Riviera 4300 Sports Express boat test

While the design team started with a blank slate, a significant point of difference was that the 4300 had to run Volvo IPS pods. 

Outboards do have certain advantages in this segment – they’re lower maintenance because you can lift the legs clear of the water and that tilt-ability also reduces draft when approaching a beach or sandbar. That said, I very much endorse the choice of the twin IPS 650s fitted to our demo boat (440hp IPS 600s are optional).

Flat out, the 4300 achieved 32.6 knots at 190lt/hr. The most efficient planing speed is 22 knots for 3000 rpm, with a total consumption of 119lt/hr and a range of 202nm (374km). At 3500 rpm, 88 per cent engine load, you’re doing 29 knots and range is 189nm (350km). 

There’s appreciable mid-range acceleration but the hull feels settled and dry at sea. The light helm touch and responsiveness soon induce a smile on the skipper’s dial. You feel at one with the water, and dropping anchor is almost anticlimactic – that’s until you start enjoying everything else the 4300 offers.

The aft boarding platform is where the fun starts. The hydraulic rear platform extension becomes a submersible sea deck to launch the 2.7m tender. Once lowered, it reveals an aft-facing lounge in the fixed moulding, where you can place cushions.

They haven’t sacrificed space by providing dual stairwells to the cockpit. The starboard-side one is sufficient, and the 4300 also has only one full-length walkway from stern to bow, again to starboard. 

The port side has a raised coaming behind the rear settee, the reason being you can store two fully-inflated SUPs in this cavity. A Seabob, dive tanks or fenders have stowage under the cockpit stairs. For portside access, a pantograph door located opposite the helm is useful for tie-ups and foredeck transitions. 

Two steps up, the sports deck provides a relaxed lounge and dining space, complete with TV. The roof gives full shade, complemented by a canvas canopy extension. Fit clears, crank up the air-con, and this zone can transform into an enclosed saloon.

Amidships, the 4300 has an al fresco galley to prepare drinks and food platters. The adjacent helm station hosts twin pedestal seats, tilt-adjustable leather-bound wheel, dual 12in Garmin navigation screens in your eye line, and switches close to hand.

The bow entertaining area has a triple sunpad and a separate forward-facing, four-seat lounge with a fold-out table, shaded by a euro-style awning if required. Not so visible, but extremely clever, is the all-important foredeck drainage system. Any water that’s shipped aboard is channelled to the port sidedeck and out through a scupper.

Accessed through a sliding companionway, the 4300’s lower cabin is pleasantly attired and surprisingly spacious by Sports Express standards. There’s ample volume here, without the exterior looking overly high-sided. 

To port is a lounge nook; opposite is the boat’s third cooking zone, featuring a two-hob cooktop, convection microwave, sink and twin drawer fridge/freezer. A dishwasher can replace one of those units.

The bulkhead for the master stateroom can be left open to promote air flow, or you can make it private by sliding the panel sections and closing the door. Behind the stairs you find a full-beam guest cabin with a double berth and a king single. 

Having only one bathroom is also fair enough on a five-berth vessel. It’s generously sized, with a separate shower cubicle, porcelain handbasin and mirrored vanity. One thing I’d like to see is more blackwater capacity than the 80lt tank provided.

The 4300 sports a base price of around $A1.6 million, which is tantalising value for such an impeccably presented, diesel-powered motor yacht. I can see it drawing fresh entry-level buyers into the fold – busy families who predominantly go dayboating – along with downsizers from within the Riviera clan.  

Alongside many rival craft within the segment, it somehow feels like Riviera has brought a sword to a knife fight. In laconic Aussie fashion, it says to the big American and European players, ‘That’s not a Sports Express … this is a Sports Express!’. 

Priced from: $A1,599,000

Price as tested: $A1,808,000

Pricing correct as of August 2025

LOA: 13.88m

Beam: 4.45m

Draft: 1.22m

Cockpit area: 13.9m2

Displacement: 15,500kg

Fuel capacity: 1200lt

Water capacity: 400lt

Blackwater capacity: 80lt

Power: 2 x Volvo Penta IPS 650 480hp diesels

A FULL REVIEW OF THE RIVIERA 4300 SPORTS EXPRESS RAN IN THE AUG-SEPT (40.4) ISSUE OF CLUB MARINE MAGAZINE. 

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