Production begins on exciting new Riviera 395 SUV
by Riviera Australia 15 Mar 2018 05:26 PDT
The gleaming hull mould ready for lamination © Riviera Australia
Riviera's exciting new 395 SUV, our first under-forty-foot model for nearly a decade, has begun production with the hull now in lamination.
As described in our previous edition of Experience, a carefully crafted timber cradle was lowered over the hull mould in February, the mould, plug and cradle then turned and lowered to the floor and the plug removed.
The hull mould moves to our lamination facility
The mould has now been moved to the production lamination facility where specially-designed pod drive modules have been added. These allow the craftsmen to position the Volvo Penta IPS propulsion pods through the hull to within a millimetre and fractions of a degree to ensure they deliver optimum performance.
Riviera craftsmen then post-cured the mould. The moulds for all parts of the motor yacht undergo this process to ensure they are solid and true and to provide final assurance that the completed parts will exactly fit together. Post-curing also provides an ultimate shine on the mould surface that ensures simple release of the completed hull from the mould.
Preparing the mould for lamination
The hull mould was coated in a thin layer of wax in a dust-free environment before the first gel coat was sprayed and the fibreglass and resin lamination could begin.
As with every Riviera, the hull bottom is built of solid fibreglass while the topsides include a foam core to assist rigidity and reduce weight.
The deck mould is now ready for production
The deck and accommodation space headliner moulds have also been turned, placed on cradles and moved into their own lamination facility where craftsmen have undertaken post-cure, ahead of lamination.
The 395 SUV's hardtop has also been moulded as have most small parts.
We will continue to follow the progress of the build on this exciting new motor yacht through each stage of her creation as she moves toward her World Premiere on May 24.