Santa delivers the ultimate seakeeping motoryacht

Proud owner Roy Wells is presented with the keys to his new M64 motor yacht by Maritimo's Australasian Sales Manager Ormonde Britton while General Manager Operations, Phil Candler, looks on © Darren Gill

South Australian game fishing enthusiast Roy Wells is use to being in some inhospitable sea conditions and he says his new Maritimo M64 cruising motoryacht is just the thing to handle whatever is thrown at it.

Located in Port Lincoln, South Australia, Roy was on the Gold Coast this week for the hand over of his new pride and joy, the ultimate Christmas present, a $2.763 million M64 cruising motoryacht.

"We are boating in the Southern Ocean and it is not at all unusual for us to be out fishing in three to five metre seas so I have to have a boat that is tough and that can handle the conditions," he said.

Roy is a Maritimo convert having owned two other cruisers prior to taking delivery of his latest boat this week. He purchased an M52 in 2007 and kept that boat until 2011 when he purchased at M56.

"The new M64 is in my opinion the best boat in the fleet as far as sea keeping ability is concerned," he said.

"It is just the perfect balance of length, beam, motors and hull design and it delivers in a way that nothing else can.

"The latest model is based on the beautiful old original 60 foot hull and I truly believe it is the best design of all the Maritimo's."

Roy has powered his vessel with twin 1150 horsepower Scanias and after taking delivery this week and spending a few weeks on the Coast he plans to drive it home to Port Lincoln himself in a journey of approximately eight days.

"I have been a Bill Barry-Cotter devotee for many years and I know from experience just how well boats he designs actually work in the ocean," he said.

"This isn't a cheese and bikkies platform to bob about in Sydney Harbour it is a serious boat that can handle some seriously rough conditions."

Roy said before he signed up for his new M64, named Stephanie after his daughter, he telephoned a number of M64 owners to ask them of their experiences.

"Three of the four I spoke to were using their boats to travel around the islands so from Fiji, to New Caledonia, to Vanuatu, to New Guinea and New Zealand and that's a great testament to the quality of these vessels," he said.

"There are not too many production cruisers that are doing those sorts of journeys."

Maritimo's Australasian Sales Manager, Ormonde Britton, said Roy was one of the most active boaties amongst the entire group of Maritimo owners worldwide.

"He truly uses his boat the way it is meant to be used and he is looking forward to many hours of fun in his new 64," said Britton.

"A total of 12 M64's have now been sold and it is a very successful model."