47 Enclosed Flybridge - The right design for an adventurous couple
by Riviera Australia 18 Mar 2018 10:07 UTC
47 Enclosed Flybridge © Riviera Australia
Suzy and Roger Clark love fishing. And they love cruising the tropical waters of northern Queensland.
The couple live and work in Townsville. And whenever they can schedule time, they are on board their Riviera 47 Enclosed Flybridge, Deja Vu.
This is their fourth Riviera.
"We wouldn't consider another marque," says Suzy. "We use our boats – really use them; in calm or heavy seas, weekends or entire weeks away on board, often just the two of us but sometimes with a horde. We hosted 10 on board in the Whitsundays over Christmas last year."
For Suzy and Roger, Deja Vu is everything they require of a motor yacht.
"She has three good-size cabins including two doubles, and extra sleeping capacity in the saloon and even in the enclosed flybridge. That offers the flexibility we need for the entire family," says Suzy.
"She is brilliantly built," says Roger. "She is beautifully stable and feels safe. She even loves a following sea which many motor yachts cannot handle well. Fuel economy is great with the Cummins QSM11 diesels.
"The engine room has ample space for ease of servicing and the QMS11 motors have been faultless with more than 3,000 hours clocked up. In fact, the complete boat has been faultless.
"And she is the right size for two people. With the bow thruster, the two of us can easily handle her when we come into a dock, even in high winds."
Riviera built 106 of the original 47 Flybridge Generation I model between 2003 and 2005. The model was updated to the highly successful Generation II model in 2005 and an enclosed flybridge option was added. The company then built 186 Generation II motor yachts between 2005 and 2012 – a total of 292 Riviera 47s in service today around the world.
"I particularly like the storage capabilities of Deja Vu," says Suzy. "There is plenty in the galley, in the cabins and in the saloon – even in the flybridge When we cruise, sometimes for two weeks at a time, we don't want to have to come in to port frequently. We want to be self-sufficient for as long as possible. That is why Deja Vu also has a desalinator."
The cockpit is large, with plenty of space for their game fishing chair. As well as enjoying reef fishing, Suzy and Roger are keen game fishers, chasing marlin in tournaments from the waters off their Townsville home to Lizard Island in the far north of the Great Barrier Reef.
They have a detachable awning that covers the entire cockpit when they are cruising that makes this space liveable even in the middle of the day when the heat and sun are severe.
"No matter what we want for a weekend or a week at sea, our Riviera 47 delivers for us," says Suzy.