The Riva 122 Mythos boat. Courtesy Riva
The Riva 122 Mythos boat. Courtesy Riva

Superyacht offers grand life on the ocean wave – for around €15m



Ahoy. Astern. Amidships. Aboveboard. Belowdecks and take in the topsail.

You may be surprised to hear that all these words mean something – but only to people who own boats.

You could join this community, however, by buying the Mythos 122, a bespoke yacht with a 3,510 horsepower engine, manufactured by Riva, a European boat manufacturing firm. It can achieve a top speed of 25 knots (miles per hour, to the uninitiated), houses five cabins, has three decks that can accommodate 20 people, and weighs 140,000 kilograms. One is produced every two years.

It even has a compartment in which to keep a jet ski, and another, smaller boat.

But those with jittery sea legs should look away now: it retails for Dh80 million.

“It’s practically a jewel,” says Gregor Stinner, chief executive of Art Marine, the company that sells Riva yachts in the UAE.

“We’re talking to the management of the Qatari Royal Fleet,” he says.

Mr Stinner reckons that it isn’t overpriced. “Any boat in that range is between €13 million (Dh64m) and €15m,” he says. “You’re paying for the name, and for the individual design.”

That, and the boat’s nine separate bathrooms.

It is built from aluminium, rather than carbon fibre, as is more common with luxury yachts. “We [wanted it to feel as] though it were a traditional boat,” says Mr Stinner.

“We are not keen on ‘showy’ yachts,” says the company’s designer, Mauro Micheli. “The keyword is ‘removing’, not ‘adding’.”

The yacht’s target audience consists of exactly one person, according to Mr Stinner: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.

“I cannot see anyone better taking it,” he adds.

business@thenational.ae

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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