BOATING WORLD AT THE RIVIERA FESTIVAL
11 Jun 2012
Zane Dresner of Boating World Durban had an action-packed 10 days in Australia recently where he was spellbound by the latest innovations on offer at the Riviera Festival, Dealer Conference and Boat Test day. He also visited the annual Sanctuary Cove Boat Show and Airberth’s offices near surfer’s paradise on the famous Gold Coast.
He joined many enthusiastic Riviera owners and dealers who arrived en-masse at Riviera’s Coomera factory near Brisbane, to view the spectacular range of Sport Fishers and Sport Yachts on display. Zane said the brand new release 75 Enclosed Flybridge, nicknamed The God Father, simply takes one breath away with her sheer magnitude – and at one point there were nine people standing comfortably in the galley alone.
The fully digital helm of this fishing machine is a spectacular sight with everything that opens and shuts at your fingertips from navigation to engine controls and much more. As large as she is, the Riviera 75 has the performance and handling characteristics of a much smaller boat and she’s incredibly quiet, with power that eats up the sea. She’s so responsive two people can easily manage her on their own.
An evening viewing of the new Riviera’s 63 Enclosed Flybridge revealed impressive spaciousness – this angler’s dream boat also makes for a great entertainer. While the guys are fishing the massive and well-appointed flybridge is the perfect spot for partners to relax in – offering unbelievably luxurious comfort with spectacular views.
As for the Riviera Belize 52 - this new luxury cruiser was the talk of the town thanks to her striking lines and incredible attention-to-detail and finish, not to mention her super smooth dry ride and incredible power delivery.
Visitors and Riviera owners really enjoyed the festive atmosphere throughout the weekend and especially the guided tours through the Riviera factory and many informative talks on offer – with everything from women in boating to fishing and there was even a Masterchef-type cook-off. There were 2 categories of which both were won by a South African Riviera owner, Kim Labuschagne.
Riviera’s boats on display at the Sanctuary Cove show also attracted much attention – with serious anglers appreciating the 47 Enclosed Flybridge while cruise-lovers inspected the 4400 and 5800 Sport Yachts and a debut showing of the Belize 52. Zane was immensely impressed with the many new product innovations – and he was thrilled to explore the stunning London-manufactured Fairline Targa 58 luxury cruiser also on show.
At Airberth, Zane was given Royal Treatment from the airberth team and he underwent specialist training on their amazing Lift Systems – learning invaluable tricks of the trade when it comes to installation. While Airberth has made a huge impact on the Australian market, more and more local boaters are realising the huge benefit of owning one of these revolutionary units which can lift boats up to 14ton.
