designboom was recently invited to visit and tour the legendary riva boatyard in sarnico,
on iseo lake in the lombardia region of italy. considered to be the 'ferrari' of the boat world,
riva began in 1842 with pietro riva, a carpenter who had moved there from como lake.
the reigns were passed on to ernesto, serafino and finally engineer, carlo riva,
who created the well-known 'riva-style' boat that has made a name for itself all over
the world as a synonym for elegance and impeccable taste.

in the 1950's and 1960's, the riva boatyard became internationally successful with
motorboats produced by carlo riva, who was also responsible for designing the company's
boatyard. his design for the building was meant to mimic the feeling that you are in a
boat looking out of the observation deck, where a captain would normally take charge.
as one of the oldest boat manufacturers, riva is the only company that started as a boat
producer and which still continues to produce boats to this day. riva has never stopped
making boats. they even continued production during the second world war.

the 'aquariva super' limited edition. once 100 of the 'aquariva' boats were manufactured,
a limited edition of 10 were produced.
this limited edition model is owned by norberto ferretti, president of ferretti group which has owned riva since 2000.
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the 'riva' logo
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inside the riva boatyard, small models of the classic boats are on display
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the 'seppietta' (or 'little squid')
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the 'seppietta's' name is derived from its squid-like shape.
it is one of the first racing boats deigned by carlo riva.


an upclose look at the detail and precision in which the riva boats are built. each nail head is aligned horizontally
in the same direction.
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the 'super ariston' was built between 1960 and 1976
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the dashboard of the 'super ariston'
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a bird's-eye view of 'super florida' and its lobster orange and cream upholstery
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carlo riva only approved the use of three colours with the mahogany boats.
the classic riva colors of turquoise, orange and cream are used to accent the dark wood.


details of the ariston show riva's fascination of the american cars of the 1950's
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the last 'aquarama' model which was built in 1996, which riva decided to keep - the classic riva colors are also maintained.
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cleat details of the 'aquarama' - the cleat is metal hardware in which a rope can be fastened
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a vintage photo of the 'aquarama'
image courtesy riva


the 'ariston'
image courtesy riva


brigitte bardot taking a 'junior' for a ride in saint-tropez


two riva workers assembling the 'aquariva'
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renderings of the 'aquariva' which is 33 ft. / 10.07 m in length
image courtesy of riva


each one of the boats gets a number to indicate how many have been produced
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each year, about 20 'aquariva' boats are produced,
which indicates how exclusive these 'water-mobiles' are.


a look at the work and equipment used to build the 'aquariva'
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each boat in the boatyard has a board which indicates the boat's number and progress sheet,
so that the next person to work on the boat is aware of what has been done and what is left to complete.


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boats are lined up according to how close they are to being completed. the most finished
boat is at the end of the line, just about ready to go onto the water, while the boat which
needs the most work is at the front of the line, working much like an assembly line.


two men work on preparing pieces of the bow of an 'aqua riva'
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pieces of the bow cut and prepared, ready to be installed
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the collection of templates that are used to prepare each piece of the boat
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the 'aquariva' in a custom blue bentley color.
the client selected this color because he already has a bentley in this blue.


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the bentley blue 'aquariva' just about ready to leave the boatyard
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metal grill
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getting ready to take the completed boat and test it out on the water
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riva has very specific tests which they run on the engines and mechanics of each boat
to ensure that they are all perfect.


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the 'aquariva' is the most popular model at riva. the same style, care and detail used to produced
the 'aquariva' is applied to constructing riva's larger-sized boats.


mid-stage construction of the 'rivale'
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final stages of constructing a 'rivale'
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a silver 'rivarama' which is 44 ft. / 13.40 m in length
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when a boat is done in a specific color, it isn't just the exterior that is finished
in that color. all major details including the toilet seat cover down to the screws and nails
used to construct the boat are painted in the custom color.


custom colored screws
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the boatyard in classic riva colors, white and turquoise
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the limited edition 'aquariva' owned by norberto ferretti, president of the ferretti group which owns riva.
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leaving the riva boatyard
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the streamlined 'aquariva super' has minimal waves as it moves through the water
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the 'aquariva' is an ideal boat for water skiing because of the little movement it makes
while passing through the water. each one comes with a pair of water skis along
with a picnic basket, to enhance your boating lifestyle.


designboom associate, massimo mini taking an 'aquariva super' out for a spin
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massimo steering the boat around iseo lake
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a small, private island on the iseo lake
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a look at the bow from behind the steering wheel. the rear window is reminiscent of one of a car, perhaps a cadillac from the 1950s.
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heading back to the boatyard which was also designed by carlo riva. it has a viewing deck which makes you feel like you're on a boat.
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riva also builds larger boats. here workers are aboard one of riva's 68 ft. long 'ego', which is still being constructed.
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'athena' is riva's 115 foot long yacht
image courtesy riva