Something in the order of 250,000 man-hours and two-and-a-half years went into creating the first hull for each variant of Maritimo’s M75 and S75 flagships. It was not only a mammoth undertaking, but also a hefty investment, but Maritimo’s clientele had asked, and the company had listened.
Stemming from the paradigm shift that was the M55, the M75 is a bold envisioning of a grand, enclosed flybridge motoryacht. Style was always going to be crucial in this niche, and the M75 looks unlike anything else in the category. Still, it absolutely had to retain Maritimo’s philosophy, which is set in resin. Therefore, the M75 exhibits Maritimo’s quintessential aft galley, walkaround deck, enclosed bridge with internal stairs, inline shaft drive, extra-long range from 10,000 litres of fuel bunkering, and a true bluewater pedigree.
Only thing is, in a vessel of this magnitude, everything ‘Maritimo’ is effectively on steroids, due entirely to the vessel’s scale. Carrying more than 90% of its considerable 6m maximum beam all the way to the transom and taking the waterline as far forward as possible while still retaining a purposeful entry angle for the prow, makes it capacious below decks, and inherently stable. Adding a not insignificant reverse chine running for over 70% of her 23m length further helps stability, whilst also delivering enhanced lift that makes her even more fuel efficient.
But it is perhaps the wings that overhang the main deck, which make the bridge deck as wide as the main saloon, that could well be a hallmark. How so? Well, there is many a 60-footer out there that would love to offer on their main deck what the M75 does on her upper level! Yes. It is that huge, and so full of usable amenity that it is little wonder the M75 is the more ordered version of the pair.
The lion’s share of the order book for the M75 also includes the optional 10V2000M96L Rolls Royce Power Solutions mtu diesels (and yes, that’s the official title), each resplendent with their sublime and silkily smooth 1625hp on tap, ready to go to work. The order book now stretches out to the end of 2025, soon to go into 2026, which gives us a clear understanding of just how much the global market has taken to Australia’s new Queen of the Seas.
Let’s Get Into It
All in all, it meant it wasn’t so much a case of me looking forward to my day with the M75, as it was a case of a man on a mission! Special is the word. The boat’s special. The engines are special. As discussed, the styling is special. So much so that she has inspired the new Black Editions of her M55, M60, and M600 sisters. The spaces – and there are so many of them on board to choose from – are special. Most importantly, however, the feeling is special. Pause right there.
Feeling could well be key, for if you are investing this much into your lifestyle you want memories, stories, tales, pics and videos by the gorilla-load. It’s many millions for a vessel such as this, and you can still tick more boxes on the options list. Important, then, to make the utmost of it all.
Seeing as we have just opened the door, we may as well march right on through… And march is exactly what you will do with Friedrichshafen’s finest, because as they are continuously rated, you can do with them what you will, as long as you keep feeding them diesel. Wide open throttle all day, every day? No problem. And all the telemetry goes back to mtu, so in the case you need to check something, you’ll be notified.
A Stable, Safe and Comfortable Ride In Any Sea State
This beautiful M75 is fitted with a Quick X56 Gyroscopic stabiliser, tucked neatly in the engine room. The Quick X56 gyro is air cooled and delivers an impressive 55,882N-m of anti-roll torque from a compact cube that is just 930 x 930mm. That means the X56 offers the highest possible anti-roll performance package available for this vessel, and yet it fits easily in the engine room, without restricting access to other equipment in the space. More anti-roll torque means a more comfortable and safer ride regardless of sea state. No wonder then that of the seven Maritimo M75 launched thus far, six of the owners have chosen the Quick X56 Gyro stabilser.
Remember, too, that the mtu package covers the lot, which is handy, for if the not-so-much-iron-ladies (the pistons are sodium-filled alloy) can run wide open throttle full time, then the boxes must as well. Whoop-dee-doo? Well, take on this. There is a maximum of 1625hp on offer for a lot of the upper end of the power curve, and a mountain-moving 5393Nm of torque across an even wider rev range to spin the 36×49.5-inch five-bladed NiBrAl screws thrashing about downstairs.
The 22.3l V10s come in at 2305kg each when dry, and the ZF2050A 2.5:1 gearboxes are near enough to 500kg themselves. Brilliant engineering does not come light, although these stats are actually class leading. At least you get to pin the throttles when you want to, with confidence that the package is not only effective, but also dependable and reliable in a way that just says “Germany”.
Sublime is the word. It goes with ‘special’ and elevates it. You’re all in. A bit like being clipped to the parachute instructor, and the light going green just after the door opens. Next thing you know, you’re flying. From start up, where you have to actually check the tachometers to ensure the engines are running, to the super-smooth engagement of ahead on the terrific ZF boxes via the incredibly tactile controls, this is Teutonic perfection at its best.
Follow Through
The feeling extends to the Side-Power thrusters from Sleipner Group as well. The stern thruster also vectors down a little bit, so that it interferes less with the architecture of that gargantuan swim platform. The result is that you use it instead of the big wheels for delicate manoeuvring. The controls’ proportionality is to die for. The other major upside is that you can do a full 360-degree rotation inside her own length on just the thrusters alone, and since they are hydraulic, they won’t give out on you, either.
You feel the punch from the first of twin sequential turbos from idle, and by the time the second has come in at 1600rpm you are virtually at the full wallop of torque that pretty much stays with you all the way to the ultra-impressive, and screamingly high 2450rpm maximum. Not that you’ll hear it, as such, because on the bridge noise, pace, and even time do seem to come from another dimension.
Laden with most of her 10,000l of fuel, like we were, expect a maximum of 30 knots, but 33 knots in lightship. The M75 is beginning to plane at say 14 knots, and our vessel had tabs, not interceptors, to sort the trim out. That’s all marvellous, but the real world has blue water – and lumps.
If conditions are right, there is a delightful cadence at 26 knots. But our day was not like this. We had at least four knots of tide running out, a stiff 15-20 knots of SSE blowing, and with the current running up Main Beach to flip outward at the Southport Bar, the Gold Coast seaway was ‘unpleasant’, shall we say. Anyway, off we went at around 12 knots, which is what you’ll do when you encounter this slop head on. It was certainly gnarly, especially in that area out to the nor’east where the bar goes. It was only about an hour off low tide, so the wind one way and water the other was as distinct as it was stacked up to two and often three metres in height.
Yes, we got a bit of water on the glass, but by no means were we taking greenies over the deck. No doubt the Carolina-esque flare up for’ard, along with the significant reverse chines were doing their bit, and with effectively 60 metric tonnes being used as the hammer, we nailed it. I could stand, and so long as I had one hand for me, and one for the boat, along with the de rigueur ‘shock absorber’ knees, everything was fine. Park your behind in one of the magical in-house Maritimo seats and you could comfortably settle in for the long slog.
We did not have time for that and so selected our turning spot in amongst the waves and came back in at a brisk 22 knots or so. Marvellous. The Maritimo steering is a direct descendant of their race package, and with the rudders’ deep, and toe-out attributes, you never had to spin the wheel wildly, either directly downhill, or on a quartering sea. Hull form, which includes 13 degrees of deadrise at the stern and a noticeable keel, was clearly doing its bit.
It’s In The Pictures
In case you have not worked it out yet, the M75 is about her spaces. Most specifically, those out aft on the main and bridge decks. That’s not to say that the main saloon is not capacious, nor the master stateroom on par with the George V. It is just that the way the upper cockpit so effectively combines inside with the tennis court sized Adventure Deck, and then your own sports bar, with swing down TV on the Juliet deck behind the bridge, are all so utterly awesome.
If you do travel with a large crew, or intend to be able to do so, then the M75 is the boat for you. On the accommodation deck the Pullman twin is more than comfortable, the convertible twin adds versatility, and the VIP up for’ard with its own en suite is a splendid haven. The Utility Cabin under the BBQ and immediately aft of the engine room was set up as another Pullman twin on our test boat, and it has a head/shower, just off to port.
On the bridge deck, the couch opposite the inside TV converts to yet more sleeping quarters, as does the cruising lounge opposite the skipper. With copious amounts of refrigeration, no end of entertainment, unreal ventilation from the vista windows and the two opening sunroofs, along with that view, this has to be the Presidential Suite! Who cares if you must go below to use the bathroom?
If it gets to the ‘sleep where you drop’ stage, then there are even more options, from up on the bow if the tender is in the water, to around the edge of the entire bridge deck, which you can enclose if you so choose to make it climate controlled – and you can split it into two with the glass doors. Ah, the options…
How you use it all is entirely up to you, but here’s the thing. The Maritimo M75 is a boat you will use, and that is the name of the game. The Marlborough Sounds, Fiordland down south, and the Pacific Isles are all possibilities. Just select and go.
