It’s exciting to review a boat in an unfamiliar place. In the case of the Maritimo X50, I was in North Sydney at Pittwater, an expansive boating area that’s home to over 1,000 moored boats, including the Maritimo X50.
While we were cruising off North Sydney at a sedate 22 knots and 1900 rpm—standard power is a pair of 670-hp Volvo Penta D11s that give the X50 a top speed of 33 knots—and admiring the passing landscape, I immediately saw the appeal of the X50. High-profile side windows provided unlimited viewing as we passed places of interest. With the large sunroof, long sliding windows to either side (a refined, single-stage design from the X60’s two panel sliders) and bi-fold doors or a sliding door (your choice) leading aft, the contemporary styled, elegant salon can be open and airy or closed and climate-controlled depending on conditions.
Maritimo GM Phil Candler told me that the vessel ran into some atrocious water coming down from Gold Coast to Sydney, and while they took “a few green ones” over the bow coming out of Port Stephens, they never had any leakage issues. “We are well aware of the problems you can have with sliding windows on a boat this size, so we were very conscious of that when we engineered and built them for the X50,” said Candler. “They are tough and durable.”
Based on feedback from Maritimo dealers—who loved the X60 but felt there was a market for something smaller—the X50 is at first glance a more compact version of its bigger sister and retains much of the same layout and styling, including the massive beach club door. Restyled forward quarter panels in the cockpit and a more extended hardtop over the cockpit soften her lines. But there are some significant upgrades.
The X50 is the first Maritimo to have a full structural inner liner that goes into the hull from the rear of the lazarette to the forward end of the head. This fiberglass component runs 80 percent the length of the hull and adds stiffness and structural integrity. There are only five major mold components in the X50, which streamlines the construction time and the way the boats are built.
Another first is the pair of helm seats designed and built in-house, now standard on all X-Series models. The dash is a continuing development of the style and features as found on the X60, but slightly more compact; Simrad and Garmin electronics packages are available.
While there’s a multitude of equipment, colors and fabric options available, the layout of the X50 is restricted to one design: a full-beam master and a forward VIP, both en suite. Where the variation is possible is the aft cabin, which, like her bigger sister, can be configured as a beach club, third cabin or tender garage. The aft en suite remains the same for the beach club and third cabin but is removed if you go for the full tender garage. To date, of all the X50s sold, the majority of owners have chosen the beach club concept.
With both models garnering success at home in Australia and in the U.S., expect more X-Series vessels to fill out the model line.
Maritimo X50 Specifications:
LOA: 52’7”
Beam: 14’11”
Draft: 4’10”
Displ.: 41,887 lbs.
Fuel: 766 gal.
Water: 132 gal.
Power: 2/670-hp Volvo Penta D11s
Cruise Speed: 22 knots
Top speed: 33 knots
Price: $1,498,000
EDITOR’S NOTE: The November 2019 issue incorrectly listed the price of the X50 to be $1.1 million. The correct MSRP is $1,498,000. We regret the error.
