RIVA GOES ELECTRIC

Riva made its name building beautiful mahogany sportboats powered by big petrol engines, but the new El-Iseo is powered by an electric motor.

- Phil Draper

The original Riva Iseo was first shown back at Cannes 2011, and like the larger Aquariva, it has earned its place as an enduring modern classic.

Around 70 of these beautiful sterndrive-propelled 27-footers have been delivered to date, but while its styling has barely changed over the past 13 years, the latest model packs a very different powertrain.

The El-Iseo isn't just Riva's first all-electric craft, it's the first battery-powered sports boat built by any of the long-established European boat yards. The big question is whether this is just an expensive toy built to satisfy a handful of wealthy clients or a genuine first step on the path to a greener future? We flew out to Italy to put it through its paces and see how it fares.

MUSICAL CONDUCTORS

The El-Iseo started life as an engineering prototype at the 2022 Cannes Yachting Festival, but this is the real deal, a full production-ready RCD-approved boat you can buy off the shelf, albeit at a suitably elevated price tag.

The El-Iseo is very similar to its petrol- or diesel-powered sisters, save for a revised windscreen, cockpit layout and what lies beneath the sunpad. The heart of the matter is a Parker GVM310 AC motor, rated for a continuous 250kW (335hp) and a temporary peak of 300kW (402hp). Then there's a sealed and liquid-cooled 800V 150kWh lithium battery bank, a salt water heat exchanger, a voltage regulator, an inverter, and plenty of heavy-duty insulation, wiring and hosing, as well as various fire and gas detection/extinguishing systems.