1961 Riva Super Florida for sale

Now available to view at our yard: a Riva Super Florida, hull number 669.

The Super Florida is one of the boats that made the Riva name known around the world. Hull 669 was built in 1961, in mahogany, and carries the lines the Sarnico yard is still known for today. Anyone looking for a Super Florida usually knows exactly why.

➤ The Belmondo connection
Jean-Paul Belmondo ordered a Super Florida new in the 1960s and named her "Élodie I", after his first wife Élodie Constantin. That boat, hull number 784, was auctioned by Artcurial at the Rétromobile in Paris in February 2023: estimate 100'000 to 150'000 euros, sold for 303'960 euros including premium. Hull 669 is the same model, built three years earlier. The Belmondo provenance belongs to "Élodie I" and not to this boat. What they share is the construction, the line and the reason collectors look for this series.

➤ A collector's boat and an investment
Classic wooden Rivas are collected today. The numbers built are finite, only a few Super Floridas change hands publicly across Europe each year, and good examples find their buyers. At international auction houses, small classic Rivas have made results in recent years from the high five figures into the low six figures; a Riva Olympic brought 115'000 euros at Bonhams in October 2025.

Two things decide the value of these boats: originality and substance. Hull 669 has both. The Historical Certificate of the Riva Historical Society can also be applied for. It documents authenticity and counts when the boat is sold on.

➤ Originality and substance
The hull number SF 669 is marked on the boat itself, on the wooden grating in the engine bay. The "Super Florida" script sits unchanged in the wood. The boat is powered by a Chrysler/Riva V8 with 130 kW, around 177 hp, engine number 72161. The unit belongs to the contemporary Riva Chrysler V8 family of those years. Many comparable Super Floridas have been converted to modern engines over the decades, which collectors do not like to see.

The last engine overhaul was carried out in 2012, the last hull restoration in 2014. The boat is in running order, it runs and it presents well. It is kept in a boathouse in Lucerne, dry and under cover.

➤ A life in fresh water
Hull 669 has only ever been used in fresh water. For a wooden boat that is the decisive point: no salt exposure, no aggressive attack on fittings and chrome, better preserved mahogany. The boat is registered in Switzerland.

➤ On board
The deck is planked in classic mahogany, with the light inlay stripes that make the picture of a Riva. Behind the curved windscreen in its chrome frame sits the original Riva steering wheel with its hub emblem, and in front of it five round gauges in a chrome panel. The chrome horn and the flag staff stand on the foredeck, and the hull carries the Riva script above the green boot stripe.

The cockpit has cream upholstery, a sunpad aft over the engine bay and the classic wooden grating in the footwell. At the transom, a wooden boarding step makes it easier to get into the water and back on board.

➤ Equipment and details
➤ Mahogany deck planking with light inlay stripes
➤ Riva steering wheel with hub emblem
➤ Five round gauges in a chrome instrument panel
➤ Curved windscreen with chrome frame and wind deflectors
➤ Chrome horn on the foredeck
➤ Chrome flag staff
➤ Chrome cleats and fittings
➤ Cream upholstery
➤ Sunpad over the engine bay
➤ Wooden grating in the cockpit
➤ Wooden boarding step at the transom
➤ Fire extinguisher on board
➤ "Super Florida" script in the wood
➤ Hull number SF 669 marked on the boat

➤ Condition, described honestly
Hull 669 is a usable boat, neither a concours piece nor a restoration project. You can step aboard and go. There are visible signs of use: stains on the upholstery and pitting on individual chrome parts. Both are known, both are described here, and both can be dealt with. We are happy to advise you on what is worth doing and what is not.

➤ Key data
➤ Model: Riva Super Florida, hull number 669
➤ Year of build: 1961
➤ Construction: mahogany
➤ Length: 6.00 m
➤ Beam: 2.20 m
➤ Persons: 5
➤ Engine: Chrysler/Riva V8, 130 kW / approx. 177 hp, engine number 72161
➤ Last engine overhaul: 2012
➤ Last hull restoration: 2014
➤ Use: fresh water only
➤ Location: boathouse in Lucerne

➤ Viewing
Hull 669 can be seen in person by appointment. A classic wooden boat has to be seen; photographs show the grain, but not the effect. Get in touch and we will show you the boat at your leisure.

Further new and pre-owned boats can be found on our homepage CaminadaWerft.ch