The owners of the Maritimo S55 Sedan Motor Yacht ‘Shifty Business’ started their Maritimo journey back in 2015. Not only is it their third Maritimo in a row, it’s also their third sedan, and the third vessel to have been named as such.
When an owner starts their story with, “Our original Maritimo S43 was the first boat we owned that I actually had not made myself,” well you naturally and correctly assume that who’s talking knows and appreciates quite a lot about boats. Their appreciation of boating runs beyond the aesthetic, or the choice of features on offer. It’s also about a deep understanding of the evolution, the engineering design and the construction involved to make a truly great blue water credentialed vessel, such as the Maritimo S55.
“When we bought the S51 it was a big upgrade on the S43 that was the first ‘Shifty Business’. I thought the S51 would be my last boat, and we did absolutely love it. But when the S55 was launched during COVID it really sold itself – even before the boat was built – with the mock-up of the cabin and a walkthrough with the digital presentation. Well, we could see the advantages straight away and we were sold.”
“The foredeck is actually shorter on the S55, than it is on the S51, and this gives you more room in the saloon, as the saloon also sits more forward. So, from the windscreen to the back of the boat is not just four feet longer than the S51, it’s probably more like seven or eight feet longer. This gives the saloon way more space than just the extra length of the boat. It’s a very clever design and it maximises the space beautifully. Also, the large glass areas just draw the outside views inside.”
“The designers were able to increase the height as well. They reconfigured the bathrooms and bedrooms, and the full width Master Stateroom down underneath has a totally flat floor throughout. Any owner knows that many boats compromise sleeping quarters, where you have to duck your head, or watch where you step for trip hazards. Not on the S55, it’s really spacious. Way more so than what the four feet over the S51 would imply. Way, way more.”
“The design also allows an extra couple of feet in the low part of the bow due to the angle of the bow being way more vertical than previous models. This also gives more planning surface on the hull, but it also lets that front bedroom go forward a couple of feet making it so roomy and liveable. So just every part of the boat is squeezing a bit more space, but also making the waterline length probably seven to eight feet longer than our previous S51.”
“When I originally looked at the S55 plans, I calculated just how much more volume was given, for not a markedly larger difference in the overall dimensions on what we already had. There’s an extra bedroom, and the lazarette is huge too. Just heaps more space all round.”
“All our Maritimo’s have had great communal spaces and useable room for groups to gather around. We often go out for a day trip with a group, or we go out overnight ourselves, and we often get one or two friends raft up with us. It’s the Maritimo that everyone gathers on, because it’s got such an easy space for entertaining with the rear galley central to everything, and plenty of shade.”
“We did the Hamilton Island Migration (Hammo). It was awesome and we totally loved it. It’s great when you get to drive and you don’t have to make all the decisions yourself. So, it’s a bit more relaxing to do as a group and certainly fun to share the experience.”
“We were onboard for two days short of a month. We had meat vacuum packed by the local butcher, and we had so much storage capacity that we actually came back with leftover food. Our S55 has a watermaker and a freezer we optioned up for our longer stays on board. We also specified our beautiful Miele appliances in the kitchen, but everything else is really standard equipment.”
“Having said standard, well Maritimo make everything to such a high standard, and they’re so well finished, so there’s not much else you need. You can see it everywhere, even when you go down below in the engine room. The attention to detail everywhere is superb.”
“I have a pretty simple setup with the dinghy on the on the hydraulic platform, because it’s so quick and easy to launch. I can have it in the water five minutes, after we drop anchor, which makes it easy so for me. So, I don’t need the crane on the roof and I actually prefer the clean sedan lines of the S55 without it. The grandkids climb up there safely. For them it’s more of a jumping platform into the water. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Talking about blue water credentials, well we did get some weather on the trip up to Hamilton Island, so we had to hot foot it and not go as leisurely as we’d planned. Anyway, we cleared the weather and spent more time up around Hammo, which was lovely.”
“This is what a Maritimo is all about too, you know? If you need to get on with it, then you can crank it up a bit, and you’ve still got good range. We were cruising comfortably between 23 and 25 knots from our home to Double Island Point, in around 1.2 metre waves, coming from the Northeast. The boat was very comfortable. That’s what they’re built for. And the Volvo-Penta D13 800s are super reliable, and very fuel efficient.”
“The S55 is my forever boat now. It fits perfectly with our lifestyle and where we are in life. It also sits perfectly in its place out the front of my house. Anything bigger and I’ll need a bigger house!”
Click here to view the S55 Sedan Motor Yacht
