For a company that claims to be just as interested in the family aspects of boating as in the fishing ones, Riviera sure does make a well-planned fishing boat. So it was no surprise to discover that at a 712-knot trolling speed, the Riviera 41 created only minor turbulence stretching back to the first wave, leaving a pair of perfect clean-water alleys for your baits.

Jam the throttles forward and this boat jumps onto plane in about five seconds — even with an empty forward fuel tank. While cruising, you get a sudden burst of speed when you advance the throttles, showing great midrange response.

With winds blowing out of the east at 25 knots, we ran in a 2-foot chop on the Intracoastal Waterway heading toward what I knew would be a potentially deadly experience in the stiff, wind-against-tide conditions we found at the Stuart Inlet. As I approached the surf breaking across the mouth of the inlet, I could only imagine what the Gulf Stream would look like.

Much to the chagrin of the captain and Mike Scruggs, president of Riviera North America, I dropped the speed back and headed into the maelstrom. As soon as I hit the 5-foot swells, I added to their white knuckles by turning sideways and shifting to neutral. The Riviera 41 exhibited a moderate roll moment with very gentle transitions, even during this extreme challenge.

Negotiating turns in these heavy seas would have been easier had Riviera included power-assist steering rather than straight hydraulic. Despite that, the boat responds exceptionally well to hard turns, reversing course in about four boat lengths.