Bill Barry-Cotter’s New “Baby Maritimo” Blitzes the Boating Market

‘BABY MARITIMO’ BLITZES THE BOATING MARKET   

Australian boating industry icon Bill Barry-Cotter knows what it takes to make a seaworthy, family friendly boat and he has dozens of awards over a career spanning more than 40 years to prove it.

However his latest creation might yet prove to be one of his best, and surprisingly it is at the bottom or entry level end of the market.

The Maritimo designed and built Mustang 32 sports cruiser with a starting price of just over $200,000 is taking the boating industry by storm and looks set to introduce a whole new generation of couples and families to the joys of boating.

Bill Barry-Cotter and his company Maritimo took over the beleaguered Mustang marque in April 2010 largely because of the following of the brand and the fact that there were some 5000 owners in Australia who had some loyalty to Mustang.

“These boat owners are like all others they have inspirations to step up or to get into something better and I knew that we could do that for them and at the same time give them something streets ahead of the vessels to which they were accustomed,” said Bill.

His first task after taking over the company was to ditch all the existing Mustang moulds and start the design process from scratch. Enter the Mustang 32 Sports Cruiser.

Dubbed the ‘Baby Maritimo’, this sleek, affordable and extremely seaworthy vessel has been an instant hit with nine now sold, including one that is under production and will be dispatched to Singapore next month.

Being very hands-on Bill enlisted the support of his long time associate and Maritimo Racing’s Throttle Man, Ross Willaton, in trialing one of the very first Mustang 32s produced and they headed out through the Gold Coast Seaway on route to Port Stephens some 310 nautical miles away.

“The weather was a bit wild and we gave it plenty of go averaging 23 knots over a running time of 13.5 hours, and the boat performed brilliantly,” said Bill.

“I knew before that trip we were onto a winner and after the journey it just reinforced to me that this was a great little boat and perfect for families or couples who are either just getting into boating or wanting something brand new that is affordable and does everything you need it to do for days or weekends away.”

The Mustang 32 Sports Cruiser is offered in three power options – single engines all with stern drives. The fist boat in the water was powered by a 380 horsepower Mercruiser petrol engine. The other options are a Mercruiser diesel rated to 350 horsepower or a Volvo Penta diesel rated to 330 horsepower.

The vessel features a three-sided enclosed cockpit and entertaining area with a forward helm, a well equipped galley and large L-shaped lounge with a dinette table that runs along the port side and curves around the transom.

The fiberglass hardtop with sliding sunroof makes for a very dry ride in a situation like the one Bill and Ross found themselves in heading for Port Stephens.

The Mustang 32 has a very clever accommodation package with an island bed forward and a double berth cabin located on the starboard side. The toilet and shower are located on the port side and the timber finish throughout the boat is high gloss teak.

“The Maritimo range includes boats priced up to $4.5 million and while they are magnificent vessels, not everyone is in the position to buy a large passage?making sports or flybridge cruiser,” he said.

“I want to introduce as many people as possible to the joys of boat ownership and family boating and the Mustang 32 Sports Cruiser does just that. She features design innovation evident in her million dollar plus siblings and she performs brilliantly so we are confident there will be many of these models on the water in a very short space of time.”

The Mustang 32 Sports Cruiser will be part of Maritimo’s display at the upcoming Brisbane Boat Show.