Belize revealed

Two stalwarts of the Australian boating industry have teamed up to bring to the local and international market what they term as a “totally new tradition” in Aussie boat design.

Former Riviera CEO Wes Moxey and his number one dealer, Lee Dillon have formed a new brand in luxury boating called Belize Motor Yachts.

At an announcement dinner just prior to the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Moxey and Dillon showcased what they believe will be a breakthrough in modern motor yacht design. The Belize brand will be not only luxurious but also efficient and have great sea-keeping ability.

The duo left The iconic Riviera brand in 2008 and have since had other interests in the marine industry. Moxey, a shipwright by trade and Dillon, the consummate sales and after-sales specialist, couldn’t leave the industry entirely and, according to Wes Moxey, “wanted to give it another go”.

“We couldn’t just retire,” he said of his mate and himself. “My wife told us that we were too young. So we went on a tour to find the best boat builders and designers so we could bring to the market our own boat that we could be proud of.”

Enter the Belize.

The boats, although designed here through the duo’s Australian company will be built in the renowned Ka Shing yard in Taiwan which has been building boats for 35 years in sizes ranging from 45 feet to 185 feet.

Moxey and Dillon hired designer Stephen Ford formerly the senior designer at Sunseeker and who, in 2007, came to Australia to work for, you guessed it, Riviera.

Ford has come up with some lovely designs for Belize, the first of which is a 52-footer which will come in either a hard-top or flybridge configuration.
Both boats will feature extensive use of wood, stainless steel and leather to differentiate then from the current crop of what Moxey calls the “vanilla production boats”.

“There’s a lot of fibreglass in the world,” he said. “But we want to stand out.”

That said, the boats are fibreglass. However, where they stand out is in the interiors and in the attention to detail on deck.

Boatpoint got to have a chat to designer Stephen Ford and he said many of the design cues came from the automotive industry. “we weren’t trying to make such a statement with the exterior,” he said. “More appeal to the older or more experienced b oater. The design is more akin to a luxury car. You’ll see a bit of Bentley or Audi in there. The curves, the detail, it all says style.”

Ford went on to say that the cleats were specifically designed for the boat and not just off the shelf. “We’ve designed the cleats to suit the boat, they are stamped with the Belize logo and we have three different designs depending on what the customer wants,” he said.

The new Boat boasts a full-width owners’ stateroom with en suite, a VIP cabin forward and a second cabin which Lee Dillon says can be converted to an office or whatever the owner wants. “We will be semi-custom,” said Dillon.

“We’ll be flexible, but in saying that, the boats come fully prepared for sea. A three-metre Brig tender will be in the transom garage and the boat will have full Raymarine electronics.”

The boats will be powered by twin 600hp Cummins running through Zeus pod drives, have full joystick control and be backed by a best-in-class warranty.

Performance is claimed to be 30-plus knots and the team has had the hulls tank tested and say that they will smooth and flat running and extremely efficient.

Pricing will start from $1.29m for the Belize 52 Hardtop and $1.375 for the Belize 52 Flybridge.

Boat #1 has already been sold, boat #2 is being built and boat #3 is about to begin build.

The first boat will be in Australia in July and on show at the Sydney Boat Show.

Keep watching on Boatpoint for more on the Belize Motoryachts.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length Overall: (inc. swim platform & bow sprit) 52'10"  16.10 m
Beam: 16'06" 5.03 m
Maximum Draft: 3'6"  1.07 m
Dry Weight: 18,500 kg
Sleeping Capacity: Three cabins, six adults    
Water Capacity: 700 litres
Fuel Capacity: 2400 litres
Holding Tank Capacity: 380 litres
Standard Engines: Cummins QSC 600 Zeus® Pod drive 600 hp (442 kW)
Generator: Onan EQD 17.5 KVA