Riviera 505 SUV - performance to impress a professional skipper
by Riviera 19 Aug 2021 15:19 PDT
Riviera 505 SUV © Riviera Australia
The Riviera 505 SUV is an 'exceptional running boat with unbelievable efficiency at higher speeds'. So says professional skipper, Sharm Brown.
With a quarter of a century at the helm as a qualified marine master, today Sharm is a service technician for R Marine Jones on the Gold Coast. Together with Jack Jones, they delivered a new 505 SUV to her delighted owner in Airlie Beach, 'comfortably and respectfully in two days with no night driving'. Distance travelled: 550 nautical miles. Total fuel used: 4400 litres. Cruise speed: 28-plus knots.
"I was incredibly impressed with how flat on the water the boat ran fully fuelled and doing 28 knots easily with no strain on the engines," says Sharm. "Normally a fully fuelled boat of this size would feel like you're driving up a hill in an old car with a heavy boot and your foot flat to the floor. However, the 505 ran so true and flat, travelling an easy 2200RPM with no effort... it's amazing."
For Jack, who has spent 'a fair bit of time on Riviera motor yachts' in his life, the 505 SUV stands out for being dry, fast and efficient.
"Both Sharm and I were extremely impressed with the performance of this boat at sea - and it takes a lot to impress an old sea dog like him!" says Jack.
"The cruising speed is second-to-none. Fully loaded we were cruising 28 knots at an efficient fuel burn of 200 litres per hour, or up to 210 litres per hour when the sea was a little messy and we were pushing against the tide. It's extremely efficient, especially for a boat of its size - 55 feet overall - and loaded with 3.5 tonnes of fuel, plus full water tanks. With the slack tide and comfortable cruising, we were burning 199 litres per hour and, as the day progressed, we got an extra 1.5 to 2 knots, still at the same efficient fuel burn."
One of the first things Jack noticed about the 505 SUV was her new hull design and flared bow, which makes for a very dry ride, even in chop.
"Fully loaded at 28 knots we were only at 79 per cent engine load, which is unheard of. In the 23-hour journey, we didn't see a speck of wagon back or salt spray in the mezzanine. It's a 10-out-of-10 motor yacht."
The skippers kept an eye on the weather pattern and managed to stay on the front edge of it.
"We had a couple of hours of 20 to 25-knot sou'westers past Double Island Point," says Sharm. "But the boat rode over that no problem; we kept the windscreen dry and the speed up."
The 505 SUV offers two Volvo Penta IPS 950 engines with a robust 725 horsepower each.
"The larger engine spec is definitely the way to go; the extra horsepower is so fantastic. At 28 knots, riding flat on the water is good because you get a better view of the ocean. It's especially important this time of year when a whale can pop up and surprise you."
"And the visibility at the helm is excellent. I was prepping the boat all week for the delivery, but it wasn't until I was behind on these incredibly comfortable seats that I realised how well the layout of the electronics is presented. Everything is at the right position to easily view and control without having to take your eyes off the horizon for too long," says Sharm.
A word from the owner
Greg Murphy and his wife Aggie are over the moon with their spacious new Riviera. And while it had been blowing a breeze since the arrival of Intrim to Airlie Beach, Greg was looking forward to a seafaring summer.
"The girls - my wife and two daughters - and I just love it. She's beautiful. Her blue-water handling and the combination of the cockpit for fishing, with the family and the mezzanine for entertaining, will suit our life in the Whitsundays just right."