Twenty years ago, I traveled Down Under to run the first 60-foot Maritimo. I thoroughly enjoyed that boat, so much so that I was excited to run the new Maritimo M60 recently in Florida. Cut to the chase: This new M60 is like a favorite flavor of ice cream, but with sprinkles added on top. Maritimo listened to customers and reviewers, taking a solid yacht and making it better.
At first glance, I thought the exterior seemed the same, but then I realized it had been gently massaged. The original “wings” over the side decks had disappeared at one point, but now they are back, providing shade to the salon and some rain protection on deck. Most importantly, they allow the upper deck to expand to the same width as the salon.
I boarded the yacht via what Maritimo calls the “adventure deck,” an expanse of teak with an optional hydraulic platform. I checked out the engine room before it heated up and found it well laid out for service. Headroom is 6-plus feet, there’s a nonslip walkway with safety rails between the engines, and all points have easy access. Standard power is a pair of 800 hp Volvo Penta D13 diesels, but this M60 had the upgraded 1,000 hp Volvo Penta diesels. The 27.5 kW Cummins generator, Quick X30 gyro and SeaXchange watermaker had room to spare. A trio of fuel tanks can be used to balance the boat’s running angle, and all wiring and plumbing is secured to high standards.
Maritimo stayed with conventional shaft drives, which not only lower the boat’s center of gravity, but also keep the shafts efficiently flat at 8 degrees, turning six-blade nibrals in a prop tunnel for shallow-water running. The variable-deadrise hull form is knife-sharp forward and flattens aft, providing a good running surface (and adding to the engine-room space).
Back on the adventure deck, the lazarette/garage can handle a 10-foot-3-inch tender, a pair of personal watercraft, or a mix of water toys. The cockpit has a console with an outdoor kitchen and settee.
Three folding doors open into the galley, which is amidships and to port for easy food delivery to the cockpit and salon. The L-shaped galley’s island has extra counter space, and there’s an array of Miele appliances, including a full-height fridge, an induction cooktop, a dual oven and a microwave. A foldout pantry to port should hold enough goodies for a week aboard.
The salon is pure entertainment (read: there’s no lower helm), with a U-shaped couch facing an L-shaped settee and a pop-up TV. Oversize windows enhance the sense of space.
An airy stairwell leads down to a foyer with a washer-dryer and a three-stateroom layout. The full-beam owner’s stateroom is amidships for minimum motion. It has a king-size berth and bureaus under each full-length window. Its en suite head has a stall shower.
Forward, the VIP stateroom has an angled queen berth to give it full walk-around space. There is direct access from the VIP to the day head with a shower. The guest stateroom has twin berths that convert to a double. Decor on the M60 that I got aboard was an intricate satin-finish walnut with a herringbone inlay.
But the real sprinkle on this cone is the flybridge, which feels like a sky lounge in size and intention. Gentle stairs lead inside from the salon for safety to the fully enclosed space. The bridge is climate-controlled with sweeping windows, making it a spot where guests can gather on the two L-shaped settees. The skipper’s private office is forward, with a pair of leather seats abaft a pale-gray dash. An eyebrow protects three 19-inch Garmin displays from reflection. Tidy monitors keep track of the Volvo Penta engines and the Quick gyro, with an array of neatly labeled push-buttons for various systems.
Bi-fold doors open the bridge to the shaded 118-square-foot aft deck, which has a teak sole and a settee well-protected by the overhang of the house.
To understand how the Maritimo M60 performs, you must know that it comes from Australia’s Gold Coast, north of Sydney. Local Maritimo owners do not have a protected Intracoastal Waterway. They cruise with few harbors in which to hide. That coast, facing the Pacific Ocean, endures waves that build across thousands of nautical miles of open ocean. When I ran that first Maritimo 60 in those waters, I called them “ugly.”
By comparison, my run aboard the new M60 off the coast of Florida was in long rows of 3- and 4-footers marching against the Gulf Stream. In friendlier seas, Maritimo says, the M60 can top 30 knots. Here, it hit a solid 26 knots. The ride was comfortable on the bridge, with no yawing or measurable pitching (except in big holes). What particularly impressed me was that there wasn’t a creak or a groan from the sturdy hull. Even with the rear doors open, I recorded a quiet 65 decibels on my meter. We talked at a conversational level.
As I said, I appreciated the first Maritimo 60 when I stepped aboard 20 years ago. Today, I appreciate all the sprinkles Maritimo has added. This yacht is a taste of the good life, indeed.
Power Play
Volvo Penta built a reputation in Europe among truck and commercial-vehicle operators with the D13, an inline-six-cylinder diesel engine that uses high-pressure injectors, an overhead camshaft, and twin-entry turbos with water-cooled exhaust manifolds. The bulletproof reputation easily translated to yacht use, where the powerful torque and rapid spool-up provide strong performance.
How It Started
Longtime boatbuilder and powerboat racer Bill Barry-Cotter started Riviera Yachts, sold it, and then launched Maritimo Yachts in Australia. His son, Tom, now has an expanded role with Maritimo, which builds eight models from 55 to 75 feet length overall in Flybridge, Sedan and Offshore series.
Take the next step: maritimoamericas.com
