Alex Smith gets behind the wheel of the Omikron OT60, an ultra-refined sailboat-inspired super cruiser. Having won the European Powerboat award for the best long-range yacht of , Omikron has good reason to feel pleased with itself. After all, as a fresh brand, brought to us by the same people behind Greek sailboat builders, Olympic Marine, this is the first motorboat ever produced under the new name.
The basic idea was to take a classical sailboat aesthetic with a generous beam, a long keel, a tapered bow and an open stern and then to equip it with the extra space, practicality and ease of use provided by a motorboat.
To make the package more appealing, it came with small diesel engines for refinement and efficiency, as well as resin-infused construction and lightweight carbon fibre for extra range. And it supplemented all of that with wide-open single-level decks, bright views and a lower deck designed to provide both a cathedral-like central lounge and a three- or four-cabin layout that would lend itself either to family cruising or to charter. This design is unlike any we have seen before.
A relatively short, low-slung superstructure frees up plenty of space both forward and aft for expansive external decks, joined by equally generous single-level side decks. Lateral and directional stability are outstanding, however slowly you cruise. The optional barbecue at the starboard quarter follows suit with a shallow, floating-style tray connected to the rails.
And aft of that, things get even more interesting, thanks to a hinged swing-out arm. It extends the cockpit deck when folded flush but it can also be deployed as a dive platform, a davit or an extended passerelle. Wide single-level decks make this boat supremely safe and easy to move around. That frees up extra space at the aft platform for use as a social zone, and the test boat has a pair of slouchy bean bags in position to illustrate exactly that. By comparison, the foredeck feels pretty conventional at first sight, courtesy of a central island sunbed with slightly contoured headrests and a pair of hatches down to the bow cabin.
