To that end it has four state rooms, a large “al fresco deck”, an enclosed flybridge and a 10,000-litre fuel tank. With its standard brace of Scania 16-litre turbodiesels, the M75 will travel 1500 nautical miles at 10 knots, which might otherwise be described as about 2800 km at 19 km/h. Slow down and you can more than double that range.
Barry-Cotter says it will take about 35,000 man-hours to produce each M75, with the company’s 330 employees undertaking an unusually high percentage of the work inhouse. This includes all the fibreglass and cabinetry, and most of the stainless-steel componentry. Maritimo can turn out about six M75s a year, and claims the first three years of production are already accounted for.
Father and son on their sailing yacht. Tom Barry-Cotter was instrumental in the design of the new M75, the largest and most luxurious motor yacht the company has yet built. Paul Harris
None of it comes cheap, of course. The base price is $6.45 million. Specify a few prime options (such as a pair of Rolls-Royce Power Systems V10 engines), and you’ll be heading towards $7.5 million.
Unlike the average new car, which comes with a ribbon, a quick meeting and maybe a bottle of wine, the M75 delivery process is three days long. “We familiarise the owner with all the systems and how everything works,” says Barry-Cotter. “Then we bring all the various suppliers and trades onto the boat to educate the owner on all those systems, be it the electrical system or the navigation equipment or the engine, or if they option things like stabilisers or water makers.”
A water maker, which costs from $30,000 to $50,000, is a small desalination plant for very long voyages.
A fleet of motor yachts built by the Gold Coast company. Sixty per cent of its output is exported.
There’s a post-purchase program, too. Last month, a dozen Maritimo owners headed for Hamilton Island. “Some owners are buying a long-range product, but they’re not necessarily confident to venture into waters they aren’t familiar with … so we lead expeditions we call the Maritimo Migration.”
These have been run around the world (60 per cent of the boats are exported) and suppliers are brought along to talk to longer-term owners about newly available tech upgrades.
Today’s Maritimo chief executive is the son of Bill Barry-Cotter, who is something of a legend in Australia’s surprisingly large marine industry. Now 79, ‘BBC’ built his first boat 60 years ago. He founded the Mariner then Riviera companies – both still major local players – before setting up Maritimo 20 years ago.
Tom, who is 35, had ambitions to join the Royal Australian Air Force but eventually opted to follow the boating path. “So I started studying naval architecture at the Australian Maritime College. But I didn’t really like what was an engineering degree per se and, coming from the Gold Coast, I wasn’t a big fan of Tasmania, so forgive me!”
The Maritimo 75’s large al fresco deck is open yet sheltered enough for all-weather entertaining.
He instead completed a bachelor of industrial design in Queensland then worked as a marine designer inside and outside the family firm for the next 10 years. He took on a management role at Maritimo just as COVID-19 erupted. After that challenge was successfully negotiated, “Dad started to take a step back and that’s when I took over the managing director role”.
The younger Barry-Cotter was very much hands-on in designing the M75 but says his new role means a lot more travel and admin, and less time at the design desk.
The M75’s enclosed flybridge is something of a Maritimo tradition, with moulded “wings” to extend its width (every millimetre on a boat is precious). So what is the advantage of enclosing the upper helm? “When you’re doing long-range cruising, you might be doing weeks at a time, going through all sorts of different weather patterns. You’re going to get rough weather as well and spray from wind and waves.”
Barry-Cotter says the longer at sea, the greater the advantage of having a comfortable, climate-controlled helm, with an elevated view of all that is around. “What it also does, with the helm going upstairs, is free up real estate on the main deck.”
Tom Barry-Cotter says the company’s engine options comply with IMO Tier III, the latest emissions standard from the International Maritime Organisation. Paul Harris
What about the environmental aspects of burning 10,000 litres of diesel on a long trip? Barry-Cotter says all the engine options comply with IMO Tier III, the latest emissions standard from the International Maritime Organisation, and at this stage there are no greener options.
The long distances and scant marine charging infrastructure makes pure electric drivetrains impracticable for cruisers, at this stage at least, though he believes hybrid powerplants will be available in about five years.
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