RUNAWAY BAY, QUEENSLAND – “Why didn’t we do this years ago,” said Sue Scott to husband Paul weeks after they took delivery of their Riviera 40 Flybridge.
With children grown up, the couple decided last year it was time to indulge their passion.
“We went to the Riviera Festival of Boating early last year,” explained Sue. “We had such a great time and learned so much we decided we had to be a part of the Riviera Family.”
Sue and Paul were involved in the marine industry for many years, particularly selling and later building ski boats as well as racing them.
“We even towed Tony Longhurst,” said Sue. “Tony is Riviera Chairman and owner Rodney Longhurst’s brother and a well known motor racing driver.”
The couple later moved to the New South Wales north coast hinterland and macadamia nut farming.
After a great deal of research for the ideal Riviera, the couple selected a Riviera 40 Flybridge named Forty Something.
“The previous owners had kept her in perfect condition and recently replaced all of the bedding and soft furnishings. She looked fabulous,” said Sue.
The Riviera 40 is a two cabin, one bathroom model first built in 2000. She holds a special place in the history of Riviera; the first of a new generation of motor yachts to feature the distinctive exterior lines, quickly becoming known and the new “millennium” design.
She was also the first new model to come out of the company’s then brand new facility in Coomera and went on display in Australia for the first time at the 2000 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show to great acclaim. Over the next eight years, Riviera built a very impressive 288 Riviera 40 Flybridge motor yachts, more than any other model in the company’s 38-year history.
“One of the great attractions for us was the nostalgia she represents,” said Sue Scott. “We love all the teak timberwork. She is our ‘sea-going gal’.”
The Riviera 40 has sleeping accommodation for five in the two cabins, two in the master stateroom forward and three in single berths on a starboard cabin. The salon dinette also converts to a comfortable double.
The salon includes two lounges, an aft port side L-shape lounge with coffee table and an L-shape lounge forward on the starboard side around a dinette table.
The galley is fully equipped, including a two-burner electric cooktop, two-door refrigerator, exhaust fan, microwave/convection oven and plenty of storage capacity.
A ladder leads to the flybridge with aft helm and companion chairs facing a wrap-around helm station with sport-style wheel, engine controls and a multi-function navigation screen.
“She has all the electronics we need,” said Paul. “She includes Raymarine E120 multi-function navigation display, radar, fish finder, chain counter. She even has a bow thruster.
“She is powered by C7 Caterpillar turbo diesel engines. I really like them.”
The forward area of the flybridge includes two lounges and a wet bar with molded sink and mixer tap.
Sue loves the spaciousness of the Riviera 40.
“Even though she is a 40-footer, she appears much bigger. Our neighbor in the pen beside us has a 48-foot motor yacht and he thought our boat was 45 feet.
“We can seat eight people in the salon for drinks with room to spare. The galley is a generous size with good bench space.
“Storage throughout the boat is very generous. Some compartments I haven’t even used yet!
“Our master stateroom is a comfortable space. The mattress lifts and there is a huge storage space underneath.
“We have air-conditioning in the salon and accommodation.
“Forty Something might be smaller in length but isn’t short on comfort and extras.”
Soon after after taking delivery of Forty Something, Sue and Paul joined the R Marine Crawley weekend getaway at the islands of the northern Broadwater and then joined the R Marine Jones mega raft-up at the southern Broadwater.
“These events were a marvelous way to get to know people,” said Sue. “A few weeks before the raft-up, a gentleman named Jason helped us tie up at Sanctuary Cove. And there he was in the raft-up! We danced half the night aboard Jason and Jo’s Riviera.
“We keep Forty Something at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast Broadwater. We have spent a lot of our time aboard exploring the southern end of Moreton Bay, from Amity Point to Peel Island and myriad other islands in the area. Now we are looking forward to taking her to sea.”
Sue and Paul hosted their family aboard over last Christmas and everyone had a great time.
“We let our daughter, Tayla, and her baby, Archie, take over the accommodation deck,” said Sue. “Unfortunately, Tayla’s husband had to work through the holiday. We were very comfortable with the lounge converted to a double bed in the salon.
“It was a wonderful experience, but we think we are going to need something a bit larger for our growing family.”
After we published a Facebook post about the Riviera 40, we were delighted with the instant affection shown to this classic model. Here are just a few comments.
Stephen Morrison: “Love my 40. She’s a gamefishing weapon.”
Jim Pascoe: “We love ours”.
Ted Edwards is also pleased with his choice. “Just like mine,” he wrote. “One of the most popular models ever built.”
Rob Swann: “Lov’n our 40.”
Garry Grill described the 40 as “a real classic”.
