This personal Maritimo journey starts way back in 2009 on the East Coast of the USA. Back then the world was still suffering from the after effects of the Global Financial Crisis. It had hit hard two years earlier, and was described as the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.
At the same time, Maritimo was in the early days of its global expansion plans, and had recognised that the USA was a massive opportunity for their young and somewhat unknown brand in that market. A strong belief in their product offering led to a relationship with a dealership in Charleston South Carolina. This resulted in the delivery of one of their brand-spanking new M52s to them in 2008.
As luck would have it for both vessel and ‘soon to be owner’ they crossed paths by chance, and the attraction was immediate. Bill, like most astute boat owners, had done his homework thoroughly. He had owned boats before, and he had also frequented many a boat show. He knew what he wanted and had gone to the dealership to trade up his current boat, a local brand in a thirty-six, to the same brand in a thirty-nine. As Mike Tyson said, ‘Well everyone has a plan until they get smacked in the face!’, and Bill was smacked hard by what he saw in the M52 from ‘down under’.
Bill recalled, “Well, then the economic crunch hit in 2008, and the dealer was having a hard time selling the boat. Nobody had ever heard of a ‘Maritimo’. So, I saw the Maritimo for the first time. I fell in love with the boat and the brand, and the rest is history. We were a little concerned because I went from a thirty-six-foot boat to a fifty-two-foot boat, and my wife and I had long discussions prior to finalising the purchase as to whether we could handle it. My wife Pam had picked out all the finishes and colours for the other boat and then I had returned from the dealership with the news that I hadn’t bought it!”
“It was a hard sell to Pam for a couple of months following, until we did a sea trial,” Bill added.
“Yes, we actually went to Charleston and did a sea trial. The whole time the dealer let Bill drive the boat. He was like a little kid in a candy store. You know, he had a big grin on his face – it never left his face. And, and they let him dock it, and we didn’t destroy anything. So, we figured, well, I guess we can handle this boat!” Pam added.
Bill Barry-Cotter’s design vision and clever execution of the enclosed flybridge on the M52 was about to hit a sweet spot in the American market and this new owner instantly recognised the advantages to become an early adopter.
“From my perspective, the greatest thing about the Maritimos is the enclosed flybridge. To me, that one thing is probably the largest single attribute I like because you’ve got great visibility. You’re in a controlled atmosphere. You’ve got air conditioning and you’ve got heating, and this is the main thing that sold me on that boat.”
Bill and Pam are now onto their fourth Maritimo. The M52 made way for an M50 in 2013, then a M54 in 2017 followed by their most recent model, a M55 delivered in March of 2023. This was after Bill’s visit to the Coomera manufacturing facility in the preceding December.
“We thought the last boat was perfect, but Maritimo keeps tweaking in different ways and improving. However, we know our latest the M55 is really perfect. The enclosed flybridge is even better and it offers us the ability to really use our boat all year round. We feel very comfortable on board and in handling this boat,” commented Bill.
