Maritimo M58 Semi-Custom

Based on his previous experience, Greg set out to create a
serious reef cruising, fishing and liveaboard boat that would double as a test
platform for Maritimo. He is certainly in the box seat in this respect, as he
spends most of his workaday week at the Gold Coast boatbuilder alongside doyen
Bill Barry-Cotter, whose long-range motoryachts are made for this very task.

Initially, Greg was looking at the new M50 but a voice
inside his head said: ‘go the whole hog.' So he bought an M58 with the works.
The boat just kept evolving into what is now a true showcase of Maritimo today.
Once you move up into the $2-million-plus league, a lot of doors and
possibilities open.

“I've got to know what I want in a boat,” Greg says as he hosts
a tour of his boat the day after the 2014 Sydney International Boat Show, where
it was a showstopper.  “It's also a big
test platform… for the gyro, the B&O entertainment system and the integrated
Garmin electronics,” he adds.

Thankfully, after its first serious shakedown, the gear
proved its worth. The anchor-watch alarm on the bedside multifunction display rang
out at night at Lady Musgrave at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef. They
were adrift but alerted and, thus, any serious dangerous was averted.

Back in show mode, it's hard not to be wowed by the
wonderful high-gloss Wenge joinery that creates an austere New York-like
ambience aboard Exhale. The timber has 16 coats of varnish and costs a premium
over the usual 8-10-coated teak. But buyers are ticking these boxes and many
more now made available through the creation of Greg's special boat.

As motorcruising enthusiasts, we did enjoy listening to the
philosophy behind Exhale. Everywhere you look there's evidence of a fastidious
owner and seasoned motor cruiser. There are pages upon pages of specifications,
all chosen with a specific purpose in mind, right down to the eight-man life
raft and safety grab-bag under the flybridge ladder that he'll hopefully never
put to the test.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

To give you some idea, the extensive factory and non-standard
specifications that went into creating Exhale include fitting a new engine-room
liner with extra sound proofing, even specifying the exact position of the
toilet-roll holders in the bathrooms. That said, there wasn't anything to
change about Barry-Cotter's platform.

Delivery skippers racking up time on the M58 are impressed
by the performance from the standard, compact 800hp Volvo Penta D13 engines.
You can get upgraded 900hp D13s or even 1000hp-plus Caterpillar C18s into this
engine room, but for long-range cruising 800s have proven a sweet fit. That's
the first box he ticked.

In the options' list, big-ticket items include a painted
Awlgrip hull by Superyacht Solutions (deck and hull protected with Dulon); the
Euro transom (with an aftermarket FreedomLift for carrying the tender); and a
factory fitted Expedition Package comprising heated towel rails in the
bathrooms, Karcher water blaster, cockpit barbecue, Ottomons and more.

Engineering gear included a SeaKeeper 9 Gyro in the
lazarette, which reduces roll by 72 per cent we're told. The boat had an EJS
BP300 joystick docking system ($100K-plus) including hydraulic bow and stern
thrusters, helm and cockpit stations, plus Express Positioning, which is a station-holding
function. There was an Indromar130lt/hr watermaker and $65K worth of fully
integrated Garmin glass touchscreens with integrated chair remotes. Oh, and
those chairs are Recaro helm seats with electric lifts, heating and
ventilation.

Maritimo recently partnered with high-end Danish AV
specialists Bang and Olufsen to offer some very trick sound-and-theatre systems
on its boats. Greg went for a B&O Lab 14-4.1 home/boat entertainment system
in the saloon with a B&O 40in TV on a special lift so it's viewable from
all points including the cockpit. The AV system is available in the flybridge via
a TV and on the Garmin screens and helps while-away the time on long passages.
There are more LED TVs in the cabins and a Tracksat TV system with Foxtel
that was a saviour during heavy weather on the hook at Lady Musgrave.

There were custom cockpit awnings made; extended Amtico
saloon flooring; electric OceanAir blinds; custom dimmable lighting; Glendinning
hose spooler; the Karcher water blaster; and an Eskimo
icemaker was fitted to and insulated portside cockpit locker. The boat has a
custom laundry set-up; upgraded air-con; FLIR night vision; deck and engine
room cameras; 18-rod rocket launcher; lengthened island galley bench/servery;
clever device-charging lockers; even a Zip Hydrotap for instant hot water and carbonated
desalinated water in the galley. Pure luxury.

The water pump is a 240V number for full domestic pressure
with multiple showers running (there's no end of water). The pump runs off the
inverter, along with fridges and the AV system. But there is a 12V back-up
water pump contingency in case. The deck wash is easily switchable from salt to
fresh water, too. Using only the purest desalinated water he can make, Greg is
assured of a spot-free rinse of boat and tackle after each day's fishing and
cruising.

The two 190W solar panels with an auto-start function for the generator are more clever stuff. Thus,
the cruising boater's lifeblood of power, water and fuel are in abundant
supply. Communications are first-rate, too.

At the blunt end, the FreedomLift (370kg capacity) facilitates
easy carrying and dispatch of the Walker Bay 390 tender with 60hp Suzuki
four-stroke. Remove the hydraulic lift arms, which weigh just 12kg each, and
you have a clean and clear transom for fishing, swimming and hanging out. The were
underwater lights and 32 extra LEDs tracing your path to the bow, where a big
Muir Thor windlass and heavy-duty anchoring hardware (80m of chain with 45kg
Ultra) is intended to keep you safe.

The Euro transom includes a rear-access hatch that, upon
testing on a C53 for a few days on the Gold Coast, was more than useful, found
Greg. When everyone is seated for lunch, you can still access your kit inside
the lazarette without disturbing them. The centre amenities island includes barbecue,
sink and fridge. The usual side storage bin to port was converted to a trick
icebox using an Eskimo EID540 unit that produces up to 245kg of ice a day. Expect
A-grade sushi and seafood for dinner on Exhale.

The trick American combo rod and drink holders in the
gunwales are another a nice touch, as is the Garmin 12in multifunction screen
with CHIRP sounder (linked to a 3kW transducer) mounted above the cockpit docking
station. Together, they let you manoeuvre the boat above fish, engage Express Positioning
on the EJS, and ‘virtual anchor' atop the school while dropping baits and lures
on their heads. Chuck them on ice nearby and you're ready to go anchor, do
sundowners and prep dinner.

Underfloor, the custom lazarette and the incredible storage it
affords, with such easy access via the transom, has proven an asset. Greg had
tubs labelled for tools and hardware, there were hooks for swinging mooring
lines and spare Shorepower leads, with rod racks in place. Inflatable SUPS and
kayaks were to be added later. Fold-up flash Italian chairs and a table with Wenge
timber panel can be retrieved to boost cockpit seating to 10 for lunch on deck
(or six back inside), while an extended Euro awning casts shade above.

The sliding saloon doors and longer island servery enhance

the galley, with extended Amtico vinyl flooring adding to its utility. The
boat's refrigeration and iceboxes were boosted and cooks will welcome the full Miele
appliance package that comes standard on the M58. The AC/DC control panel and
adjoining cabinetry, plus wet bar and icemaker, made plain good sense opposite,
as did the charging centre in this day and age of devices. The boat had
intercom and satcom with extended Uniden phone range too.

At the press of a button, the full electric blinds let you derive
privacy back at the marina and keep the sun off the high-end Dave Stewart
interior finishes. Formal dining for six is possible alongside the table forward.
You can certainly tell Greg has spent time aboard, as the high/low pedestal for
this table creates a daybed opposite the B&O television. The starboard-side
lounge immediately before the TV had an inbuilt sofa bed to boost sleeping to eight.

You can sleep 10 by throwing another couple on the
convertible bed in the air-conditioned flybridge, where there's an electric
sunroof and side-opening windows, plus those sumptuous Recaro high-backed helm
seats fronting three 17in Garmin glass screens. There are seats and legroom to
cruise with the whole family up top, a sink and bar fridge, the TV and, as the
sun drops, the rear elevated bridge deck for sundowners. This private area and
the flat foredeck mean the M58 has plenty places to call your own.

Meantime, the main decision on the accommodation level was the aforesaid day head in the companionway where a laundry might
otherwise exists. A little length is lost on the twin bunks in the third cabin
but as a couple of kids are usually part of most crews it shouldn't matter. Answering
high-traffic toilet needs is more important and, with a handheld shower and
plenty of ventilation, the day head is designed to be hosed out.

Compared with the M48 that he owned previously, the VIP
cabin for guests in the bow is especially spacious and more luxurious with the
Stewart interior finish. There's plenty of floor space and dressing room, a
separate TV with DVD, and floating sinks and heated towel rails to lift the
luxe levels in the boat's en suites.

The full-beam stateroom is the clincher for anyone
contemplating an M58 and Greg's digs are doubly special. The vanity and dresser
area immediately as you step through the door was more of an office, with a
laptop drawer and HDMI cable for downloads, while the adjoining en suite was
extended back into what would usually be hanging space for frocks. There was
still enough cedar-lined hanging space leftover.  

Step down in the full-beam master cabin and there's a 42in
B&O TV facing the bed with Garmin and Foxtel, plus the anchor alarm on the
multifunction display within reach of the bedhead. It has already saved Greg's
bacon after a pulled pick. Underbed storage was bolstered, there was an
upgraded mattress, plus electric blinds and insect screens on the opening
portligths, along with extra GPOs for charging devices while in bed. 

The Miele washer/dryer and Dyson cordless and bagless (de
rigueur on boats now) vac were in a dedicated custom laundry cupboard.

The deck hatches to the engine room and lazarette had
electric actuators and upgraded hinges, with special soundproofing and barrier
to the engine room to make this the quietest 58 around. A new liner and SeaDek
(.com) flooring add to the lifted engine-room finish, while a Sidchrome toolbox,
debugger on the diesel duel system, electronic fuel shutoffs, extra battery
power and big 4.5kW MagnaSine inverter were noticed. The 32A solar panels run
all the fridges and Exhale has been designed to be generator-free if you need
it to be.

Hull-wise, Maritimo uses solid glass below the waterline and
a variable deadrise design with a flat run aft, coupled with (2.25in) shafts
featuring a shallow angle of attack for maximum (five blade) prop thrust. The
M58 caries 800 litres of water in twin tanks, a sizeable 200 litre black water
tank, and 5000 litres of fuel in wing tanks with sight gauges.

There's abundant servicing space for the main straight-six
Volvo engines and 17.5Kva Onan generator, washable membranes on the engine-room
air intakes, dual fuel filters, charcoal water filters, engine strainers with
clear inspection ports, and Maritimo's race-boat power steering system for
snappy off-the-wheel handling. If you get the chance take a look at this fit
out in this excellent engine room and lazarette.

The winds on the delivery trip to Sydney were gusting to 55
knots, while time spent on the hook at a blowy Lady Musgrave were saved by the
Garmin anchor-watch system after his mooring lines gave way. The Foxtel was
also a godsend at night in the howling conditions.

Greg says the 800hp Volvo D13s give a top speed of 30.8
knots and 25-26 knots fast cruise. Consumption is about 180 litres per hour at
2150rpm and 80 per cent engine load. With the 17.5kW generator running and all
the goodies switched on, consumption is about 215lt/hr in total, Greg says,
giving 530nm-plus range in five-star air-conditioned comfort.

This is in keeping with our previous test of a base model 58
without all the fruit and it certainly underscores the long-range nature and
intent of Exhale and Maritimos in general.

VERDICT

Team this with the signature walkaround decks and enclosed flying bridge with
upgraded navigational kit, and the full-beam stateroom, and this has to rate as
one of the most capable offshore motoryachts that money can buy. Local and
overseas boaters think so. Maritimo sold two M58s at Sanctuary Cove boat show
and a M58 and a new 65 at Sydney show all with the Wenge timber finish.

The deep level of thinking in this M58 will strike a chord with
other motor-cruising buffs and it is that discerning clique that Maritimo
covets with its 35-boat annual build run in today's pared back, big-boat
market.

Priced from: $2.132 million with base Volvo D13 engines
LOA: 18.70m
Beam: 5.20m
Draft: 1.35m (max)
Weight: Around 29,000kg dry with standard Volvo D13 engines
Sleeping: 8+2
Fuel capacity: 5000 litres
Water capacity: 800 litres
Holding tank: 300 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta 800hp D13 common-rail diesel
inboard engines with shaft drives spinning five-blade props