Marten Yachts thriving with Azzura

by Al Constable on 26 May 2006 Since the mid-1980’s New Zealand’s Marten Yachts has been at the forefront of groundbreaking innovations in racing yacht construction. They have been involved with the build of many high profile boats including Kingfisher, Mari Cha III and New Zealand America’s Cup challenge boats, pioneering the advance of super strength materials and techniques including autoclaved pre-pregnated high modulus carbon materials.

Marten also build luxurious performance cruising yachts, such as the 65ft Spirit of Adventure, the 66ft Rubino and the 66ft Pinta Smeralda. Since 2000 the company has moved their focus to the production of the ultimate performance cruising boat, launching a range of Reichel-Pugh designed cruiser racers, the first of these being the Marten 49.

In 2005 Marten Yachts became part of the rapidly growing Australian based company Azzura Marine which has an impressive marine portfolio, building production and custom sailing yachts including the one design Sydney 32’s and Sydney 38’s, the cruiser-racer 36CR, 39CR, 47CR upwards, to custom performance cruisers like Warwick 66's and 67's to race boats like Wild Oats IX and large motor yachts such as the Azzura 100 and the newly launched, luxury Cambria II.

At the recent Sanctuary Cove Boat Show on Queensland's Gold Coast, Azzura Marine founder Iain Murray commented, ‘Azzura Marine has critical mass, with an Azzura facility on the Gold Coast in Queensland and another facility in Nowra, New South Wales. Now Azzura Marine, Sydney Yachts and Marten Yachts are able to share technology and production.

‘Our first Marten Yachts are being built at Azzura Marine Nowra and I expect that we will be building some Marten boats in our Gold Coast facility in the not too distant future. It is all about sharing experience, technology and the optimal use of equipment and skills.

‘The Marten Yachts product range is very exciting. We are offering something more than the traditional cruiser racer; these are yachts that provide engineered exhilaration.

‘Steve Marten recognised that Porsche and Ferrari and a lot of road cars are derived from race cars and a lot of that technology, and he wanted to replicate that in the Marten Yacht design.

‘People love to drive around in a classy piece of equipment and that is what the Marten is. It’s a fast performance cruising yacht and is a very nice cultured product.

‘Steve’s vision combines the best parts of an engineered race boat with some very contemporary cruising features; user friendly features like a lift keel, a useable carbon fibre anchor assembly and high quality materials are found throughout the boat.

‘It is an all carbon boat and we are using SP’s latest technology - the Sprint method from SP or Infusion, as some know it. We as a group, have been learning from Steve and he is enjoying seeing his vision coming to fruition.'

By combining the talents of designers Reichel/Pugh and the skills of design engineers at SP Technologies with the experience of Marten Yachts and Azzura Marine, a range of luxury yachts has been created possessing outstanding pedigree - race-bred performance qualities with a spacious, functional layout.

The yachts are clearly intended for the owner who wishes to combine the excitement of a performance racing yacht with the ability to make fast comfortable passages, whilst short-handed or cruising.

Cruising yachts are mostly of traditional design and manufacture. Marten Yachts take a completely new approach, with detailed design, America’s cup type construction methods and use of materials that combine to provide superb performance and unrivalled functionality.

Details such as full carbon fibre construction and a lift keel for improved draft and performance when racing and reduced draft for accessibility to harbours and anchorages when cruising, combined with modern clean deck layouts with pop-up cleats and flush carbon hatches, help to compliment the overall design and performance standards.

Azzura Marine has wasted no time in providing for the discerning marine market. As Marten Yachts Sales Manager Jason Rowed explains: ‘Three new Marten 49 yachts are currently under construction at our facilities in Australia, with first delivery in July.

‘The range includes the Marten 49, Marten 67, Marten 72 and Marten 85.

‘We have just sold the sixth Marten 49 through our European dealer Ancasta Yacht Sales, the authorised UK and European dealer for Marten Yachts. Ancasta also provide a superior brokerage service as well as yacht maintenance support.’

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]

Builders: Marten Yachts – Azzura Marine
Designers: Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design
Construction Engineers: SP Technologies & SP Systems
Length overall: 15m 49.21ft
Beam: 4.15m 13.62ft
Displacement; 9,500kg 24,250lb
Ballast: 4,500kg 9,920 lb
Draft: 2.75m (1.5m) 9ft (5ft)
Mainsail: 85m2
108% jib: 59m2
95% jib: 52m2
Masthead Gennaker: 280m2
Fractional Gennaker: 248m2
Reacher: 74m2
Code Zero: 74m2

Marten Yachts
Head Office
Suite 110 Jones Bay Wharf
Pirrama Road
Pyrmont NSW 2009
AUSTRALIA

Tel: + 61 2 9552 1133
Fax: + 61 2 9552 1100