Riviera 64 SMY Boat Reviews

Boat Review Date: 02 January 2026
Author: Dans Boat Life

Overview

This is potentially at the max size limit that most capable boating couples would consider running without crew. Thanks to the technology, design and construction of this Riv 64 SMY she's more than capable of some very serious cruising and may be the perfect choice for a family that's looking for a boat to serve you in life after work.

Riviera has reached a point of maturity where they have so many members of their team who have personally been involved in multiple decades of design, building and iteration of these boats. I feel they have reached a point where these larger boats now feel like smaller boats when you are at the helm. I don't mean they are small! That's not my point - what I mean is that the refinements, the small details and the clever additions that just keep coming with Riviera both make total sense and also reduce the work load on the skipper and crew to a point where you can just run these boats quite easily and you find yourself basically having more fun.

I hope these words makes sense to those of you who are in the market. Also bear in mind that Riv have already introduced a Series II of this very model so use this as your opportunity to spot the differences on the new model and see what you place value in.

About the Author: Dan Jones is a retired boat salesman of 20 years who is creating real world independent boat tests for his YouTube Channel, Dans Boat Life. He has personally sold and delivered over 450 power and sailing boats and has 30 years’ experience with yacht racing, cruising sailing and power boats of all types. Dan has trained hundreds of owners on the operation of their new boats and is a specialist in coaching new boat owners on how to confidently park their boat in a marina berth.