Maritimo M50

We pushed the throttles for the twin Volvo D11 diesels full forward from a dead stop and jumped to 20 knots in about 11 seconds, with help from the Nibral five-blade props, with very little bowrise, even with the tabs off. Once the tabs were engaged, the boat eliminated what little bowrise there was, and hard turns and figure-8 maneuvers resulted in very little lean with the tabs below half. The deep-V hull with a flat transom (just 7 degrees of deadrise) does a nice job keeping things level and smooth, throwing water to the sides and keeping it off the foredeck and windshield. Smith pointed to the shallow shaft angle, just 7 or 8 degrees, as a reason for the M50’s out-of-the-hole performance and level attitude...

The answer to whether the M50 is a better boat than the M48 is definitely yes –in several aspects. And as to whether the name change merely indicates some different shiny bits designed to give the marketing department something to go on about, the answer is no! There’s a great deal more involved in the evolution of the M48 into the M50 than that! Small though several of the changes may be, some of them are none the less profound for it.

In theory, adding a couple of feet in length and a few niches of beam isn’t a dramatic change to a 50 odd foot boat, but initial trials showed a significant improvement in fuel efficiency.

During testing across the range for both Maritimo and Mustang, Barry-Cotter said fuel efficiency has proven outstanding using shaft compared to pod drives. “The M58 boasts fuel consumption that is much better than its competitors, despite being heavier. It has lower servicing, maintenance and running costs as well. Plus, the boat retains resale value. Pods can cost $40,000 to replace!”...