Maritimo X50 | Aquila 44 | Leopard 53 PC - 01/03/21
BoatTEST Newsletter January 3, 2021
Most Popular Boats of the Week
Last week, BoatTEST published the top researched boats in express cruisers and flybridge cruisers. In our weekly recap, readers have asked which ones are the most popular each day, so below you can find the answer.
Happy New Year!
Monday #1
Maritimo X50:
Performance Gains and an Innovative Stern
Maritimo is owned and operated by a family, first and second generation, that have for years been building boats in Australia under other brand names. Their emphasis has long been on performance. For the X50, Maritimo’s engineers moved the Volvo Penta D11 670 diesel inboard engines forward, closer to amidships, to create a more balanced distribution of weight. This increased fuel economy and improved the running angle which resulted in better overall performance.
Moving the engines forward also let designers get more creative with the X50’s stern layout. The company offers three different configurations of the space, an aft cabin with a twin berth, a tender garage or the beach that was on our test boat. The sole is lower in the boat and twin deck chairs provide a couple with stellar views at water level.
Side stairs lead to the aft deck, which has an outdoor galley. A glass divider has an integral door that can be opened to enter the salon or the entire assembly can be moved aside to link the two gathering areas. Belowdecks, two couples can enjoy a weekend with full-beam master aft and VIP cabin in the bow. More...
Tuesday #1
Palm Beach 55:
Elegant Downeast Yacht from Down Under
One look at the Palm Beach Yachts 55 is all it should take to understand why this motoryacht is on our must-see list. She has advanced the level of styling for all Downeast motoryachts – and we think her nuanced grace and elegance is hard to beat. Her large cockpit has twin transom doors that merge the area with the large swim platform to create an open-air gathering area that is huge. Her garage houses a 10’8” (3.25 m) tender that expands her utility. Optional accommodation plans can adjust cabin capacity to suit an owner’s preferences.
She is called Palm Beach, not after Palm Beach in Florida, but another one in Australia, the country where this brand originated in 1995. She is built by one of the most exacting CEOs in the business, Mark Richards, who is also one the world’s most accomplished ocean racing sailors. Several years ago, Palm Beach and Grand Banks merged, with Richards becoming the CEO of both brands and their construction in the Grand Banks facility in Malaysia. Not surprisingly, the interior of this vessel is lavished in teak, but that’s just the beginning. In almost all ways, she is a jewel of fine yacht execution. More...
Wednesday #1
Aquila 44:
Designed for Multiple Use
The Aquila 44 catamaran was developed to serve both charter clients or private owners. Thanks to her 21’6” (6.56 m) beam, she feels like a larger yacht with three separate cabins with en suite heads, a foldaway bar off the galley and opening doors and a window that connect the galley to the cockpit. MarineMax has the sole distributorship in the U.S. of this vessel, which is built in the Far East.
Catamarans have been popular for years in the charter trade because they have a lot of deck space for entertaining and for launching water sports, they are stable in rough conditions. They can also have four cabins, which lets four couples share the charter fee. This makes boating affordable for virtually anyone. Income produced by the charter management companies is passed on to the owners to help them pay for the boat.
Her beam is carried up to the flying bridge, which has two primary spaces: helm and companion seating forward, and lounges for entertaining and sight-seeing aft. An optional hardtop is available. More...
Thursday #1
Leopard 53 Powercat:
Cruising Catamaran Can Sleep 8
Leopard Yachts offers its 53 Powercat with a choice of cabin-deck arrangements. The three-stateroom layout has the master quarters and head in the starboard hull. Two guest cabins are in the port hull with a head separating the two sleeping areas. A plan for 8 guests has four identical cabins with quarters for a single crew member in the bow.
For entertaining, of course, the 53 Powercat feels larger than a comparable length monohull because she has a 25’2” (7.67 m) beam. Her flying bridge places a premium on relaxing with three separate lounging areas, a wetbar and a large table. There’s more space to worship the sun on the twin lounges in the bow. The cockpit, galley and salon are on the same level and when the weather forces everyone indoors, a companion can join the captain at the lower helm.
The Leopard brand is famous in the U.S. boating industry because in the beginning, all of its sailboats that arrived in the Caribbean or in the U.S. traveled there on their own bottoms, not as deck cargo, as most large boats are transported transoceanic. This proved to be a terrific shakedown cruise as well as a testament to their seaworthiness. More...
Boating News of the Week: Episode #34
We wind up this year’s Weekly BoatTEST Reports videos with an interview with Brunswick’s CEO predicting the next couple of years of boating activity. Then, we'll take a look at the affordable Alumacraft Competitor FSX 185, see the first video of Cruisers Yachts’ 42 GLS Crossover, check out Chaparral’s 23 Surf in action, and get a look at Everglades’s only dual console – the 340DC – and Absolute’s new 50 Fly. As always, there is boating news and a quiz for serious captains. More...
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