| Maritimo
52 Review |
It
takes a little time and experience to appreciate the merits of the brand-new
Maritimo 52 — but its power, capacities and luxury make this eminently cruisable
big boat well worth the effort.
 It’s
not until you’ve owned a few boats, after you’ve grown tired of being tied to
the marina, refilling the water tanks and refuelling at $1.60 per litre yet
again, after you’ve spent days and nights, weeks and many nail-biting moments
swinging at less-than-perfect anchorages, that you have a comprehension of what
the cruising life is really about. When you realise you like it, when the
boating bug really bites, that’s when you’ll see the merits of the Australian
made-for-cruising Maritimo marque.
A boat for the cruising connoisseur,
the new Maritimo 52 is, by virtue of its dimensions, a more user-friendly boat
for a footloose couple than the company’s 60 that won the boating industry’s
2005 Boat of the Year. The 60 is just a huge boat with 1400lt of water, 6800lt
of fuel — that’s a $10,000 fill-up — and a beam that is 45cm wider than the 52.
And with full bulwarks it feels like a little ship, especially in the confines
of a packed marina.
However, despite its lesser dimensions and greater
ease of handling, the 52 packs a lot of the cruising life’s essentials into a
boat — power generation, water capacity, fuel and cruising range – plus you get
comfortable accommodation, the latest luxuries and encouraging owner-driver
serviceability.
For example, the 800lt of water would last a couple at
least a week, fuel of 3850lt would cover more than 550nm at 20kt leaving 10 per
cent in reserve — that’s Sydney to the Gold Coast in one go — and the 300lt
black water holding tank means you wouldn’t have to be chained to the pumpout or
travel offshore every couple of days to empty our waste.
Hardly
surprising, then, that those showing interesting in the Maritimos, and this 52
in particular, are competent captains and crew seeking practicality and big-boat
features in a manageable package. Peter Jenkins says the design parameters are
targeted at the older boater, the guy who hobbles about on dodgy knees and an
ailing hip. And that sounds like the members of the Maritimo workforce, whose
average age is probably around 60 and whose boatbuilding experience runs
deep.
An all-weather boat with an enclosed flybridge, the 52 has been
sold into all major states and New Zealand, and the factory, which has been
taking orders since last year, is now aiming to make a Maritimo every 10 days.
In terms of numbers, the yard will build three of these $1.5 million
ready-to-cruise 52s to every one 60. So the new 52 is the now the must-have
Maritimo for experienced boaters with the time and inclination to travel. While
it is a production boat there are options. Besides hull colours, you can have
teak or myrtle joinery, a high gloss of satin finish, a wide range of interior
décor packages, and choice of electronics (Maritimo prefers Furuno). You can
also equip the lower helm station with your choice of gearshifts, an autopilot
with remote thruster panel, as per the demo boat, or repeater navigation
units. |
BUILDING
BLOCKS
 The
integrity of all good long-range liveaboard and seagoing boats begins with the
foundations. The 52 features a solid-glass hull below the waterline with
balsa-cored hull sides, deck and house. Weight savings and stiffness are gained
through the use of a one-piece liner extending to the engine room, foam-cored
doors and interior assembly.
The main bulkheads are freestanding
fibreglass, with a collision bulkhead forward. But the veneered-teak plywood
walls throughout the companionway lock into concealed aluminium uprights that,
covered in teak veneer, look like timber. I noted only a few rattles at sea and
none were structural.
Interestingly, the Maritimo 52 has no skin
fittings, thereby reducing drag and potential leaks. All overboard water from
the air-con units, shower, sinks, sump pumps and so on leads to a common
plumbing line that exits the transom. The generator also has its water/ exhaust
outlet back aft. Being removed from the cabins means less tinkering at night and
less chance of a diesel-stained hull (though the new generators are
clean-running beasts).
One can’t help but be impressed by the
engineering from boatbuilder Bill Barry-Cotter. The engine room is accessed
through a lift-up hatch on struts at the centre of the cockpit behind the
saloon. A moulded staircase leads inside. You bend from the waist and need to
stoop slightly, but it’s much more inviting than a near-vertical ladder and once
inside a veritable cavern reveals itself.
The engines, in this case
Caterpillar C12 700hp models upgraded from the standard C9 525hp models, are
mounted on solid GRP bearers and, more the point, they sit a long way forward.
As such, the angle of the 2.25in stainless shafts is reduced to just nine
degrees.
The engine room looks spartan as there’s so much room around
the motors for ease of servicing. The user-friendly space, with chequerplate
passageway for grip between the engines, means there’s no excuse for the
grey-haired nomad to avoid regular checks. Dripless shaft seals will keep the
bilge dry.
I like that the air intakes are mounted inside the
bulwarks and have washable filters, to keep this a salt-free environment. I also
like that the amidships transverse fuel tank forward has an inspection port if
you need to clean the tank or the pick-up. Fireproof sound insulation, wet
exhausts, a fire-suppression system, and external fuel shutoffs are standard.
The Racor fuel filters for the engines and the generator, and overflow
bottles for engine coolant, are all on the forward bulkhead. Clear inspection
ports for the engine strainers are nearby, while the air-con intake and
generator intake back aft have external strainers.
A big 17kVA genset
serves this 52’s tropical air-con system, which comprises three units including
one built under the radar arch on the hardtop that services the enclosed bridge.
There are separate chargers for the four 250A and four 200A house, engine start
and generator batteries. I would want these batteries to be the low-maintenance
kind.
The boat comes with a 2000W invertor so you can run the TV, Bose
entertainment system and the microwave without having to run the generator. Most
everything DC is 24V including the usual windlass and engine start, but also
running to the down lighting.
I found nothing untoward about the main
battery management panel at eyelevel on the portside of the saloon as you come
inside. The tinned wiring and mains and circuit breaker panels are all labelled
and schematic diagrams are supplied, while the plumbing lines are linked to a
manifold so you can isolate areas in case of a leak or repair.
The water
in stainless-steel tanks is filtered at the galley, but I would fit a
desalinator in the engine room and a gurney with bow and stern outlets to wash
the boat with a long wand on a hose. Incidentally, you can stand on the moulded
non-skid GRP sections that partly cover the sidedecks, which run along the
flybridge and provide protection over the opening saloon windows when it’s
raining.
But the really interesting thing translating from the
engineering was the handling. The Marcon power-steering system lets you turn the
boat with no more than one revolution on the wheel. And with big rudders the
boat almost snaps around on its length at mid-20 knots. It’s a very impressive
manoeuvre to pull in a 52-foot passagemaker. |
BIG
DECKS
The big moulded boarding platform conceals a swim ladder and
the swoop in the aft running surface improves boat lift when you back up, so the
cockpit remains dry. There are twin doors either side of a big transom amenities
centre that caters for outdoor entertainers. Lift the lids to find a decent
eutectic fridge/freezer, food-prep space, a moulded sink with hot/cold water,
and an optional stainless-steel 240V barbie/hotplate.
A storage locker
hides the Shorepower leads and the 240V connection hide under the amenities
centre, while fender and mooring line lockers are in the transom corners and,
cleverly, under the lid to the lazarette. All hatches have double-moulded lids
for a smooth internal finish, lift on gas struts and have gutters to overboard
drains. Fenders, lines, boathook and a safety kit including EPIRB are provided
with the boat.
Crew will like the big above-deck horn cleats, hot/cold
deck shower, freshwater washdown in the cockpit, thick stainless-steel rails and
the walkaround decks with just one small step amidships that also covers the
fillers. The foredeck has a large flat area for doing sundowners that will be
popular with teenagers and a recessed mooring pit to assistwith cleating off the
bowlines.
There is no bowsprit — nothing to snap-off when you use the
massive Muir windlass that lifts the self-stow anchor — but you get an anchor
wash. Square deck hatches incorporate shade and insect screens. You can carry a
tender and 350kg crane on the foredeck.
The lazarette has some storage
space for watersports gear and furnishings like a compact outdoor setting. The
stainless-steel water tank is down here with a sight gauge, so too is the big
holding tank in which grey-water can be diverted. The hot-water service is
indoors under the stairs.
BRIDGE
LIVING
The rake on the internal stairs on the portside of the
saloon is such that you can trounce up to the bridge with abandon. A hatch over
the steps will be forthcoming for safety reasons.
Despite looking
slightly ungainly, the bridge boasts full headroom and lots of seating so you
can enjoy the journey with family and friends. And with air-con, sliding side
windows, a ceiling hatch and an aft door you can dial-up the climate. The aft or
flight deck doubles as an al fresco setting with grand views when you add a
loose table and chairs. This boat had two beanbags — not the first time I’ve
seen them on boats — that could be plonked down for impromptu seating.
Indoors you’ll find a big footprint and what Jenkins says is “plenty of
real estate for your buck.” There’s a fridge in the bridge, as there should be,
plus a sink. An L-shaped lounge is positioned around a dinette behind the helm,
alongside a wetbar with bottle/glass locker.
There is the option of the
dinette converting to a double bed. Given this boat’s range and the kind of
places you will be anchored this should be standard. The portside lounge can
seat two people and there’s a transverse one-person quasi berth ahead of the
helm console that looks a bit claustrophobic to me. |
INDOOR
COMFORT
 A
sliding door opens to the interior with flybridge stairs to port and a small,
sunken U-shaped galley aft and opposite where you can best serve crew on deck.
Surrounded by a servery and with Corian counters with fiddle rails, the galley
is very workable. I also found supplied Villeroy and Bosch crockery.
Amenities include a four-burner hotplate, rangehood, convection
microwave, dishwasher and domestic-sized fridge with three-drawer freezer. If
you’re serious about cruising, ditch the dishwasher and add a freezer.
Opposite is a wetbar under the flybridge stairs with an icemaker along
with crystal glasses. The boat’s television — satellite TV and phone are
optional, hence the domes on the bridge — and Bose Lifestyle system are built-in
and face the mid-saloon lounge and dinette. The former has a teak coffee table
that doubles as an impromptu seat around the timber dinette that seats four for
formal meals.
The Alcantara suede, teak joinery and sisal carpet — which
I’m in two minds about on a boat as it doesn’t lay well around bends — creates a
sophisticated look. Formerly, I have noticed some parochialism in Maritimo’s
Queensland-holiday kind of décor, but hopefully that’s all in the past now.
There are lockers and a quasi chart station to port and a lower helm
with just autopilot and electronic Cat gearshifts opposite, which you can order
with full repeaters for an extra $28,000 if you want. But with the remote for
thrusters and a fully-enclosed bridge, the lower helm isn’t even necessary.
Accommodation is down and forward, off a companionway that could be
tight for burly boaters. All the cabins and heads have sliding doors to reduce
the intrusion of hinged doors into the boat’s three cabins. There are two heads
including a dedicated private bathroom for the master suite, each raised off the
main floor and with headroom of around 185cm.
The communal head to
starboard has a second door to the VIP stateroom in the bow, so if there are two
couples you’ll each have ensuites, which is nice when spending time away. This
bow cabin has an island double bed with innerspring mattress, hanging lockers,
huge headroom and smart fitted bedding.
Grandkids and additional crew
get the starboard cabin with bunks, sufficient floor space to dress, a Thor
washer and dryer, three shelves and hanging space. As with other cabins, the
portlights open into the bulwarks so there’s plenty of privacy as no-one can
peer inside from the marina.
Naturally, the owners get the pick of the
cabins, as denoted by a queen-sized island bed to port, near the middle of the
boat, somewhat removed from the water playing on the chines, where the pitching
motion is less than in the bow. There are lowboys, a massive storage hold under
the bed, hanging lockers with lights and soft-touch linings, a full-length
mirror, separate air-con controls and entertainment options.
Both heads
have a moulded tile-look floor, trick glass bowls with pushdown plugs, big
drains for the shower stalls, extractor fans and opening portlights. The loos
are the Techna type that run on freshwater or, if you’re running low, can be
switched to saltwater. All good long-range cruising stuff. |
DRIVE
TIME
This
52 is anything but a nail-biter to park or decamp. It was fitted with Sidepower
bow- and sternthrusters with a remote control that lets you roam the deck and
put the boat sideways, plus the lower helm station with electronic engine
controls and slow-idle (700rpm idle to 550rpm), and a door to the starboard
bulwark to see where you are. Add the walkaround decks and big above-deck horn
cleats and you have no excuse for not parking with aplomb and even securing the
springers yourself.
Underway, the Maritimo hull gains its efficiency
through its light displacement of 22,000kg (or about 27,000kg laden), its low
shaft angles that maximise propulsion, five-blade props that add to the
smoothness, and the lift from the flat run aft. Like a lot of old and new
seaboats, the 52 has a variable deadrise or warped plane hull. While the flat
aft sections create lift, the fine entry and deadrise forward cleaves the waves.
The boat has a three-quarter keel for directional stability and the keel
probably assists with parking by helping prevent the boat from skating sideways,
too. Importantly for warped plane hulls, the Maritimo 52 travels freely with a
slightly bow-high attitude. The only downfall of warped-plane hulls comes when
they drive off the nose and broach while surfing downsea. While you can tab the
bow down, as I did a tad when running into a headsea, the boat is of course
driest when the tabs aren’t used. But with a hardtop and wipers with freshwater
washers the spray on the glass was soon removed anyway.
Because the fuel
is central, trim levels re unaffected by a diminishing fuel load. This is a good
feature when long-distance cruising and that, as I said at the outset, is the
forte of this boat. Attacking some decent south-westerly weather, the boat
showed a real willingness to keep going — in comfort — whether we took the solid
ground swell on the nose or slightly off it, beam-on or ran with the waves.
The boat slid on its belly to a planing speed of 11.2 knots at 1250rpm
without wallowing and it felt lively with the C12 700hp common-rail Cats,
cruising at what I would consider an economical long-range speed of 20kt at just
1800rpm where the motors were purring and using about 125lt for the aforesaid
calculated range of 550nm-plus (Maritimo quotes a maximum range at displacement
speeds of about 1000nm). Fast cruise at 2000rpm produced 24kt and probable
consumption figures of 135lt–150lt an hour. Throttles down we hit 30kt at
2350rpm, but high speed is not what this boat is about.
A variety of
seating options are available for the flybridge and, from the supplied low bench
seat, I had to lean forward to see the bow. Though I haven’t seen one fitted to
a Maritimo, I would consider a navigator’s chair for back, shoulder and even
head support on long passages. Somewhere to stash the personals at the helm
would also come in handy.
But these are trifling things and the Maritimo
52 has superb foundations by way of its well-made hull, its impressive
engineering, and the tankage and range which lets you really go places. And
wouldn’t it be nice to be able to spend a week away from civilisation? That, I
understand, is what many Maritimo owners are doing in these home-awayfrom- home
boats. The Whitsundays are calling. |
| Pros/Cons |
|
HIGHS
- Superbly engineered for long-range cruising
- Efficient hull to go places in comfort
- Massive cruising range
- Big fuel, water and power supplies
- An easy boat to get around
- A snap to park thanks to thrusters and big above-deck
cleats
- Big cockpit, amenities centre and aft
galley
|
LOWS
- Somewhat staid styling for the nouveau riche
- Flybridge looks big for the boat Soft furnishings aren’t
the most up-to-date
- No redundant fuel filters on motors
- Flybridge should have a convertible dinette/ double berth
as standard
- Water tank has a sight gauge only underfloor in the
lazarette
- Small galley, needs more freezer space
- Tight companionways
- You need time to appreciate the boat’s
virtues
|
| Specifications |
PRICE
AS TESTED
About $1.50 million w/ Caterpillar electronic C12
diesel motors and options
|
OPTIONS
FITTED
Engine upgrade, sternthruster, Furuno
electronics, Simrad autopilot, upgraded air-con to bridge, barbecue and
more
|
PRICED
FROM
About $1.35 million
|
GENERAL
Material:
...... GRP Fibreglass with cored decks, superstructure and hull sides
Type:
.......Hard chine planing hull with tunnels and underwater exhausts
Length
Overall: .................16.62m
Beam:
..................................5.18m
Draft:
.........................1.20m (max)
Deadrise:
..................................n/a
Weight: ............Around 22,000kg
(dry w/standard engine)
|
CAPACITIES
Berths:
..................................... 6+1
Fuel:.....................................3850lt
Water:
...................................800lt
|
ENGINE
Make/Model:
......Caterpillar C12s
Type: ..........Six-cylinder electronic diesel engine
w/ twin turbocharging and aftercooling
Rated hp: ........700hp @ 2300rpm
Displacement: .........................12lt
Weight:
..................about 1174kg
Gearboxes (Make/ratio): .............. ZF
2.037:1
Props: .............. Five-blade bronze
|
SUPPLIED
BY:
Maritimo Offshore, Lot 6 John Lund Drive, Hope Island,
Qld, 4212, tel (07) 5530 1477, or visit
www.maritimo.com.au | |
