Offshore powerboat racing is a sport with tremendous fan appeal in Australia. Enthusiasts cheer for the championship teams and driver with the same sort of fervor normally reserved for NASCAR in the United States. The accomplishments of Australian offshore racer Bill Barry-Cotter as commonly known and widely acclaimed “down under” as the names Richard Petty or the late and lamented Dale Earnhardt are instantly recognized in North America. An offshore racer trusts his or her life to the design and integrity of a hull designed to challenge the open sea at speeds in excess of 100-mph. Bill Barry-Cotter applied the knowledge gleaned through such experience to become a world-renowned designer and builder of tough but very classy, bluewater capable boats in Australia. Barry-Cotter was instrumental in the founding of Riviera Yachts, eventually departing that firm in 2001 for semi-retirement as a real estate developer.
A funny thing happened on the way to semi-retirement. Bill Barry-Cotter designed and built a boat for his personal use. The boat was intended to be a one-off, constructed and finished to a standard higher than one would expect from a mass-produced product. The hull was designed to be rugged, yet efficient, to permit an attractive merge of speed, seakeeping, and fuel economy. The design, layout, and the equipment selected reflected Barry-Cotter’s 40-plus years of experience in boat racing, design, and building. Bill Barry-Cotter’s new yacht was everything one would expect a leading boat builder to demand for personal use. With the new boat finally completed and launched, Bill Barry-Cotter was ready to cruise off into the sunset- or so he thought.
As friends and associates of Bill Barry-Cotter were invited aboard his retirement boat, they began asking, “Would you be willing to build one more, just like this, for me?”
Barry-Cotter agreed to build a boat for one of his friends, and then another. Word spread, and friends of his friends then approached Bill Barry-Cotter until he found himself back in the boat building business. The new line of yachts was christened, “Maritimo”, with three models available between 48-60 feet. A trademark that was not actively represented in the Pacific NW about a year ago is suddenly on the radar as a “must see” for boaters considering quality-built cruisers of similar size. Compass Point Yachts in Seattle is the regional dealer for Maritimo Yachts.
We visited Compass Points Yachts and tested the new Maritimo M52. Veteran yacht broker J.R. Yuse was our host for the morning’s adventure, and J.R. might just know as much about the Maritimo line as anybody except Barry-Cotter himself.
Description and Design:
The Maritimo 52 is built on a hull that is immediately reminiscent of successful blue water sportfish and convertible battlewagons. There is a broad foredeck, ample walk-around side decks, and a cockpit roomy enough for either fishing or socializing. An extension of the upper deck over the forward portion of the cockpit and a full complement of window glass in the main cabin are the two major styling details that suggest the Maritimo 52 is a cruising motoryacht rather than a sportfish.
Maritimo incorporates a variable deadrise planing hull, modified with the addition of a pronounced keel. The builder positions the engines a bit more forward than some competitors might, improving weight distribution and balance. The forward placement sets the engines deeper in the hull for a lower center of gravity, and reduces the prop-shaft angle to an extremely efficient 9 degrees. Bow and stern thrusters are heavy duty hydraulic, rather than electric, as is the commercial duty anchor windlass.
One of the most notable attributes of the Maritimo M52 is the fully enclosed “skylounge” on the upper deck. In the Pacific NW climate, where we can experience stretches of cool weather for several days at a time during any month of the year, locating the helm on this upper deck combines the fabulous visibility normally associated with a flybridge with the comfort and convenience of an inside steering station. An open-air deck, aft of the skylounge, is large enough for a 4-place table and chair set.
A novel spatial relationship between the galley, cockpit and salon with stunning myrtle wood solids and veneers create a memorable main cabin, with three deluxe staterooms forward. The Maritimo M52 is a serious contender in its category, with features not available on many competitors’ boats.
Specifications and dimensions:
LOA: 54’ 6”
Beam: 17’ 1”
Draft: 4’ 7”
Displacement: 52,000 lb
Fuel: 1040-gal
Water: 215-gal
Water: 80-gal
Our test boat was powered by twin Cummins QSM11, 715-HP engines. AC power is provided underway or at anchor by an Onan 21.5kW unit.
Exploring the Maritimo 52:
There are surprises galore in the Maritimo 52, and after crossing the well-proportioned cockpit (with built-in BBQ at the transom), the first unique item encountered is a two-way sliding glass aft bulkhead door. Sliding the door from port to starboard allows direct access to the salon, at a point near the bottom of the plank and stainless stairway to the skylounge. Sliding the door from starboard to port removes any barrier between the galley, (most aft and starboard in the main cabin), and the cockpit. That direct galley access will enhance the ease and convenience of entertaining in the cockpit- not more trying to balance snacks and drinks while traveling half a boat length and perhaps trying to open and close some doors en route.
The galley sole is flush with the cockpit, and one step down from the level of the main cabin salon. This arrangement permits easy service to the salon, over a gleaming myrtle wood cap rail atop the backsplash. A full size, dual door refrigerator/freezer is positioned in the aft starboard quarter of the galley; with an electric cooktop, a microwave/convection oven, and a Paykel pullout dishwasher comprise the outboard leg of the U-shaped galley. A stainless steel sink mounted under the granite-type countertop on the forward leg and plenty of open workspace and stowage on the inboard leg.
Major features forward of the plank and stainless steps include an ornate stowage fixture containing a pop-up flats screen TV, easily visible from the leather settee in the port forequarter. Two lockers forward of the settee would traditionally be used for paper charts, but miscellaneous cabin gear could be stowed there as well.
There are four “stations” on a Maritimo 52, but only the station in the skylounge has a wheel. The other stations consist of throttle and transmission controls, while bow and stern thrusters or the autopilot can be controlled from any location by means of a remote control. One of the four stations without a wheel is in the starboard forequarter of the salon, where one might otherwise expect to find a lower helm on boats of older design.
Additional stations are located in the cockpit, as well as on the open deck aft of the skylounge.
The dining area is conveniently positioned immediately forward of the galley. A settee wraps around a myrtle wood table, and in combination with the settee on the port side will permit a fair sized crowd to gather in the salon.
One of the more intriguing interior treatments is a clear acrylic handrail at the companionway to the staterooms. The handrail is internally illuminated, certain to be useful when negotiating the stairway after dark.
The VIP stateroom is most forward, with two hanging lockers, a flat screen TV, a queen size bed, and seemingly endless stowage options. The VIP stateroom is in fact so deluxe that it could be used as a master stateroom. The major difference in appointments between the VIP stateroom and the master stateroom just aft and to port appears to be that the VIP stateroom has semi-private access to the day head designated for general use or passengers and crew, while the master stateroom enjoys the privacy of an en suite head.
Both heads feature large showers and top caliber fixtures.
An efficiently proportioned guest stateroom on the starboard side of the companionway will sleep three in upper and lower bunks.
As impressive as the salon and staterooms are, the highlight of the Maritimo 52 layout has to be the skylounge. Two Stidd helm chairs occupy the starboard forequarter of this upper deck, with a leather settee on the portside forward of the plank and stainless steps to the salon. The skipper and watch mate will enjoy maximum comfort and visibility at the helm. Aft of the helm is an L-shaped settee and serving table, enabling the skylounge to become a social gathering place. A flat screen TV and a stainless bar sink will enhance entertainment on the skylounge. The aft bulkhead of the skylounge consists of a sliding door similar to that between the main cabin and cockpit below. A section of open deck, protected by stainless railing and a partial overhead canvas, allows the party to extend to the outdoor environment.
Underway:
We normally help with lines, fenders, etc on a sea trial, but J.R. Yuse said, “Let me do all the lines and fenders myself, I want to demonstrate something interesting. We stood by while J.R., still on the dock, released the bow, stern, and spring lines. There was a slight breeze blowing the Maritimo off the dock, but J.R. used a remote control to activate the bow and stern thrusters and keep the boat in place until he was ready to step aboard.
We pulled away from the dock, enjoying the visibility from the skylounge. A reverse cycle heat and air conditioner system warmed the skylounge to a comfortable temperature within only a few minutes’ time. Opening the forward windows, an overhead skylight, and the aft bulkhead door of the skylounge would bring in all the fresh air anyone would want on a warm and sunny day…
Motoring across Lake Union and out to Lake Washington, the Maritimo 52 sipped sparingly from the 1040-gallon fuel supply. Each engine burned 1.1 gallons per hour at 7-knots. J.R. Yuse observed, “At that sort of consumption and with 1000 gallons of fuel, this boat has about a 3,000 mile range. Many trawlers would be jealous of that type of fuel economy and range. The difference with a boat like this is that if you do want to get up and run faster to get to off the water before dark or into port before a storm hits, you have the ability to do just that.”
Major electronics aboard the Maritimo 52 included a pair of Raymarine E-120 displays with radar, GPS plotting, depth sounding, etc. A Simrad autopilot, Icom VHF, SmartCraft engine diagnostics, and electronic controls complement the Raymarine displays.
J.R. pushed the throttles forward when we reached Lake Washington, the turbos kicked in, and the Maritimo 52 shot forward as if it had been fired from a gun. Acceleration wasn’t merely notable, it was spectacular. Many boats would have experienced substantial bow rise during a similar maneuver, but the Maritimo 52 remained almost perfectly flat and no trim tabs were required. The low center of gravity and carefully balanced engine placement was evident.
We found the handling to be much more responsive than normally experienced on a boat of this size. “Bill Barry-Cotter puts power assisted steering on his yachts,” said J.R. Yuse. “When the helm is centered, it’s only one turn to lock in either direction.”
We made some tight turns, at 20 knots, to intercept our own wake. We have been on boats that seem to require several hundred yards to make a turn at that sort of speed, but the Maritimo accomplished it in 3-4 boat lengths- without heeling over. The Maritimo leaves only a modest wake at most speeds, so we had to work a bit to stir up some 3-4 foot waves. We blew though the steep chop without slowing down, and took no water on the deck or windshields.
“We have a lot of people say that this boat handles like a speedboat,” said J.R. It was easy to see how people might arrive at that conclusion.
We discovered that wide-open-throttle was 2550-RPM, a speed that propelled the Maritimo 52 at an exhilarating 29 knots. Slowing to 2250 RPM maintained a 24-knot cruise speed (50 gallons per hour). Boaters interested in a more moderate cruise speed will find 13 knots a very comfortable pace, (1590-RPM, 24 gallons per hour).
Conclusions:
Boaters looking for a high quality boat with a good turn of speed will be attracted to the Maritimo 52. There is very little chance that the Maritimo will be easily confused with many of the other boats available in this class, and should be inspected first hand. We believe that most people taking a careful look at this vessel will be extremely impressed- we were.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the Maritimo 52 retails for about $1.6 million. After looking the boat over carefully, we initially assumed the pricing would be just over $2 million. “Don’t feel too badly about,” advised J.R. “Most people who have shopped around a bit arrive at the same conclusion. Competitive price is certainly a reason to consider the Maritimo, but the real story about this boat is the quality and content that result in an excellent value.”