Riviera 585 SUV
The latest edition continues the model line’s theme: seamless integration of indoor-outdoor living spaces.
Back in the mid-aughts, I was among the first journalists to sea trial the Riviera 3600 Sport Yacht. It was the Australian builder’s first non-convertible boat to make it stateside. I came away impressed with its versatility, performance and accommodations. The single-level living space really set that boat apart.
Riviera is now the largest boatbuilder in the southern hemisphere, with several distinct lines of craft. My favorite is the SUV collection, which combines the offshore-performing hulls of flybridge models with the entertainment spaces first seen on Riviera’s Sport Yachts.
The latest SUV, the 585, continues the mélange of indoor-outdoor living from stern to stem. In the cockpit, there’s a demarcation of two distinct social areas: Far aft is easy egress to and from the water for people and water toys, while two wide transom doors lead to a fridge, ice maker and electric barbecue. I also like the aft wing station with a joystick on the starboard side (it can be installed to port, as an option). The only thing I would add is dinghy chocks on the optional hydraulic swim platform.
Three steps up is the alfresco deck, what I consider the pièce de résistance of the 585. It’s a commodious space with seating for at least six guests, and is protected from the elements via side panels and a hardtop. A pair of electric opening sunroofs allow for light and a breeze. Combined, the cockpit and alfresco deck create about 250 square feet of outdoor living space — on a 65-foot boat.
Like previous SUV models, the 585 also has a large, fold-up window to starboard, and a glass-and-steel sliding door that connects the salon’s aft galley with the alfresco deck and cockpit. The salon has indoor dining adjacent to the portside galley, and an L-shaped settee flanking the portside helm. The 585 looks to have Recaro-style, adjustable helm chairs similar to those on the 485 SUV. These chairs are ideal perches for the captain and navigator.
The standard belowdecks layout includes a full-beam, amidships master, a forward VIP with a queen berth, and a portside stateroom with bunks. The master and VIP are both en suite, with the third stateroom’s head across the companionway (also serving as the day head). There is an option for crew quarters abaft the master, but I think this area will be better served as a full-beam utility room with laundry and stowage.
Standard power is a pair of 900-hp Volvo Penta D13s mated to IPS drives, with an option for 1,000-hp engines. Other options include a radar arch, solar panels on the hardtop, and a gyrostabilizer or fins.
The 585 SUV made her world debut Down Under at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show and is slated to premiere stateside in late October at the 2023 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show.
Riviera 585 SUV Specifications:
LOA: 64’ 8”
Beam: 18’ 7”
Draft: 5’ 1”
Displacement: 66,139 lb.
Fuel: 1,189 gal.
Water: 211 gal.
Engine: 2/900-hp Volvo Penta D13-IPS1200
