Award winning Omikron OT-60: The motor yacht that feels like a sailboat.
by Hillary Buckman, Ocean magazine 31 Oct 14:59 PDT
1 -30 November 2025
Omikron OT-60 has a generous multi-use stern platform, for boarding, beach club and tender retrieval - Juan Yacht Design - October 2025 © Studio Reskos
The Omikron OT-60 is the perfect powerboat for the retiring/retired sailor, or if your family has grown tired of your yacht heeling over, then consider stepping aboard the Award winning Juan Yacht Design's Omikron OT-60.
New Greek yachtbuilder Omikron Yachts has been making ripples with its OT-60 debut model which, as Ocean discovers, combines sailing yacht design principles with motor yacht space to create a highly efficient long-range cruiser with high luxury.
You would be forgiven for not immediately recognising the Omikron Yachts brand. That’s because the yachtbuilder – based in Lavrio, just south of Athens, Greece – has been born out of parent company Olympic Marine and the OT-60 is the first model to launch from the yard.
The yacht, and the builder, have made a fast and hard impression, however – the OT-60 was presented at last year’s Dusseldorf boat show in January, where it was awarded European Power Boat of the Year in the long-range yacht category, an incredible accolade.
So what makes the OT-60 so special? The clue is in Omikron’s own strapline for the model: ‘the motor yacht that feels like a sailboat’. View the hull from above and you’ll notice distinctly sailing-yacht bow and beam, and it’s true that sailing yacht hull forms make excellent bases when range is a factor due to their inherent hydrodynamic efficiency.
It’s no surprise then to learn that for the hull Omikron turned to highly experienced naval architect Juan Kouyoumdjian and his Juan Yacht Design studio team, whose portfolio includes Volvo Ocean Race winners, offshore speed record setters and America’s Cup contributions. It’s also no surprise to learn that the Omikron yard, in a previous guise, built more than 2,000 sailing yachts over a 50-year period.
“Omikron Yachts had an interesting approach with the OT60: developing their first boat with a challenging brief based on real efficiency,” says Philippe Oulhen, project coordinator at Juan Yacht Design. “Our task was to develop an optimised hull shape for between 8 and 14 knots of boat speed with very good seakeeping abilities. We also worked around the propeller design during the whole sea trial process.
“We are very pleased with the results,” Oulhen enthuses. “The yacht’s construction meets the weight and centre-of-gravity position as designed, and the fuel consumption is even better than our expectations. We really enjoy this kind of project."
The OT-60 was conceived with space, comfort and efficient navigation in mind. Alongside Kouyoumdjian’s hull optimisation, the team turned to Lorenzo Argento – another sailing specialist – for exterior and interior styling. “Our career has been mostly devoted to sailing boats which are typically quiet, respectful and silent,” Argento explains. “When we were approached by Omikron Yachts with this idea of a ‘gentle’ powered vessel, we immediately picked up the challenge believing that this is truly an innovative way to go at sea. You can sail for long hours, in comfort, protected and with pretty long range.”
In this respect, he says, and following the indications of yard, the team has carefully worked out the most legible layout to be easily used both at anchor or while underway. “We truly believe in this concept to move around at 8-9 knots, as you would do on a similar size sailboat, with minimized wakes, reduced noise, high stability, and low consumption, all while enjoying onboard life,” he continues. “No different from any project, this is the result of a very interesting and challenging design brief defined by the client.”
Stepping onboard the yacht, it is obvious everything centres on cruising in luxury, but that’s not all. There’s responsibly sourced wood and the use of recyclable materials, which combine with spaciousness and plenty of natural light to make the journey as enjoyable as the destination – an ethos straight out of the sailing handbook.
There are other benefits to borrowing from sailing yacht lines, too. The stern platform is amazingly large thanks to the 6-metre beam that is carried all the way aft – the platform serves as the boarding platform, the beach club and tender stowage all in one. Tender launch and recovery becomes an easy procedure thanks to the passerelle above which doubles as a hydraulic tender lift.
From this ample aft platform, two steps take you up to the aft deck, which has been conceived and built as the yacht’s outdoor living area. There are settees to port and starboard, each with a dining table that can be lowered to convert the settees into large daybeds or sunpads, although if the weather proves inclement (or just too breezy) the aft cockpit can be enclosed with soft clears. The cockpit also gets a remote helm to make stern-to mooring a breeze.
Wide sidedecks lead forward to the clean foredeck area, which features the now obligatory bow cockpit in the form of two large sunloungers, as well as a ladder to take you to two further sunloungers located above the main saloon. The business end of the bow sports a bowsprit from which the anchor can be deployed, which keeps anchor and chain well clear of the yacht’s plumb bow.
Inside, the theme of space continues in the saloon. To port, an extra-deep settee invites languorous lounging, while to starboard a small sink plus a fridge suggest imminent cocktail-making – the perfect accompaniment to settling into a box set or movie on the pop-up television.
Forward to starboard is the helm station which offers twin seats and clear, functional instrument display, Two large MFDs show all that needs to be seen, along the electronic controls – there are also manual redundancy controls to allow safe passage home in the unlikely event of an electronics issue.
Vision from the helm is ideal thanks to the 360-degree panorama the saloon offers, which makes not only for easy navigation but also engaged guests when underway or at anchor. Natural light pours in both through the saloon’s big windows and also the hatches overhead.
Stepping down into the lower saloon, there’s a dining area to port with storage underneath the seating, and a very serviceable galley to starboard comprising a large sink, extendable tap and good benchtop space. Cooking is catered for by a Miele oven and induction hob, while an extractor fan helps mitigate cooking steam and smells – an important consideration for a lower galley. A large upright fridge and freezer provide cold storage. Extra headroom in this lower level gives the space something of an atrium feel, and the natural light here is also generous.
Forward of the lower saloon is the owner’s cabin. There’s a full double bed on the centreline, plus side lounges, a writing deck on starboard, a head to starboard and a separate shower to port. Natural light is again a feature with good headroom throughout the cabin. The yacht also comes in a charter version where the owner’s cabin is split into two double cabins, each with an ensuite head and shower.
Aft of the lower saloon there are two additional guest cabins. On the port side is the VIP cabin featuring a double bed with perfect morning views out to port, along with generous headroom and plenty of light. The cabin features a spacious shower and separate head – the head having its own entrance from the lower saloon to double as the day head.
To starboard is a twin cabin with separate wardrobes, and separate shower and head at the aft end of the cabin. Once again, the cabin features plenty of natural light from the starboard hull window which has an opening port; indeed, all cabins feature coaming windows with opening portlights and deck hatches for additional light and ventilation.
The technical space is located under the cockpit floor, which houses the main engines – the OT-60 offers up to 250-horsepower Yanmar engines in a twin configuration linked to shafts, with a bow thruster aiding maneuverability – a stern thruster is also offered as an option, as is joystick control. There is also a 7 kVA generator plus 460 amp-hours of 24V house batteries to run the yacht’s systems, galley appliances and air-conditioning.
Fuel efficiency with this configuration, combined with the super-sleek hull, is incredible. Cruising at 8 knots promises a 1,000-nautical-mile range from the 1,200 litres of fuel the OT-60 carries, although if you’re in a bit more of a hurry or just want to blast from dock to beach and back, the yacht does offer a handy top speed of 16 knots.
If you want to jump into more sustainable cruising there is also a hybrid propulsion system available. The setup sports two 100kW motors mounted between the engine and gearbox. Also included is a 78.2 kWh LFP fast charge battery pack along with all the necessary controllers, converters and drives. This combination gives a cruise at 7-8 knots for three hours in pure electric/silent mode, while the battery pack can be recharged using the engines in less than an hour.
The hybrid package also includes a 4.3kW solar array which also helps recharge the batteries. The battery pack can run all the house systems, including the air-conditioning, for more than 24 hours on one charge, making silent overnighting a genuine possibility without losing any creature comforts.
The idea of merging elements of sailing yachts and motor yachts to create an efficient motorboat platform may not be entirely new, but combining it all with sleek and contemporary styling, seaworthiness and spacious, light-filled interiors means this new OT-60 model from new brand Omikron Yachts is entirely seductive for those who want to cruise long with little effort. And that’s something worth shouting about.
Like to know more?
Contact: Paul MacDonald
Ph/WhatsApp: +64 27 5133 524
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Web: www.mcdyachts.com/omikron-ot-60
The designers describe the features of the Omikron OT-60
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