The evolution of a legend

CARLO RIVA

BOAT BUILDING GENIUS

The creator of the world's most beautiful boats, he forever changed the imaginary and the aesthetic tastes of owners and enthusiasts. In the centenary year of his birth, the portrait of an extraordinary man who launched Italian design on the world stage, from the Dolce Vita to the present day.

An incomparable creator of boats and a master of style and elegance. An extraordinary man whose name became a legend and a brand that symbolises boating. Carlo Riva wasn't only one of the world's most highly regarded and best known businessmen in the recreational boating industry, but has also left an indelible mark on the history of style and design. Under his leadership, Riva became the world's most famous boat builder of all time and the symbol of an Italy characterised by productivity and flair. Continuous technical evolution has always been a feature of his boats, from the timeless appeal of wood to state-of-the-art fibreglass and steel. Masterpieces imagined, designed and built according to the style of a unique man who has become a legend.

Carlo Riva was born in Sarnico on February 24, 1922, in the period when the first racing powerboats were being built, and from a young age was driven by a boundless passion for boats and boatyards. He joined the family business when he was still very young, following in the footsteps of his father Serafino, and before him his grandfather and great-grandfather, who founded the company in 1842.

In 1954, he inaugurated the new cutting-edge yard and organised production according to state-of-the-art practices. During this period he transformed the very idea of what a boat was: from a working tool, a means of goods and passenger transport, or the first racing powerboats, to a luxury object designed to give pleasure and a unique product in terms of its aesthetics, function, elegance and attention to detail. Carlo is the creator of the Riva legend, the mastermind who transformed the brand and its boats into status symbols, with models such as Ariston and Tritone, Sebino and Florida, and of course the legendary Aquarama, presented in 1962, which turned the yard into a factory of dreams and a symbol of boating. His boats became objects of desire for aristocrats, actors, sports champion, businessmen and celebrities in all fields. They include: Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot and Liz Taylor, Jean Paul Belmondo, Richard Burton and Jackie Stewart. As well as royalty, princes and sheiks from all over the world. The boats produced under Carlo Riva's leadership are all inspired by a brilliant idea that anticipated a need, launching a fashion that was never an end in itself, but the result of design and construction research that always made the difference.

Carlo Riva once again demonstrated his entrepreneurial vision when in 1969 he decided to produce the first fibreglass boat, proving his ability to innovate while respecting traditional values. His unique and inexhaustible entrepreneurial spirit can be seen not only in the boats he built, but also in his ability to foresee needs and opportunities. Anticipating the needs of owners, he created Riva Boat Services to sell his boats and provide technical assistance. After leaving the yard in 1972, he shifted his interests to the Porto Turistico Internazionale di Rapallo (Rapallo International Marina), which was dedicated to him on July 25, 1975 and has since then borne his name. In 2005, in the Principality of Monaco, Riva's 'home' on the Côte d'Azur, Alberto II of Monaco honoured him with the title 'Personnalité de la Mer'. Carlo Riva has never failed to provide his advice, solidarity and support to Cantieri Riva and his attendance of the debut of Rivamare in 2016 is an emotion-filled memory for everyone in the company. Carlo Riva passed away in Sarnico on April 10, 2017, perhaps "with a touch of nostalgia for a great life lived to the full, at high speed and surrounded by boats", as he himself liked to say.

CURIOSITIES AND ANECDOTES

1939: Motorboats for the Italian East African Government

One of Carlo Riva's first and most important experiences with boats was in 1939, when he had to supervise the design and construction of six motorboats commissioned by the Italian East African Government. Their construction was anything but simple, because they were going to be used in the shallow waters of the Ascianghi and Tana lakes in Ethiopia. As a result of this successful project, Carlo realised that series production, already adopted in the USA, presented a huge opportunity and became his main focus.

1949: Mini yacht Mariuccia II

In the 1940s, Carlo Riva created one of his first yachts, the 'Marianna' for Carlo Dusio, which drew admiration from many, including one particular customer, who was so impressed by the American-style lines that eight years later he asked Carlo to design a cruiser like it for him. Elegance, understated design and refinement lavished on every construction detail clearly show the paradigm shift to a new level of quality. This new mini-yacht built entirely from Lebanon cedarwood, with an innovative design aesthetic and much more technically advanced than the previous model, was given the name 'Mariuccia II' by the owner Vittorio Penzo, the producer of Tre Teste brand razor blades. According to the files in the archive for 1949, the mini-yacht was built in record-breaking time. Work began on January 1, 1949 and the boat was ready to launch on August 18 of the same year. This was the second and last cabin cruiser built by the yard in that period, and many of the features anticipate the unmistakable style that would characterise Carlo Riva's future projects.

1953: Carlo the record-breaker

Carlo Riva had many highly publicised successes, but one in the sporting arena is less well-known than the others. It was in 1953, after Carlo had taken over the management of the yard and decided to close the racing division. That year, at the time of the traditional Sebino Powerboat GP, he received a visit from Gianni Sironi, a journalist for the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper and a powerboat expert. Sironi asked him about the "Tritone", the new and unusually fast runabout produced by Riva. Carlo told him it had a top speed of 70 kilometres per hour. Amazed, Sironi pointed out that the world speed record for the category (International Runabout, class 1) was under 70 km/h, making it almost a moral obligation to try and break it. Carlo had never tried his hand at racing and, as he himself confessed, he wasn't particularly attracted to this type of experience.

He put all his efforts and passion into the boats he designed and built. First and foremost, at that particular time, the Tritone, which he said was the best boat in the world. Perhaps for this very reason, to demonstrate the quality of his creation, in the end he gave in to Sironi's insistence and took to the water at the helm of the Tritone. The attempt on the record took place at the end of October during 'Record Week' organised by the Italian Powerboat Federation, over a distance measured out in front of the Riva yard (as a tribute to Serafino). The Tritone didn't disappoint: Carlo beat the world record with a speed of 75.15 km/h and went on to set new long-distance (24 miles) and hour records. When asked if he was excited about the great result, Carlo answered that he was particularly pleased at being able to see firsthand the validity of the Scripps engine, the first in the period not to be derived from automotive monobloc designs. And he was obviously happy about what the Tritone had achieved. But as he had always said, it was the best boat in the world!

1968 - 1970: LA PLANCIA, (THE BRIDGE), NOT JUST AN OFFICE BUT AN ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECE

In 1965, Carlo Riva decided to enlarge the Sarnico yard to include a representative office. The result was "The Bridge", a project whose architectural simplicity was inspired by a ship's bridge. Designed by Carlo Riva himself, working with architect Giorgio Barilani, The Bridge continues today to embody his spirit and taste, which over the years have become a benchmark for the storied yard. As is the case with his boats, Carlo's vision is so unique and incisive that it cannot be replicated or copied, and this project epitomises his creativity. So much so that when in 1969 he left the company, he signed a clause that let him use his beloved "La Plancia" for ten more years. Until a few years before he passed away, he continued to come into the office when invited, pleased to spend a few hours back in his "driving seat".

1970: The birth of the Superyacht Division, Carlo Riva's megayacht dream

The desire to break new ground prompted Carlo Riva, in the early 1960s (1961-1964), to venture into the construction of large steel displacement yachts that could handle the challenges of the open sea. With the resulting Yacht Division, Carlo Riva started to "think big", working first with Northern European shipyards to build the famous Caravelle and Atlantic series motoryachts, and then entering into a historic partnership with CRN, which between 1970 and 1978 resulted in the construction of six motoryachts over 20 metres in length in the Marco Polo series, derived from the Super Conero, and two Vespuccis 90 and 100 feet in length. The last of these became his own personal yacht. The collaboration between two great innovators like Carlo Riva and CRN's Sanzio Nicolini was very important not only for the two companies involved, but also for the Italian yachting industry as a whole. The immediate "recognisability" of CRN yachts continues to be a leitmotif today as it was back then. In this period, CRN yachts stood out above all for their unusual signature bow shape. Some of the most important boats produced at the time were Bagheera (38 metres, 1973), Gazella (31 metres, 1974), Moneikos (35 metres, 1976), Caribe III (35 metres, 1979) and Santa Cruz Tres (36 metres, 1979). In 1978, CRN also built its first yacht over 45 metres: the 47.2-metre Fath Al Khair for the Emir of Qatar, Al-Thani.

1972: The memorable feat of the Aquarama Super "Zoom"

As he himself recounts with emotion and satisfaction, in 1972 Carlo Riva and Carlo Rossi, technical manager of the Riva Monaco Boat Service, successfully transformed the Aquarama into a racing boat and entered it in an Atlantic marathon organised by the Offshore Powerboat Club of Great Britain. It was a crazy, borderline impossible endeavour, but the talent and tenacity of Carlo Riva, Carlo Rossi and his son Gianfranco transformed a 1970 Aquarama Super, the "Zoom", into a racing boat. A few technical changes were made, such as moving the cockpit aft to make room for a supplementary fuel tank and to soften the impact on the driver's back. But the most pressing need was to install more competitive engines, and those chosen were two 350-horsepower Thermo Electron Crusader petrol engines. At first, the Offshore Powerboat Club of Great Britain was unwilling to allow the Aquarama Super to enter the race, arguing that it was not technically capable of competing.

But in the end the "Zoom" was given permission to start, with Gianfranco Rossi in the driving seat. When during the race the boat reached Marbella in an excellent position, it was discovered that the fuel tanks needed replacing because of cracks in the welds and there was the risk of an explosion during navigation. Carlo Riva - who made a fundamental contribution at organisational, logistical and technical level - had the idea of fitting two 200-litre tanks. So at two o'clock in the morning in Puerto Banús in Marbella, after endless problems, the "Zoom" was restored to full efficiency and able to conclude its extraordinary feat. It finished first in its category with an hours-long lead over its rivals and placed second overall behind the offshore racing powerboat of English driver Bellamy. Carlo Riva could never have imagined achieving such an excellent result, and always remembered with emotion the moment when Gianfranco Rossi set foot on the quay in Monte Carlo with his fellow adventurers Ettore Andenna and Renato Mazzolini. They had completed an exceptional feat, showing the whole world the remarkable seaworthiness and reliability of the Aquarama. Carlo Riva himself recalled the episode as one of the greatest satisfactions of his fantastic life as a boat builder.