Maritimo 440 Offshore Convertible

- Large area between galley and cockpit makes the boat very ‘airy’.

Never before has such good practical features been included in a 44ft boat without creating such a clutter that it would be unbearable to live with.

The smart design in this boat offers potential for quality time aboard by having three cabins and two bathrooms to cater for five people.

In the entertainment department, the 440 is fitted with a 42” LCD TV mounted on the saloon wall plus a Lifestyle V25 entertainment system and Bose Zone 131 marine speakers including amp and remote for the flybridge. Setting the scene for that evening cocktail party are four underwater LED lights.

As far as navigation goes, a Simrad NSE package consisting of  two NSE 12” screens, gs15 GPS antenna, BSM-1 sounder, B258 transducer, BR24 broadband radar is fitted.

The 11kW generator is installed with a sound shield and two 70Ah batteries for starting each engine and another two 210Ah house batteries.
An inverter (1.3kW) supplies power points in the galley, bathroom and for engine-room lighting.

Keeping it cool, the saloon is fitted with an 18,000BTU air conditioner and in the state room a 16,000BTU air conditioner head seperate from the master unit.

The cockpit itself is a spacious work area should you wish to fish. This is helped in part by the fact that the stair case to the flybridge is unobtrusively installed inside the saloon in the aft port corner.

In the transom bulkhead a mammoth (approximately 200-litre) refrigerator is installed but the option is to have a live bait tank here instead.

A hand basin sits in the top of a corner moulding on the portside of the saloon aft bulkhead and a seat opposite is part of the superstructure on the starboard side.

The void formed under the staircase in the port aft corner of the saloon has not been wasted either, in-filled by a fridge/freezer unit which is flush-mounted in a plush timber fascia, close and handy to the galley bench that runs abeam from the starboard side.

All the necessities of a practical galley are present in the form of a four-burner gas cooker, microwave, dishwasher and plenty of drawer space for cutlery, crockery, pots and pans.

From the galley looking forward, the expanse of the saloon is appreciated.

On the portside an L-shaped leather lounge to view the large flat screen television is positioned with one side of the lounge facing aft for those wanting to observe the festivities in the cockpit.

 Opposite is a leather bound dinette with polished timber angular table that may be swivelled to service a number of seating positions, and a bar cabinet is built into the starboard forward bulkhead.

Heading down the staircase into the companionway, the cabin on the starboard side hosts a wide single bunk slightly recessed under the saloon deck.

In the cabin opposite, two standard-size bunks are fitted at 90-degrees to allow more area to move around. Storage is available in a set of drawers beneath one of the bunks.

Moving forward, the main bathroom is situated on the starboard side and designed such that the maximum use of space is gained. The predominantly vivid white finish in the bathroom is broken up with the use of timber panelling and angular mirrors throw more perspective to enhance the spacious feeling when inside.

Of particular note is the design of the shower screen. While shower hobs and screens usually crucify available space in a marine bathroom, the 440 has overcome the problem with this fantastic design. Constructed in the aft corner of the bathroom, the shower screens, which consist of toughened glass, are both hinged and become the other two walls when swung into play. When not in use keeping splash at bay they are swung back against the wall and bulkhead and retained by a lever that is swung over by toe.

The available space to move around in with this concept in play is truly amazing and one has to keep reminding oneself that one is exploring a relatively small 44 footer!

The stateroom has an oval shaped island queen size bed with storage underneath. A set of drawers are built into the wall of the foot of the bed and there are high side pockets each side.

A half-height robe is situated in each aft corner of the stateroom while the door to the ensuite is situated on the portside.

Again, offset mirrors create the feeling of more space and the vanity, head and shower screen door are easily accessed.

Heading upstairs, one is met with a spacious well-designed flybridge ideal for social cruising.

The helm station is well spread out and fitted with state-of-the-art Simrad electronics and complimented by two Pompinnette chairs.

A hand basin is plumbed on the portside at the aft of a straight starboard viewing lounge while the lounge opposite is L-shaped. The area is further complimented by a fridge and bar shelves in a timber cabinet against the forward bulkhead.

The main bulkheads are free-standing cored fibreglass as is the construction of the deck and flybridge.

The forward bow features a watertight collision bulkhead while the aft end is built around positive buoyancy tanks.

Propulsion is via a pair of Volvo Penta IPS 600 turbo diesel (320kW / 435bhp) engines coupled to Volvo Penta’s IPS drives.

They rest on flexible engine mounts fitted to solid fibreglass bearers and are effectively muffled by acoustic insulation.

The engine room is a mechanic's dream. While the daily oil check is done via a small man hole in the forward deck of the cockpit, should you need improved access a push of a button lifts almost the entire deck on hydraulics to allow access to both engines all round. Should they need to be lifted out there is no overhead superstructure to dodge around when doing so.

Immediately aft of the saloon bulkhead, a wide hatch opens to access the washing machine and the switch gear for shore and house power in what could be called a lazarette. A manhole in the forward wall down here allows access to the genset and other appliances such as air conditioner and water and waste storage units. This aperture seemed small in dimensions for ease of access for larger people.

While the IPS at the joystick is governed to about 1000rpm, operation it can be switched to have increased rpm capability when difficult docking is experienced. And there is always the manual throttles which would be the preferred option when game fishing. The Maritimo performs well with these also.

The power-to-weight ratio offered by the pair of 435hp engines is well balanced, with good available torque throughout the throttle range.

Ambient noise levels both in the saloon with the doors closed and in the flybridge when underway on the plane is quite acceptable and quieter than many boats of this size.

Looking through the performance statistics, WOT gives 32.3 knots with fuel usage being 167lph. With the 1800-litre tank, this equates to a range of 313nm or 5.17 litres per nautical mile.

Further study of this list shows there is no big jump in fuel consumption at any given rpm or speed, rather a steady increase.

Back to a cruise of 2500rpm and 17 knots, the fuel consumption is 82lph giving a range of 337nm or 4.81 litres per mile.

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0
Mechanical and hull: 4.7/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water performance: 4.8/5.0
Value for money: 4.7/5.0
X-factor: 4.8/5.0