone was produced, in 1950 the more powerful 8m Riva Tritone Super was born. This boat is valued at €200,000-€300,000.
3. Ribot III: Carlo Riva made an exception for the entrepreneur, nautical adventurer, and patron of Riva, Achille Roncoroni, who wanted the best, fastest, and biggest Riva. An exclusive version of the Tritone Special, an 8.3-meter boat was built, equipped with two high-performance Cadillac Eldorado V8 engines, with a capacity of 325 hp. each, which allowed reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour.
4. Ariston (1950-1974): the most famous Riva boat in the world, with a length of 6.7 meters and a characteristic rounded stern. 823 Riva Aristons and 189 Super Aristons have been built over the years.
5. Florida (1952-1969): Riva's sporty model, perfect for sunbathing and towing water skis. The range included one engine, with model lengths from 5.59 to 6.27 meters (Super Florida).
6. Aquarama (1962-1996): the most expensive Riva model ever, with production starting in 1962. From 1972 to 1996, 278 Aquarama Special models were sold. The all-wood Aquarama was auctioned in Florida in 2011 for $975,000.
7. Junior (1967-1972): a 5.6m model based on the Riva Florida, has become the favorite boat of stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Peter Sellers.
8. Olympic: an Olympic model Riva.
9. Rudy: Riva's first fiberglass model, was designed in 1969 by Carlo Riva.
10. Iseo: the latest Riva model, designed to commemorate the company's 170th anniversary in 2012. It was named after Lake Iseo, where the Riva story began.