It’s no surprise that with the Italian-built Rio Daytona 50, style is important. That’s why the three 450-hp Mercury Racing outboards are hidden aft; Rio didn’t want the outboards to interrupt the graceful lines of the hull. But not to worry. Push a button and the engine compartment lifts up so you can access them any time you want.
The new 50 is at the top of Rio’s Daytona lineup; there’s also a 34 and a 46. Rio itself was started in Lombardy in 1961, making mahogany motorboats. It launched the Daytona line with the 34 at the Genoa show in 2020 and sold out a month later.
The idea behind Rio Daytonas is to provide a lot of social and entertaining space up top, where people want to gather. On the 50, two large terraces drop down from the hull aft, to greatly increase the usable space there; they also provide immediate access to the water.
The foredeck has a sun lounge in front of the raked-back, one-piece windshield and a two-seat sofa. All the way aft, there’s a larger sun pad on top of the engine compartment plus a U-shaped lounge with a table that can seat six.
Forward, leading to the helm, an entertainment center opens up to reveal an outdoor galley with a grill, fridge/freezer and icemaker. Three seats with arm rests and bolsters face the helm, which is large enough to hold two Garmin state-of-the-art MFDs.
Below, the master stateroom is forward with six-foot headroom and a walkaround king-sized bed. The en suite head has a separate shower. A bi-fold door can open up to make the lower living area, which has a sofa on the port side, larger and more social. A midship cabin has twin berths.
The Rio Daytona 50 has a modified-V hull. The three Mercury Racing outboards push it to a top speed of 42 knots. At a fast cruising speed of 32 knots, the boat has a range of 237 nm.
Rios are sold in the U.S. by The Helm Yacht Group in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Specs.: LOA: 49’; Beam: 14’1”; Draft: 24”; Disp.: 22,000 lbs.; Fuel: 423; Water: 113 gals.; Power: 3×450-hp Mercury Racing outboards.
Read more at http://rioyachts.net and see a video of the 46 below:
