The Black Edition of Maritimo’s M600 Offshore Flybridge Motor Yacht is no mere badge-engineering solution. It is a massive collection of enhancements that respond directly to owners’ requests.
Whether it is an adaptive foredeck lounge, more natural light in the reconfigured galley (M version only), new overhead panelling, gunwale doors, aft boarding gates, or substantial entertainment module with inbuilt lazarette access, this names but a few. They are all brilliant and can be packaged up to suit your very needs.
Of course, they also bring the vessels (M and S [Sedan] versions of 55, 60 and 600) into the same realm as the distinguished M and S75 by adopting some of the styling cues, and hence the ‘Black Edition’ name. That means enriched practicality walks hand-in-hand with Maritimo’s distinct and sleek style.
Ultimately it is versatility that becomes the big winner for you. Whether you’re a multigenerational boater and need to account for children and fur kids or collecting the bounty of the seas at every opportunity, Maritimo’s M600 with its enclosed transom meets the brief.
Being a Maritimo, seaworthiness and comfort are built-in from the get-go, as too is genuine long-range capability, which can be further enhanced by opting for the additional 1,000 litres, taking fuel capacity out to 5,500 litres. Depending on your engine selection, that means you could be looking at 3,000nm range at seven knots, or 500nm at a decent clip of 26 knots – Auckland to Marlborough Sounds in the one hop.
Choice made easy
Now, with such an array of choice – think several thousand specific elements – just how do you arrange them all?
“There were nine key areas of focus for us that effectively have two reasons for being. Namely aesthetic and/or functionality. From this we could then build up packages to suit certain client requirements. A classic example of hitting both marks are the lit steps in the side decks that feature a teak inlay with bullnose. A refined touch that adds so much appeal”, said Maritimo Operations Manager, Phil Candler.
“Stylistically, the white engine room ventilation grilles, and black band around the cockpit gates and console also perform dual roles. Namely more air ingress, and a larger entertainment unit that also incorporates a walk in/down access door to the lazarette.”
Elsewhere, single skin overhead liners, mood lighting, a ‘floating’ dash custom built to suit your choice of electronics, Maritimo’s own electrically adjustable helm seats with footrests, a larger bridgedeck, as well as the optional foredeck forward-facing lounge and adjustable sun pads with demountable shading (the latter two elements where applicable, of course).
Both the cockpit and the bridgedeck have different consoles for you to choose from, and these can be fitted with fridges and so forth, to say nothing of the additional aft helm on the bridgedeck with its great sightlines. The plans also include an infill section for seating in the middle. There is also now a coffee table adjacent to the cruising lounge.
Up top and staying there
Maritimo pioneered the enclosed bridge 20 years ago, so it should be of no surprise that they still lead the pack in terms of size and amenity. If there was ever a room with a view, this is it. Over time, many have moved away from opting for the full sunroof to individual hatches, and if for no other reason than saving weight aloft, it means you could spend your hard-earned dollars elsewhere, which is good as there are so many other items you might find useful.
Possibly one of the greatest attributes of the cockpit seating is the ability to slide past the recessed cockpit gates due to their angled backs, which also makes the seating area far more of
a conversation pit than ever before. It is also here that you notice the gunwale doors that swing inwards and forwards to be out of the way, whilst still allowing access to the foredeck – and they have not impeded the rope lockers immediately aft, either.
It could be easy to get overwhelmed, save for the fact that if you remember everything is for a purpose, then selection revolves totally around requirement. Ultimately, it all becomes as simple as selecting sliding doors over bifolds. Yes, one is more expensive than the other, but the change in ambience and usability, as well as allowing space for the collapsed door set, are all trade-offs you will make in creating your perfect Maritimo.
Space is always king on a boat, so the cleverer the use of it, the better the outcome. The logic in the delivery of the different options with Maritimo’s Black Edition is clear – none impede traffic flow, and storage abounds. This is especially obvious down below, especially in the Master, where you can opt for a large drawer unit to replace the chaise lounge on the port side of the bed, as well as an additional hanging locker to starboard. The lifting bed in the VIP is as smart as ever – even a bit lower to assist with access.
It’s about a bench. A bench 600mm longer, no less, enough to wax lyrical over. The M600 has had the tower pantry taken over to the port side under the stairs, and the longer return not only looks better from a balance point of view, but it also allows light from the window to come straight into the galley. Nor do you lose the wine fridge, it just goes to being accessible from the saloon.
Out back and all
The whole of the aft deck and ‘boot’ or entertainment console lift to reveal the entire lazarette: 700l of fresh water is now stored here, but it can still swallow SUPs, dive gear, rods and reels and fenders with ease.
The fish well is slightly shallower to afford access to the tops of the rudder posts, but partly compartmentalised to avoid too much water movement. The bait well is still in the coaming, and the transom door delivers access to the duckboard, or lifting platform, which you can specify to different sizes. These are distinguished by larger slats for wash to come through and return when backing down. No, you cannot have a full-sized game chair anymore, but yes, you can still install a smaller one and store it in the laz.
Out offshore and back
Thirty-five metric tonnes wetship. That’s the number. Four engine options exist, from twin Volvo-Penta D13 straight sixes delivering 800hp a side with the “more easily available” ZF boxes behind them, to a pair of Scania’s Di13 inline sixes with 900hp each and your choice of ZF or Twin Disc final drive. The latter was how our most recent vessel experience was equipped.
Topping the range are Volvo-Penta D13 sixes at 1000hp a side with ZF boxes, or the brilliant Scania V8 at 1150hp each, which is how an earlier M600 experience was enjoyed.
Given that the M600 has a real cadence at 24 knots or more, you are going to need one of the more potent options to hold that, and arguably deliver a better, real-world range/usage/elapsed time calculation, especially if you travel for more than a few hours during each passage.
The twin 900hp Scanias spinning 30-inch Veem NiBrAl wheels at the end of shafts that have a shallow 8o angle get the mid-teen plane happening smartly but prefer a 20.5-knot cruise at 220lph. You’ll make high 20s at WOT, consuming some 340l an hour, whereas the Di16 V8 1150hp Scanias are more like 212lph combined at 20 knots and go out to 34 knots consuming 408lph combined.
Time moves swiftly, and it would seem no more so than in the stabilisation field. Five years is a long time, and what was exceptional then now seems de rigueur. In a new-age Maritimo you have a fair beam, carried well aft. By virtue of inherent hull form, Maritimos are efficient and stable to begin with.
As we move into an era of even more dynamic roll, pitch and yaw control utilising gyros and interceptors, fitting smaller and lighter equipment with lower power draw can only mean that a Maritimo is bound to be better served, and by extension its passengers. The reason for going into this is that lighter, less bulky stabilising equipment benefits
a vessel’s consumption and range, which is better for everyone.
How does it all sit?
It is rare to find a vessel that can do so much with such aplomb. Maritimo’s 600 in either M or S guise was always good. The Black Edition is simply cleverer. It’s in the refinement. Being adaptable, even if tailored for one kind of boating over another, is probably what sets Maritimo’s Offshore series apart from so many others.
Yes, to be such it will need to be optioned up from base specification, but do not be put off by that – I was very pleasantly surprised by how little difference there was between base and top spec engines, for example.
It’s inherent versatility is what makes the M600 not just usable for many different activities, but so thoroughly capable as well. In the current age of shared ownership, that just adds to its appeal. I’m guessing Ownaship has indeed spotted this for itself…
