New Boat: Maritimo M600
The ethos of the Maritimo brand is a long range motoryacht and the new M600 Offshore epitomizes that, but with the added bonus of being a little more.
Maritimo’s new M600 Offshore is a descendant of the offshore cockpit and motoryacht styling the builder first introduced years ago with the 550, 500 and 470 Offshore Series. While Maritimo has been focusing recently on the sedan and flybridge cruising market, there has been a lot of pressure for a model with a cockpit designed for fishing. The M600 is the first in the new series and will soon be followed by an S600 Offshore sedan version.
“We constantly receive requests for enclosed cockpits and to spec our current range towards fishing and making the rear end of the boat more versatile,” says Tom Barry-Cotter, chief designer for Maritimo. “The M600 Offshore is the first of our new models to be specifically designed around that purpose and function.”
The M600 rides on the same hull as the M60, but the two models have different deck configurations. The most obvious difference between the M600 and previous models is that while the M60 and M55 feature an open adventure deck designed to stow your tender or jet skis, the new M600 Offshore has a full transom that divides the cockpit from the aft platform. The M600 also has a slightly smaller flybridge than the M60. The M600 is very fish-ready too—equipped with a huge underfloor deck well, live bait tank and tuna tubes. The side decks have been kept flush with no rails or cleats protruding. Even the mooring cleats are positioned below the coaming level. The forward entertainment module comes with a stainless electric grill, sink unit and fridge freezer.
Standard power on the M600 is a pair of 800-hp Volvo Penta D-13s through shafts. The owner of our test boat opted for a pair of 1,150-hp Scania 16ls, which provided a top speed of 34 knots and a high-speed cruise around 29 knots.
We ran in very uncomfortable seas off Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia, and still maintained around 20 knots. There is a very smooth transition onto the plane at 14 knots, and the boat reaches maximum rpm (2300 with the Scanias) very quickly. During our trials, we never touched the tabs. It’s a slippery hull that works well with the Scania power package.
Consumption-wise, at 1700 rpm, the M600 recorded 56 gph at 19.6 knots and a range of 379 nm. At 2300 rpm, the speed was 33.5 knots using 105 gph with a range of 345 nm.
The M600 Offshore is a three-stateroom, two-head boat and follows a floor plan very similar to other Maritimos of this size. A large atrium lets light pour into the companionway. Below, there is a stateroom with twin berths and a day head; a master stateroom aft and an offset queen stateroom forward. Finish options throughout the interior include walnut, teak or wenge in satin or gloss.
The fully enclosed, climate-controlled flybridge on the M600, which is called the “sky lounge,” effectively maximizes beam and space. The upper helm station on our test boat was fitted with a trio of 19-inch Garmin MFDs. There are also two dedicated flybridge lounge areas and a large aft flybridge deck with optional rear helm station. Owners can opt for a flybridge head on the port side aft, which is ideal for long-range passagemaking. The operator can also open the bifold doors in the flybridge for unencumbered sightlines and a clear view of the cockpit, which is ideal when backing up on a big fish.
On the main deck, the salon features an aft galley with island bench, which is a standard layout for the brand.
The galley has a full-size fridge and freezer, large double oven, wine fridge, solid composite surfaces and a generous pull-out pantry. The salon itself has two leather lounge suites with panoramic windows all around. Maritimo’s two-stage vista sliding windows transform the area into an indoor/outdoor space (the same windows are also found on the flybridge).
The large alfresco upper cockpit is a versatile space with a forward-facing Euro lounge plus optional L-shape lounge forward. With the drop down clear, the whole space becomes an extension of the salon. Large walk-around decks and minimal steps provide safe and easy access to the foredeck, which is complete with a sunpad.
While the the M600 Offshore stays true to its design brief of being a versatile fishing boat capable of cruising longer distances, I see it as being a fabulous family boat with a safe and very usable cockpit, plenty of accommodations and a friendly layout. Maritimo has already received orders for the M600 from around the world, including New Zealand, Spain, Singapore and the United States.
Maritimo M600 Specifications:
LOA: 60’11”
Beam: 17’2″
Draft: 4’11”
Displ.: 74,075 lbs.
Fuel: 1,200 gal.
Water: 198 gal.
Standard Power: 2/800-hp Volvo Penta D13
Price: approx. $2.2 million
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This article originally appeared in the January 2023 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/cruisers/maritimo-m600-boat-review
