Power to Play
Maritimo’s M55 is a family boat with plenty of room for toys.
Maritimo’s new M55 has the power to face the open ocean and the conveniences to play with life as you please.
“We consider ourselves a long-range cruising motoryacht brand,” says Tom Barry-Cotter, design director at Australian-based boatbuilder Maritimo. “There’s no Intracoastal in Australia, so any sort of boating you do is out in the open ocean, and you have to go quite a long way to get to the next port.”
Once in port, or even at anchor, the Maritimo M55 is designed with expansive entertainment areas from the fully enclosed climate-controlled flybridge down to the accommodations and out to the aft “adventure” deck.
“Our owners like to spend a lot of time on their boat and living on the boat,” adds Barry-Cotter.
At the Top
Maritimo’s first build was an enclosed flybridge motoryacht, and it’s improved on its spaciousness and comfort for the M55. “The ultimate long-range comfort is being up in a climate-controlled flybridge,” says Barry-Cotter. “You’ve got the internal staircase access, you’ve got great visibility, you’re high and dry, and have the best seat in the house.” Whether it’s sunny and hot or cold and rainy, the flybridge offers a comfort level in all climates from Florida to the Northeast to the Pacific Northwest.
The first Maritimo, the 60, had “wings” that jutted out above the side decks, but over the years, disappeared from the design. For the new M55, the legacy feature was reintroduced into the exterior styling for a big boat feel and offer protection to those walking along the side deck, but the design also provides a functional benefit. A conventional flybridge setup tends to taper in as you go up which makes the width smaller than that of the main-deck salon. An internal staircase is, by default, pushed in to align with the flybridge.
“What we’ve done by integrating the wing design is we can keep the same beam in the flybridge as we do in the salon deck,” explains Barry-Cotter. What it did was extend both interior deck spaces an additional eight inches on each side for a wider beam, thus more space for lounging and entertaining.
The flybridge helm has a good-size console, and the dash is designed for two 22-inch screens or three 18-inch screens along with plenty of room for system controls, such as radar, cameras, stabilizers, thrusters, and dynamic positioning.
There are three distinct lounging areas on the flybridge: the cruising lounge area opposite
the helm, the aft interior lounge (perfect for watching the 43-inch TV hidden in the cabinet along the stairway), and the flybridge balcony. The molded hardtop extends over the balcony for weather protection and has roll up/down window shades from the headliner that seal off the deck from wind and rain. Bi-fold doors connect the entire deck when open, and the large, sliding windows on each side make the flybridge a wonderful indoor/outdoor space.
The Family Room
That indoor/outdoor comfort extends to the huge main deck with a sliding glass door and extra-wide “vista” windows that fully open. Because of the wing design, the M55 boasts one of the largest galleys in the size range. The full-size galley is open to the forward salon and aft deck and is equipped with an upright Miele fridge/freezer, cooktop, oven, large upright pantry, and a center island for service with storage underneath.
The salon is cozy and roomy with lounges to port and starboard, and the table is specially designed with angled leaves that follow the shape of the walkway and port lounge to allow ease of access without bumping into it. The interior is beautifully designed, and there are a number of choices for upholstery and woodwork materials, such as walnut, teak, or wenge enviro-veneer with a deep gloss or satin finish.
“We pride ourselves on catering to customer requests and enable them to really spec the boat as they’ve dreamed it,” says Barry-Cotter.
A Private Setting
“The key theme through the accommodations and the salon area is space,” adds Barry-Cotter. “We don’t try and cram too much in; we like to keep those spaces more open so the cabins are bigger. The hull volume is probably big enough to design it for a four-cabin layout, but we choose not to. We go for the more expansive, larger, more open feeling with everything we do.”
The VIP stateroom forward has an offset queen berth that allows room to walk all the way around it on a flat floor. It’s connected to the day head which is accessible from the companionway. The starboard-side guest cabin is a twin single arrangement, and the full-beam, midship ensuite master stateroom features a centerline king berth.
Stability and Power
Maritimo has fine-tuned its hull designs, and the M55 is a stable vessel. “We’re a very wide-beamed hull for the length of boat,” says Barry-Cotter. “Whenever we design a hull, we’re typically designing that stability into the hull form naturally.”
Maritimo puts a huge emphasis on center of gravity because of the flybridge, so it incorporates lightweight laminates and engineering to keep everything as low as possible in the hull.
“It’s a variable deadrise hull form, so we have a fine entry that progresses to a flatter dead rise aft,” he continues. “What that does is give you that soft ride, soft entry. All of the chines are aimed at keeping the boat as dry as possible. A high hull sheer line, the shaft geometry, and weight distribution are designed to work in all sea conditions…. There’s nothing that will make the boat feel uncomfortable. …We want our boats able to cruise, whether it be a high-speed cruise or a ten- to twelve-knot cruise.”
Because of the hull design, the hump to get on plane is very slight, and the boat will happily cruise through a wide range. It’s comfortable at all speeds.
Standard engines are twin Volvo D11s at 670 mhp, but you can opt for the D13 800s or 1000s or the CAT 1000 12.8 engines, all able to fit in the engine room with six-plus feet of headroom. The 800s pushed M55 to 30 knots wide open, and cruising speeds ranged from 12 to 26 knots. The sweet spot is at 20 knots with a 471-nautical mile range.
Get Adventurous
The M55 is a comfortable “home” with plenty of space to relax and enjoy life, and playtime really kicks in when out on the enormous “adventure” deck with the optional hydraulic swim platform. The platform lowers for easy access into the water for swimming or to bring aboard the tender. The deck has the ability to store the tender with its 1,100-pound capacity.
The aft entertainment module connects the adventure deck with the upper cockpit and has the amenities for a complete outdoor barbecue center, drinks and all. One incredible feature of the adventure deck is the storage space below. The entire aft module and deck lifts up and can fit a 9-foot jet tender (with the aid of an optional davit) or become the toy chest with room for paddleboards, dive gear, and more.
With all that space, who wouldn’t want to live aboard and cruise the world?
– by Steve Davis
