Maritimo

Ask anyone in offshore racing circles, who is maritimo and nine times out of ten would reply, that’s the name of australian bill barry-cotters class 1 race team.

Until quite recently, very few, outside of Australia would know that Maritimo is one of Australia’s most prolific builders of high performance sports cruisers. However, that name will soon be up the with the likes of Ferretti, Azimut, Sealine and Sea Ray in terms of international acclaim. Over the years, Bill Barry-Cotter has become an icon in Australia’s performance powerboat industry. When the first model from Maritimo soared above the competition and clinched the Australian Marine Industry Federation’s Cruiser of the Year and Australian Boat of the Year crowns, it should caused some astonishment. However, this was not the case when the Maritimo 60 claimed that coveted double, for the industry recognised that it had been created by a ‘Master’, none other than Bill Barry-Cotter. Bill Barry-Cotter was the man who had built the Riviera name into worldwide recognition before selling the company to a private equity enterprise. Maritimo was established in 2002 with a staff of 80 and is now operating from two modern facilities, one a purpose-built plant rated as perhaps the most modern boat building facility in Australia. Maritimo now employ more than 400 skilled craftsman and currently produces 13 models with another three on the drawing board. The Aegean Open Flybridge range feature the A50-A55-A60, while the Aegean enclosed flybridge include the A50E and A60E. The Cruising Enclosed flybridge range starts at M48-M52-M56-M60 and M72 while the Sports Cabriolet range has three models C50-C55 and C60 and coming soon will be three Sports Convertables, 470-500 and 550. It has been a six-year rollercoaster ride to success for the company, which now boasts a dealer network across Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Italy, the USA and now the UK and Spain. Barry-Cotter’s passion for powerboat racing has seen him secure seven Australian Class 1 title and in 2004 he finished third in the UIM World Class 1 Championship. Much of the development and technology used in his Riviera and latterly Maritimo raceboats is adopted the range of luxury cruisers. At the 2006 Newport International Boat Show on Rhode Island, the Maritimo 60 was judged ‘Powerboat of the Show.’ The Maritimo range includes the Maritimo 52 and the Maritimo 52 Sky Lounge and the Maritimo 550, a classic battlewagon designed specifically to hunt the giant black marlin roaming the Coral Sea and the South Pacific. The much travelled Barry-Cotter is very aware of the unpredictable climate of the northern hemisphere and his design team have produced a craft ideally suited for European and Scandinavian waters, the enclosed Flybridge. While there is acres of open deck space for sun worshippers, the enclosed flybridge reached by an enclosed staircase, not only provides a luxurious protected helm position, it also ensures peace of mind for parents of young children, safe in the knowledge that they can be seated within sight when the craft is underway, in much the same way as they would be when steering from the saloon. While the enclosed flybridge model has tremendous potential, Maritimo produce a range of craft to suit all climates. The United Kingdom dealership was founded in 2008 as Maritimo UK Ltd with headquarters in central Dorset and waterside facility in Poole. The company headed by James Clarke has a staff of six all with a determination to make Maritimo a leading brand in the highly competitive world of high performance luxury cruisers. Clarke has a successful import and export background and first discovered the Maritimo name on a visit to the Sydney Boat Show. “I have a young family and very conscious of the young ones’ welfare while at sea. I was taken by the enclosed flybridge as I felt that the security of being able to keep the children inside while under the way at speed was very appealing”. I met Bill Barry-Cotter at that show and after indicating that I would be interested in importing the Maritimo marquee into the UK, discussions got underway and we were appointed the UK dealer. While the accomodation of all the range is spacious, fuel economy is a priority on most potential buyers’ list and all Maritimos are designed as long-range cruisers boasting a considerably better efficiency in terms of fuel consumption than many of our rivals of similar size. “Although Bill describes his boats as ‘Land Rovers of the Sea’ I’d like to think they are more ‘Range Rover Vogue’s of the Sea’ as they are luxurious without being outlandish. When we decided that Maritimo had a future in the UK, the name was unknown but Bill Barry-Cotter had achieved considerable success both in his home country and the USA. One of his rivals said to me ‘if it’s Bill Barry-Cotter it will be successful, you can bet on that.’ and that inspired me with confidence. At the 2008 Southampton Boat Show we took delivery of our first boat, a Maritimo 48, and it attracted tremendous media and client interest, as did the Sports 50 which we unveiled at 2009 London Show” Unlike most successful boatbuilders who begin to believe in their own importance, Bill Barry-Cotter remains very down to earth and approachable. Whether Maritimo can become ‘best-sellers’ in the Northern Hemisphere remains to be seen but the enclosed flybridge model could go someway to elevating the name of Maritimo in European waters.