Riva 76 Perseo Super: Full VIP tour of this stunning Italian icon

Reporting from the 2023 Boot Düsseldorf Boat Show, MBY editor Hugo Andreae takes us on a full tour of the Riva 76 Perseo Super…

How time flies. It’s eight years since we tested the original Riva 76 Perseo at the Cannes Yachting Festival, a sleek and stupendously competent piece of luxury engineering that gave us a terrific high-speed run in one-metre seas, like a thoroughbred racehorse out for a gallop.

It didn’t break a sweat. And the fit and finish were everything you would hope for in a Riva – tasteful, opulent, and beautifully executed. In fact there was something so marvellous about it that we gave it a Motor Boat Award. Unimprovable is the word that springs to mind.

Nevertheless, improvements are claimed for this new Riva 76 Perseo Super version. Various interior décor schemes are offered, which change the look quite markedly: light or dark lacquered oak panelling, for example, or lustrous rosewood if you prefer.

Dark mahogany detailing contrasts with the stainless steel. In a significant change to the original spec, the Perseo now comes with the option of a fourth cabin down below, with twin berths and its own ensuite, taking the place of the lower seating area and some useful stowage space on the port side.

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Although this new lower layout won’t feel as spacious as the standard, it is bound to find favour. There is also a bar option for the cockpit, in place of the L-shaped sofa on the starboard side.

One thing that hasn’t changed on the new Riva 76 Perseo Super’s spec sheet is the choice of engines, which on our test of the original, which packed the larger 1800s, proved such a perfect match for this hull.

If it’s anything like as good as the original Perseo, the new version will certainly warrant its Super nomenclature. But is it any better? Hard to believe, but anything’s possible I suppose.

Enjoy the tour…