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Riva Aquarama, Super Aquarama,
Aquarama Lungo, Aquarama Special
(1962 - 1996)
The most famous Carlo Riva’s
designs, the Aquarama was become, over time, more than
just a boat. The undisputed flagship of the range,
it is celebrated as a nautical legend in its own right,
a superlative in beauty, craftsmanship and performance
that has rarely been surpassed both on and off the water.
Its evocative name perhaps assured its mythical status,
and is derived in part from the widescreen Cinerama
movie format, popular in the early 1960s, which is echoed
by the boat’s wide windshield.
In origin, the Aquarama was a direct
descendant of the Tritone, upon whose hull it was based.
First built in 1962, it incorporated the open sunbathing
area of the Tritone Aperto with several new features,
including separate front seats and a central non-slip
gangway which allowed easier access to the water at
the back. Like the Tritone it was always a twin-engine
boat, although the units fitted varied widely, from
185 hp each to 350 hp in the Aquarama Special.
In total 769 boats were built over
the course of the Aquarama’s long production run,
which only came to an end in 1996. This included
203 Super Aquaramas (built 1963-1971), seven Aquarama
Lungo (1972 only, and the longest at 8.7 metres), and
278 Aquarama Specials (1972-1996).
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