Riva launches its first 96' Argo Super, a 29m flybridge for Cannes
A flybridge on top of the open 96' Argo
The 96' Argo Super measures 28.79 metres with a 6.50-metre beam, and its point is the extra deck: where the standard 96' Argo runs as a sleeker open boat, the Super adds a full flybridge with a new bar and mahogany-topped tables. Riva built the first hull at its La Spezia site, the yard it keeps for models between 70 and 130 feet, so the Super sits near the top of the group's most recognisable line rather than in bespoke superyacht territory.
The design came out of Officina Italiana Design working with the Ferretti Group's Product Strategy Committee and engineering team, which is the same in-house route every recent Riva has taken. For an owner weighing this size class, the Super is the answer to a simple question the open version could not settle: whether you want the lower, faster profile or the shade and the second lounge that a flybridge buys you.
Power and the reworked stern
The first hull carries a pair of MTU 12V 2000 M96X engines rated at 2,000hp each. That is a familiar package for a planing yacht of this length, and the number owners will actually feel is the beam-to-length it feeds: enough thrust to keep a nearly 29-metre flybridge boat on plane without turning the aft deck into an engine room.
Riva reworked the aft and beach area to sit closer to the water and open the transom up as usable space rather than a swim step. It is the part of the boat an owner uses at anchor every day, and reclaiming it is worth more to daily life aboard than any headline top speed. The rest of the layout follows the current Riva grammar, so a buyer already inside the brand will recognise where everything lives.
Why the Cannes debut matters
The Super makes its public debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, which is where Ferretti Group tends to open the order book on a new Riva in front of the buyers most likely to sign. A first-of-model launched and already dated for a September show is a yacht the yard expects to sell in series, not a one-off.
For a prospective owner, the read is straightforward: Riva has closed the gap in its own range, and the choice inside the 96' line is now coupe or flybridge rather than one hull taken as it comes. That protects resale for either version, because neither is the compromise pick. The waiting list that forms at Cannes will set how long a 2026 order takes to reach the water.
What is good, and what to watch
Strong points
- Solves a real layout gap rather than adding a badge variantThe Super is not a trim package on the standard 96' Argo - it adds a full flybridge, a new bar and mahogany-topped tables, and a reworked aft/beach area, giving social space the open version does not have.
- A proven engine and design package reduces first-hull riskTwin MTU 12V 2000 M96X engines and Officina Italiana Design styling are both established elsewhere in the Ferretti Group range, a different risk profile from a clean-sheet design on hull number one.
What to watch
- No hard performance numbers exist yetTop speed, cruise speed, range and tankage are absent from every launch report we checked - a buyer is currently choosing against a partly finished spec sheet while sea trials continue.
- No price has been publishedWithout a headline price, it is hard for a buyer weighing the coupe against the Super to judge the cost of the extra deck and equipment before the Cannes debut opens the order book.
Practical detail
| Price | Not published. Neither Riva's own release nor BOAT International's or Robb Report's coverage of the launch states a base price for the 96' Argo Super. |
|---|---|
| Where to see her | Public debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2026, per Riva's own announcement and Skipper ONDECK's coverage of the launch. |
| The coupe-or-flybridge choice | With the Super in the water, a buyer choosing the 96' Argo line now picks flybridge or open coupe rather than taking the hull as it comes - both share the same base platform but different deck architecture, aimed at different uses. |
| What is not published | No cruise speed, fuel burn, range or tankage figure appears in any launch report we checked. The boat was reported as still in sea trials at launch, so these figures most likely do not exist yet in a form Riva is ready to publish. |
Questions this story answers
What happened?
Riva has launched the first 96' Argo Super at its La Spezia yard, a 28.8-metre yacht that puts a full flybridge on the open 96' Argo hull. Twin 2,000hp MTUs, a redesigned aft and beach area, and a shaded upper deck aim it at a buyer who wants more social space than the sportier sister gives. It debuts at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, and Riva's coupe-versus-flybridge choice now runs right up to 29 metres.
What is good about it?
Solves a real layout gap rather than adding a badge variant. The Super is not a trim package on the standard 96' Argo - it adds a full flybridge, a new bar and mahogany-topped tables, and a reworked aft/beach area, giving social space the open version does not have.
What should an owner or buyer watch?
No hard performance numbers exist yet. Top speed, cruise speed, range and tankage are absent from every launch report we checked - a buyer is currently choosing against a partly finished spec sheet while sea trials continue.
Who reported this?
BOAT International, Riva (Ferretti Group), Riva Yachts, Robb Report, Salone Nautico di Genova, Skipper ONDECK.
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