MARINO ALFANI DESIGNS THE RIO SPORT COUPÉ

The Sport Coupé 56 from Rio Yachts, designed by Marino Alfani, is a yacht with contemporary styling. The sporty, streamlined exteriors are matched by clean, well-defined interiors. The light-filled spaces give the impression of being bigger than they are, not least because of the decision to use light-hued colourways. The sophisticated original inserts made from solid teak and steel that adorn and enrich the decor are distinctive style traits in Marino Alfani’s work.

Marino Alfani is the designer behind the new model from Rio Yachts, a 17.55-meter yacht featuring contemporary styling, tailormade details and fine finishing. A boat with a sporty spirit, like many other models built by this storied brand established in 1961, the 56 is a classic example of the expressive style embraced by the designer, who isn’t a great lover of frills and flowing lines, but always strives for clean, clear-cut contours.

“The feature I like most about this 56 is the light: the full-beam master suite and living area are a perfect example of welcoming, light-filled settings where the layout makes the most of every available centimeter,” explained Marino Alfani, the owner of the yacht & interior design firm established in 2007.

With the look of a true open, designed for owners who want a continuous contact with the sea, the Sport Coupé is a modern, light-filled yacht. The materials featured in the decor are marble, glass, white-painted oak and solid teak inserts. Original handles made-to-measure from polished stainless steel adorn the interiors and add even more personality to settings that are both essential and comfortable, created to encourage a mood of conviviality and sharing.

Two key features of the outdoor spaces are unquestionably the big pivoting stern swim platform, with the garage for the tender, and the black-painted section on the hull, which unites the two glazed surfaces and gives the motor yacht a touch of originality, not to mention an immediately recognisable silhouette.
The interiors have characteristic light-hued tone-on-tone colourways that highlight the contemporary feel of the boat, as well as making the spaces seem even brighter with the help of the huge glazed surfaces everywhere. The crystal glass door between the cockpit and the helm station ensures both privacy and contact with the outdoor environment, as well as being a central feature of the interior decoration.

Clean lines, a contemporary mood, the celebration of light and contact with the sea are the key concepts underpinning this design. In the words of Marino Alfani: “I’m proud to have contributed to the creation of this model and enthusiastic with the results achieved. Every new boat I design for Rio Yachts is a new start for me, one in which I’m given the maximum freedom of expression. Every model is also totally different from the previous one: the design of the last boat, for example, was dominated by black, whereas on this model the featured colour is white. The 56 is the result of teamwork and the ongoing and profitable sharing of ideas and proposals between me, the shipyard’s technical office and the owner”.