Maritimo - Summa Cum Lauda (Pt II)

by John Curnow on 11 Jul 2017 In Part One of Summa Cum Lauda, we got to look at Maritimo’s concept to production ideology. We saw how it drives everything from a design and engineering point of view, as well as provide for all the members of the crew to have a perfection first mentality when performing their tasks. In Part Two we now look at customisation, competitors, as well as a new and big ‘something’.

Apart from the power package, Maritimo also stands for a semi-custom build, usually with interiors, but during our tour one vessel was having an extension to its already large swim platform, so as to meet a customer’s specific requirements. This too has been an integral component of Maritimo’s success, but they are quietly reserved on exactly quantifying those very visible results.

“We don’t specifically talk about numbers per region, but I’m delighted to say that we are in significant growth, and as a percentage we exceed 10% most years. Our goal is definitely not to be the biggest. Our goal is to be the best in our niche, to meet the market where people know our product and want our product. We have a significant conversion of clients from other brands to ours, and we continue to do global market research. We have two different teams performing global market research on our behalf. We annually review these results (on every model) to ensure our features and benefits meet the customers’ expectations. Our mission is to continue what we’re doing, but do it better every time to create a superior and broader product range.”

So you already have each Maritimo being semi-custom and are all somewhat unique with items like the engine bay liner and the famous walk-around decks. Where then is the competition that drives this growth? There are other Australian brands, but there’s no one who really builds something exactly like Maritimo with shaft drive, fully enclosed flying bridges and race driven technology.

“Globally, and particularly in the South Pacific we are by far the biggest in the fully enclosed flying bridge sector. We definitely have the market edge there. The European market doesn’t compare much to the type of boat we build. We have reviewed our Sedan versions, and we are definitely starting to get good momentum on them. Essentially, we recognised that it was an opportunity to improve the styling of our Sedan boat, so we’ve done that and it’s worked. We’re getting sales and we’re going to continue to get sales.”

“In essence, it comes down to the size of craft. As an example, when we are looking at competitors we are looking at every other 60-foot in the market. So we consider any of them to be our competitor, depending on where the customer is coming from. This means the features and benefits of the interior, the overall styling, and the external views all have to catch the eye of the individual.”

“It is not one particular competitor, it’s very broad and we’re staying true to our niche, and listening and looking at the global markets. What we’ve found is that in the last two years in Australia we’ve had a 60% conversion from other brands.”
“Basically we have looked at everything in a certain size bracket and say how do we meet, how do we beat, how do we compete and how can we excel? In these last couple of years we have sold more than twenty boats above 64 feet. We’ve found an opening, and it’s an opportunity in large boats.”

As a partial aside, it is clear that there is something brewing in the 76 to 86 feet bracket, which is in response to the market requiring bigger craft with even more features. We’ll keenly await detail on that…

So in this world of customer responsiveness and semi-customisation, I was also keen to understand Maritimo’s take on gas separation and underwater exhaust. It goes hand in hand with clean topsides and transoms, as well as significant noise reduction.

Candler’s answer was simple. “We don’t need to do it. We’ve trialled it and looked at it, but it comes down to the design of the hull, and the flow of the air out the back. We are confident that we are producing a product that’s not an infringement on the senses of people on the boat, and also confident that we’re meeting the expectation of the customer.”

“This is important for they are our “go-to” gauge. When it comes to customisation they’re not asking for underwater exhaust, they’re generally asking for adaptability with the fixtures and fittings inside the boat. We can change a cabin in many different ways, and that’s been significant the last couple of years, particularly in the bigger boats. We absolutely get customers because the other brands say ‘we can’t do it’.”

“By way of example, we just installed a treadmill in the port cabin of a boat because we said we could and the customer loved it. We added an extra air conditioning duct into that cabin, along with a TV and sound system, and the machine itself was installed below floor level. Push a button and up comes the treadmill. Voila!”

This too again highlights one of the aspects mentioned earlier, and that is that the absolute vast majority of work is performed in-house. “We do have multiple contractors who are involved in the company. One contractor who works in-house with us does upholstery, and a contractor who’s also on site does some of our electrical. So the development of the product, the development of the style, the development of the materials is in conjunction with those contractors, and they are all local, and all have staff here full time working with us, building the boats.”

Candler goes on to explain, “There’s a lot of collaboration with different trades within our business, and a lot of contractual arrangements between us and suppliers, as well as a significant amount that we do in-house. We do outsource some components, but there’s a very small percentage of the overall build of the boat and that’s because we can find efficiencies to do it in Australia and maintain our famous quality. We check competitor pricing with boats made globally to see what their costs are, so as to understand where we are positioned in the market place. We believe the product that we build is of the highest quality in a comparable market.”

After all of that, what you walk away with is a real sense that this is a very collaborative team that develops, designs and manufactures boats. One that is not only harmonious, but draws on the strengths of those very people, as well as the customers they work so closely with. Candler finishes by saying, “We focus on building a company that the people within the company are proud of, the customers are also proud of, and that they’re happy to tell others about what they see in our product!”

All of that said, you do get a genuine sense that they are all about that greatest of honours. To stand oceans apart, simply go to www.maritimo.com.au