Maritimo C50 Sports Cabriolet

A storm had rumbled through over the past few days, roiling the waters of the South Pacific, blowing off the tops of the waves in angry sprays of white foam. Indeed, it was so bad the Aussies actually closed the beach at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, about 30 miles south of Brisbane, something they are loathe to do. (Closing the beach in an upscale resort town called Surfers Paradise, it seems, is almost an insult to the national psyche.) This morning, although the beach was open and the storm was receding, the ocean was still a striking metallic silver color, kicking up 4-foot waves and wandering winds. In other words, perfect conditions to test hull number one of the new Maritimo C50 Sports Cabriolet, fresh from its introduction at the Sanctuary Cove boat show just up the road.

I had arrived from New York just two days before and was still half jet-lagged, but I figured, well, why not? A little rough-water boating might be good for the character; at least it would keep me awake. Not to worry ? the ride, considering the circumstances, was remarkable. "These boats are over-engineered so they can go anywhere," said Bill Barry-Cotter, Maritimo's founder and CEO, who I talked with the day before. The 50 certainly performed well. There was no real pounding, not in the usual sense, and no banging, no creaks, no rattles. The boat was as solid as can be, just powering through the South Pacific swells, spray flying, with no fuss at all. It turned quickly, and the angle of attack was low, with minimal bow rise. This is a boat with a good attitude. Barry-Cotter was right. As the Aussies would say, no problems, mate; just point the boat and Bob's your uncle.

As I found out over the next few days, there are basically two reasons for the boat's superb offshore performance. First is the way the boat is designed, with Maritimo's trademark variable deadrise hull. It also carries the engines and fuel tanks relatively farther forward than many other boats, putting them over the center of buoyancy. Plus a low shaft angle of just 9 degrees keeps the engines low (producing a low center of gravity). Second is the way it's built, with a unitary monocoque construction plan. Most builders use two fiberglass parts, one for the hull and one for the deck, with interior modules attached to the inside of the boat. Maritimo constructs three fiberglass parts: the deck, the hull and a complete fiberglass mold for the interior. It then chemically bonds all three together. The result is a stronger, more rigid, lighter and quieter boat, essentially a one-piece structure. (Think of a fighter jet.) Seeing (and hearing) is believing, and after our ride off Surfers Paradise, I'm a believer.

I was in Australia with 20 or so U.S. and Latin American Maritimo dealers, a group organized by Dave Northrop, president of Maritimo USA, with headquarters in Seattle. Over the course of the next few days we visited the various Maritimo factories where, among other things, we saw the almost-completed hull of the new 73-foot flagship and molten lead being poured for the casting of a new anchor. (Maritimo makes as many of its own components as possible, including anchors. A single anchor, it turns out, takes more than a ton of sand.) We also got up very early to drive to a nature preserve to see dozens and dozens of kangaroos in their native habitat. We then took a daylong cruise north to visit the Maritimo racing headquarters up by Brisbane, spending a lot of time on the boats.

The C50 is as pretty as it is tough. The low-profile, long sheer line, raked windshield, long cabin-top overhang and almost teardropshaped windows all suggest a contemporary Euro look, but a bit understated; it's classic in its lack of frills. The large, almost square windows in the hull forward, just below the helm, give a visual break to the all-white hull. The overall affect is both elegant and functional. The C50 is a pretty boat that clearly is still a boat ? no floating condo here. It does what a boat's supposed to do.

Standing at the dock next to the boat, Barry-Cotter comments on its good looks and says simply, "I'll compare this boat with any of our European counterparts." Indeed, the C50 would look equally at home in the Mediterranean, Miami, or Malibu.

Stepping on board, the boat is inviting and comfortable, open and light. It has three staterooms and two heads below, a generous salon with a galley aft (to starboard, when you walk in from the cockpit), making the front of the salon a large social area with a comfortable, eight-person, U-shaped settee on the port side across from the helm. It faces a teak high-low table on a stainless-steel pedestal. A large, electric sunroof overhead, combined with the sizable side windows and the four front windows, let in an enormous amount of light. More light comes through the sliding glass doors leading from the cockpit to the salon. (If you want your hair to blow in the wind, just open the sunroof; it's fun.)

You actually step aboard from the large, fiberglass swim platform; it, and all the deck surfaces, is covered with nonskid. Walk up two steps through matching stainless-steel gates (with overbuilt positive locks) to the cockpit and relax in the curved settee across the back. Forward, on the port side, under a small teak inset, is a fridge. On the starboard side is a matching ice maker. Three hatches in the cockpit open to serve as storage for shore cords and fenders and whatever else you want to bring on board. A pod behind the back seat lifts up for more storage. Press a rocker switch in the cockpit and the hydraulic door to the garage lifts up, revealing a gelcoated, nonskid area capable of holding a good-size RIB or dinghy. Barry-Cotter says you can get a 9-foot Nautica jet in there and launch it with rollers and a winch. The swim platform is built low to the water to make this as easy as possible. There's also a shower in the transom, so you can wash off after water sports.

Climb up two steps from the cockpit to the wide side decks leading forward to the oval sun lounge on the bow. For safety, sturdy, high, stainless-steel rails run almost the length of the boat. There's also a stainless handrail just under the cabin top. Two overbuilt cleats for spring lines are in the middle of the boat on each side.

Two sliding glass doors lead from the cockpit to the salon; they're protected by an overhang from the sleek, slightly sloping cabin top. In the salon, on the port side, a wooden door opens to the full-length fridge with freezer on top, plus a food storage cabinet with swing-out doors. To starboard, the galley is totally open with a sink, fourburner cooktop, a Panasonic microwave, lots of storage and an L-shaped counter. There is plenty of room here for cruising, entertaining or just relaxing.

Forward, the helm instrument displays are set up on two levels; they're easy to read at a glance. The teak wheel is adjustable, and the large stainless-steel footrest is comfortable and sturdy. To the captain's right are the stainless-steel Cat engine controls plus two Side-Power thrusters (the bow thruster is standard). All Maritimos are shaft-driven boats, but they offer the ZF joystick control option. Barry-Cotter says the ZF computer-driven system, which coordinates the engines with the thruster, "has all the advantages of similar systems used on pod drive boats without the need to go to pods." You access the engine through a large hatch in the back of the salon. It's large enough that Barry-Cotter and I both were able to stand there comfortably, and there's room to work all around the big Cats and access the filters and through-hulls.

The living areas are below, down four steps and behind two doors for privacy. To starboard is a small guest cabin with a berth, a generous hanging locker and a combo washer/dryer behind a panel. The square window in the hull lets in a huge amount of light, plus a just-above-thewater- level view of whatever part of the world awaits outside. Headroom below, even in this, the smallest of the three cabins, was fine even for me, and I'm almost 6 feet 2 inches tall. Forward is a large head with a separate, full-person-size shower. In the bow is the VIP cabin, large enough to be considered the master on most 50-footers. The real master, however, is just below the stairs, to port. It clearly deserves the title. It has its own hull-size window, a true walk-around bed, a large hanging locker, three drawers of storage built into the wall and two reading lights on the teak headboard. You'll feel at home in the master head, with a separate shower, lots of storage and a good-size counter and sink.

The new Maritimo C50 is scheduled to make a U.S. debut at the Annapolis Boat Show in mid-October, and then in the Fort Lauderdale show later in the month. If you're looking for a pretty boat with a great hull and easy living, whether you're planning an overnight trip or a cruise anywhere in the world, the C50 should be on your short list.