Full disclosure: I carry my car keys on a Riva fob as a constant reminder of where I want to be. I’ve always appreciated Riva’s design and execution, and the Riva 82′ Diva only strengthens my admiration for the brand.
Flybridge motoryachts of this volume do not get any more elegant. Mauro Micheli and his team at Officina Italiana Design—which has penned every new Riva for about three decades—tell me their brief this time was to create a modern flybridge yacht that’s also sporty and streamlined. And haven’t they just? The 82′ Diva’s proportions are precise, and it is the first Riva with fold-down quarter platforms that turn the cockpit and hydraulic swim platform into a beach club. That guest space has a table and a pair of inboard-facing sofas, as well as a sun pad above a tender garage that you would never know was there, given its low profile. The fold-down platforms add more than 10 feet to the almost 20-foot beam.
More alfresco lounging is on the 430-square-foot flybridge. It’s partially protected by a hardtop that covers the cockpit stairs, a wet bar with a countertop, an L-shaped sofa and a table to port, and the two-seat upper helm to starboard. The hardtop’s forward edge is notched to provide headroom en route to the forward sun pad above the pilothouse. More lounging and sunbathing areas are forward on the deck below.
Inside, the salon has picture windows that make it a naturally bright space. The 82′ Diva’s standard decor is high-gloss “rigatoni” veneers—strips of Italian walnut—with other options available, including a chocolate wenge. Regardless of the wood choice, the varnish work can be 25 coats deep. And the accents are equally tactile: polished stainless steel, satin lacquer work, stitched leather, marble, and contrasting carpets and furnishings. It’s a marvelous fusion of light, midrange and dark tones.
