Experience the rich and rewarding Riviera luxury lifestyle at the inaugural Thailand Yacht Show
SMLXL
Highly awarded Australian luxury yacht builder Riviera will present an inspiring new example of on-water excellence when it rolls out the red carpet to welcome visitors to the inaugural Thailand Yacht Show from 11-14 February 2016. The marque’s luxurious line-up at the Ao Po Grand Marina in the north of Phuket – to be staged in conjunction with Riviera and Belize dealer Lee Marine – will feature the Asia Premiere of the sporty new 525 SUV from the marque’s adventurous crossover collection. Riviera chairman and owner Rodney Longhurst says he is delighted to support this new boating showcase at the gateway to the beautiful cruising and warm-water diving destination of Phang Nga Bay. “Phuket and South East Asia are perfect locations to enjoy all the rich and rewarding benefits that the luxury Riviera life afloat can bring,” he says. “Our premium motor yachts have enjoyed a long and successful association with Lee Marine and we proudly support general manager Martin Holmes and the Thailand Yacht Show organisers in their efforts to raise the profile of boating in South East Asia.” Riviera has a rich 36-year heritage of striving to enhance the fun and fulfillment of its global family of discerning luxury motor yacht owners, and works collaboratively with them to continually refine the hallmark easy-to-use equipment and technology, and the practicality and hands-on operational design aspects that make the Riviera boating experience even better. The renowned marque’s stunning showcase in Phuket will reflect a great passion for excellence, for supreme blue-water sea-keeping capabilities and for superior owner enjoyment. Riviera 525 SUV – The Ultimate Crossover Yacht Asia Premiere Riviera’s striking new SUV design is a clear reflection of the growing worldwide appeal for luxury motor yachts with the versatility to meet the requirements of both the avid angler and cruising entertainer. “The innovative Riviera SUV crossover collection combines the high-performance, blue-water cruising and luxury livability attributes of the classic Riviera Flybridge collection, and the single-level, leisurely entertaining features of the stylish Riviera Sport Yacht design,” says Mr Longhurst. “We are extremely proud of the way the SUV collection is being embraced by boating aficionados worldwide.” By design, the 525 SUV offers a luxurious alfresco lifestyle. The rear sliding door and awning window are tinted, tempered glass set in a highly polished, marine-grade stainless steel frame. When the rear bulkhead is open, it creates one unified space from the cockpit through to the front windscreen. Opening, tinted side windows and two electric sliding sunroofs built into the solid GRP hardtop draw more light and fresh air into the saloon, whilst the huge windscreen looking out over the forward deck and bow draws light below to the three-stateroom, two-bathroom accommodation deck. This new SUV model features a modern, elevated wrap-around helm with two large and luxurious low-back leather helm seats as well as a wide range of standard inclusions that, in the past, might have been considered optional. These include the cleverly integrated Volvo Penta Glass Cockpit navigation and CZone digital switching systems. The 525 design has joysticks as standard at the helm and to starboard in the cockpit, and is powered by the proven twin IPS2-800 pod configuration with D11 engines (2 x 626hp/441kW), achieving a cruising range of 355 nautical miles at 23.9 knots. Owners have the option of upgrading to the popular IPS2-950 pod drive package (2 x 725hp/655kW). Passion for Excellence Lee Marine joined the worldwide network of Riviera and Belize dealers – now spanning some 60 countries – in 1998 and over the past 18 years has formed a close relationship with the Australian Marine Industry’s 2015 Exporter of the Year. The dedicated Lee Marine team recently moved to a new base at Ao Po Grand Marina, where several Riviera owners choose to moor their yachts. “The 525 SUV design on display in Phuket will showcase how Riviera is striving to make boating even easier and more enjoyable for experienced boaters and also those aspiring to take the helm,” said Mr Holmes. “When you consider all the benefits of owning a Riviera, you really start to appreciate what’s now renowned internationally as ‘the ultimate boating experience’.”
