RIVA 96’ ARGO SUPER: A NEW EXPRESSION OF ITALIAN YACHT DESIGN

The first Riva 96’ Argo Super was launched at Riva’s La Spezia shipyard in July 2026, introducing a new chapter in the evolution of the Italian builder’s flybridge range. At 28.79 metres, the yacht extends the proportions and ideas of the Riva 90’ Argo while introducing changes intended to make life on board more fluid, particularly around the stern, guest accommodation and main living areas.

The project continues Riva’s longstanding collaboration with Officina Italiana Design, the Strategic Product Committee and Ferretti Group’s Engineering Department. Rather than departing radically from the 90’ Argo, the 96’ Argo Super develops its established architecture through a series of carefully considered revisions. More generous glazing, reworked exterior spaces and an altered interior arrangement give the yacht a stronger relationship with the water without losing the clean, streamlined character associated with the Argo family.

Its exterior profile is defined by long, restrained lines and a relatively low silhouette for a yacht of its size. The first hull is finished in Aluminium with Bright Black detailing, creating a contrast that emphasises the length of the hull and the dark glazing running through the superstructure. The yacht has a 6.50-metre beam and a 2.15-metre draft, with three decks and a gross tonnage of 140 GT.

Much of the redesign is concentrated at the stern. Riva has reworked the beach area to make the connection between yacht and water more practical. The tender garage door incorporates a large sunpad, while the swim platform has been redesigned to assist with launching and retrieving watercraft. The first yacht is configured to carry a Williams 435 tender and a personal watercraft, allowing the stern to function as both a leisure space and a practical launch area.

The cockpit has received a similarly functional treatment. Additional storage, an integrated refrigerator and adjustable backrests allow the longitudinal sofas to accommodate different uses throughout the day. The flybridge continues the outdoor-living philosophy of the 90’ Argo, with a redesigned bar and mahogany tables creating a more continuous arrangement of spaces for dining and relaxation.

Inside, the changes are equally deliberate. Riva has introduced a lighter material palette, combining polished wengé with pale matt oak, mirrored surfaces and polished steel details. The contrast between darker wood and lighter finishes allows natural light to travel further through the interior, while maintaining the material richness expected of a yacht within the Riva range.

The main deck has been reconsidered around the way guests move between indoor and outdoor spaces. On the first hull, the dining area is positioned towards the aft end of the main deck, close to the cockpit, while the principal lounge occupies the forward section. This arrangement creates a natural progression from the exterior entertaining space into the interior rather than treating each area as an isolated room.

One of the less visible but significant changes is the relocation of the day head to the main deck. By moving it upstairs, Riva has recovered space on the lower deck and used it to enlarge the guest accommodation. In the standard configuration, the lower deck includes three guest cabins, among them a full-beam VIP suite aft. An optional arrangement provides four guest cabins, including three VIP cabins and a twin-bed guest cabin.

The owner’s suite occupies the full beam of the main deck. Enlarged glazed surfaces bring additional daylight into the cabin, while the positioning of the furniture allows views of the sea to remain visible from the bed. It is a relatively simple intervention, but one that changes the character of the space by making the surrounding landscape a more constant part of the interior.

The yacht accommodates eight guests in four cabins in the configuration described for the first unit, with accommodation for four crew. The arrangement is intended to balance private quarters with generous communal areas, preserving the sense of space expected of a yacht approaching 30 metres while maintaining clear separation between guest and crew areas.

Performance remains central to the 96’ Argo Super. The first yacht is powered by two MTU 12V 2000 M96X engines, each producing 2,000 horsepower. Riva gives a maximum speed of 30 knots and a cruising speed of 26 knots. The planing hull is paired with a range of onboard technologies intended to improve comfort and manoeuvrability, including Seakeeper NG18 and NG10 gyroscopic stabilisers, Xenta’s X-AID manoeuvring assistance and virtual-anchor system, a Watchit collision-prevention system and a stern thruster.

The yacht’s principal dimensions and performance figures underline its dual character. At 28.79 metres and 140 GT, it provides the accommodation and outdoor space associated with a sizeable flybridge yacht, while its twin 2,000-horsepower engines allow it to reach speeds more commonly associated with smaller performance-oriented craft. Its stated range is approximately 320 nautical miles at 22 knots, supported by an 8,700-litre fuel capacity.

The Riva 96’ Argo Super also illustrates how contemporary yacht development can be incremental rather than revolutionary. Its foundation is the Riva 90’ Argo, but the changes have been concentrated in areas that influence the experience of being aboard: how guests reach the water, how spaces connect, how natural light enters the interior and how the lower deck accommodates overnight guests. Riva describes the yacht as an evolution of the earlier model, and that distinction is important to understanding its design.

Riva’s history provides a broader context for this approach. The company traces its origins to 1842, when Pietro Riva established a boatyard in Sarnico on Lake Iseo after repairing fishing boats damaged by a severe storm. The yard initially built and repaired working vessels before the Riva family moved towards motorboats and, later, high-performance craft. During the 1920s and 1930s, Riva racing boats achieved national and international records, while the post-war period under Carlo Riva brought the company into a new era of pleasure boating.

The Sarnico yard remains an important part of that heritage, although the larger contemporary Riva models are built at the La Spezia shipyard. The La Spezia facility produces Riva yachts in the 70- to 130-foot range, including the new 96’ Argo Super.

The first Riva 96’ Argo Super is scheduled for its official public debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2026.

In the 96’ Argo Super, Riva has chosen evolution over spectacle. Its most consequential changes are not necessarily those that alter the yacht’s outline, but those that influence how its spaces are inhabited: a stern designed around the water, a suite opened to the horizon and an interior plan that makes better use of every deck. It is a measured continuation of Riva’s design language, shaped for the contemporary rhythms of cruising without losing sight of the sea as the yacht’s defining environment.

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