The New Zealand businessman, who is nearing retirement, was originally leaning towards a large displacement cruiser in the Nordhaven or Flemming style and even considered building a one-off boat to their specification in  New Zealand.

After years of sailing our own yacht we decided that, as we entered the retirement phase of our lives, we were more interested in cruising in a launch rather than standing in the wind, on an angle to get anywhere slowly.

The M65 has been a runaway success for MAritimo, with twelve vessels now sold to buyers throughout Australia and further afield in New Zealand, Texas, Florida, France and Singapore.  The final S70 design is a big volume, serious passage maker and will deliver all that the M65 does and more on a single level.

The vessel will have four cabins and three bathrooms and an exceptionally large saloon and helm area.  The first boat will probably be powered by 900hp Scania motors, but a final decision is yet to be made.

The couple plans to spend a year cruising the coastline around Australia before taking the boat back home to New Zealand after they take possession early next year.  We hope to have the new model on display at the 2017 Sanctuary Cove Boat Show.