Makai M37 review: £720K cruising cat like nothing you’ve seen before

Can Makai’s debut motoryacht really offer something we haven’t seen before? Alex Smith gets behind the wheel of the Makai M37 to find out

Powercats aren’t exactly famed for their good looks but this first boat from new company, Makai Yachts, aims to change all that. Developed in collaboration with Italian sports car designer, Emanuele Rossi, and built
at Makai’s production facility in Croatia, the new Makai M37 draws inspiration directly from the world of classic and modern supercars.

Rossi refers to the “harmony between elegance and masculinity” and, with its plunging sheerline, open transom, elevated bow and sweeping limo-style roof, this is undoubtedly one of the best looking (and most distinctive) powercats we’ve seen.

As with any stylish cat, a modest beam plays an important part in that aesthetic. At 15ft 3in, or about 41% of the overall length, the profile of the M37 is a far cry from the squared off, slab-sided lumps of real estate you so often see on the modern cat market and, attractive though that is, the reason behind the modest beam is simple.

They want to cushion the ride by funnelling air into a narrowing channel between those hulls. They also want to provide a much more agile helming experience, while minimising wave slap by elevating the bridge deck to a decent degree and keeping the weight low by adopting a slick coupé configuration rather than a lofty flybridge layout.

That promises good things in terms of dynamics, as well as looks, but before we get to the way this boat drives, we need to take a good close look at the deck arrangement because it’s clear that Makai has attempted to get maximum value from the M37’s limited breadth by eschewing side decks in favour of an extremely open and unobstructed cockpit.

At the heart of the full-beam cockpit is a large island sunbed with a bench built into the leading edge and a reversible backrest for extra flexibility. As a modular, deck-mounted unit, it doesn’t make use of the space beneath the deck but there’s plenty of volume in here for bulky items like toys and buoyancy aids.

There’s also an aft-facing bench on the other side of a heavyweight iroko table that enables you to seat up to eight people at a time. But such is the space on offer that you can also spec this cockpit with three benches instead, without obstructing those wide open walkways – and in spite of the fact that the M37 uses big chunky bulwarks on both sides to conceal a selection of storage units, bins and fender brackets, those walkways really are very generous indeed.

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Further forward on the starboard side, a pair of helm seats backs onto a transverse wet bar with an electric griddle, a sink and a fridge. That looks across to some low-level companion seating on the port side that faces inboard and aft – and while this section provides a very cosy and sheltered lounging space, you can swap it for a second wet bar and another pair of raised forward-facing helm seats, precisely mirroring the unit on the starboard side.

Like the triple bench option, this sounds like a very attractive feature for the charter market and so does the sunshade that (on future models) will extend the shelter beyond the back end of the hardtop and out over the aft end of the cockpit.

Foredeck v cabins

When you head up the steps, through the screen, to the foredeck, you might be surprised by what you find. In stark contrast to the complex cacophony of seating, lounging and storage spaces you so often get on powercats, what we have here is quite a featureless expanse of decking with a trio of slightly sunken seats at the forepeak.

There’s a sliding bar in the centre of the raised guardrail, plus a telescopic ladder so you can use it for swimming; and the provision of Kevlar strips on the keels, as well as a stern anchor to port makes this a very effective boat for beaching. But the reason the foredeck is so plain is that the M37 is supposed to be a proper cruising boat, so rather than litter the bow with equipment, the designers have traded a little of the M37’s day boating practicality for extra volume down below.

So does it work? Well yes, for those inclined to spend longer spells on board, it really does. The two cabins extend inboard, beneath the foredeck, sharing the beam (and the volume) equally between them. Their arrangements, however, are markedly different. The starboard guest cabin features a fore-and-aft double bed with a raised transverse single bed ahead of that. It’s a really neat feature if you have kids and it’s a comfy spot too, with space for a six-footer and extra security, courtesy of a raised lip from the headboard for the main double.

At around 6ft 6in, headroom is good too and while the toilet has to make do with a space in the shower compartment, the bathroom feels as bright, fresh and accommodating as the main part of the cabin.

Over on the port side, the space is arranged with a larger raised transverse double bed that looks out through those big deep hull windows. It also features a really handy mix of storage troughs, charging points, compartmentalised drawers and open shelves in the forward bulkhead, plus a full-height cupboard by the door.

The fit-out is pleasantly restful too, thanks to a combination of pale oak and subtle fabrics, alongside elegant inset LED patterns engineered into the deckhead – and happily, the bathroom on this side exactly mirrors the one to starboard. In short then, while neither cabin could be described as vast, together they will function perfectly well for four or five people on extended trips away.

Custom cruising

Having made the 2,000Nm passage from Croatia to the Palma Boat Show under its own steam, the M37 is clearly designed to be a decent sea boat and the dynamics quickly support that. As intimated, those two cabins do project a good way inboard of their respective hulls but the fact that they do so a long way forward, where the bridge deck clearance is at its greatest, means that in spite of 3-4ft swells rolling in off the coast of Palma, we experience very few impacts and none that feel at all jarring.

As regards the engines, the standard package comes with a pair of Yanmar 8LV 320s hooked up to sterndrives, but here, we’re using the uprated 370s. On the test day, they see us to a top end of 29 knots, which is about 4 knots short of Makai’s claimed figures but that’s largely down to a heavy load, some lively seas and a slightly experimental choice of prop.

While there’s more work to be done there, it’s interesting to note that this boat is also now available with surface-piercing props. They ought to see the M37 to a much more engaging top end of around 35 knots; and if you want to up the ante again, this boat has since become available with a hydrofoil too which, according to Makai, will deliver up to 30% increases in speed and up to 20% increases in fuel efficiency, as well as a smoother ride and improved manoeuvrability.

Even as things stand though, the M37 treads an enjoyable line between ride comfort and driver engagement and it’s moderately efficient too. We’re seeing figures of 4.7 to 5.0L per mile at everything from 20 knots to the top end of 29, which is pretty much in line with the equivalent monohull.

That puts our range (allowing for 20% in reserve) at around 145 to 150 miles, which is decent enough for most purposes but if you’re keen to go further, then in addition to exploring the options outlined above, you could easily take advantage of the vacant space in the port hull for an additional 450L of fuel.

In terms of ergonomics, as is so often the case on prototype boats, it’s a slightly mixed bag. For instance, while those swept upper mouldings look great from the outside, they do block your view on the beam if you attempt to drive standing up. Singlehanded helming is also a bit of a challenge because the skipper’s sliding window opens the wrong way, creating an aperture that’s too far forward to access the starboard cleat. And the test boat is noisy too, due in no small part to those long engine bays and the full-beam structure of the hardtop and wraparound screen.

It’s good to see then that Makai is addressing all of these things, most notably looking into dampening the noise down with an additional bulkhead, just forward of the engines, to peg back the reverberation that so often occurs with a large void beneath the saloon floor on a coupé-style boat like this.

Makai M37 specifications

LOA: 37ft 0in (11.40m)
BEAM: 15ft 3in (4.64m)
DRAFT: 1ft 9in (0.55m)
DISPLACEMENT: 9,700kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 900L
WATER CAPACITY: 450L
ENGINES: twin Yanmar 8LV 320-370hp diesels
RCD: B12
CONTACT: makaiyachts.com

Makai M37 costs and options

From: €559,000 ex VAT. Test boat including the following options…
370hp engine upgrade: €31,000
Synthetic teak decks: €28,800
Air conditioning: €12,999
Lithium battery upgrade: €16,990
Raymarine Hybrid Touch upgrade: €14,300

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