On board the second Maiora 35 Exuma model, Pesa II

Pesa II is hull No 2 of the 35-metre Maiora 35 Exuma model, a waterjet-propelled cruiser launched as a custom project with a vertical bow, fast-planing hull and waterjet propulsion to cruise the shallows of Florida and the Bahamas — hence the Exuma name.

Lady Nina, the first Maiora 35 Exuma — 35 referring to her length in metres, not her top speed of 35 knots — appeared in 2020 at the Genoa International Boat Show.

Performance, shallow draft, low vibrations and plenty of living space were among the requirements of that first Exuma owner. And these criteria, as it turns out, are popular with other owners. Four of the Maiora 35 Exumas will have been delivered by summer 2024.

For 17 years, Next Yacht Group’s head of sales Giacomo Benelli has been a steady presence at Maiora. The boutique Italian yard has been around since the 1970s and has changed ownership a couple of times since. It has a lamination facility inside the industrial zone in Massa and an elegant office in Viareggio.

You may remember it as a member of the FIPA Group. New investors — a diversified fund from Austria — came along in 2021, and Maiora became part of the Next Yacht Group along with its sister company, the high performance brand AB Yachts.

The yard has been producing boats in composite for years but isn’t into series production. It often builds around the needs of a client — and that’s how the Maiora 35 Exuma was born.

Although incorporating significant input from the owners, the whole design was done in-house, including the interior when it came to Pesa II. The Next Yacht Group’s Centro Stile and its five interior architects are based in the Italian yacht-building capital of Viareggio.

“We designed a unique boat... the impression is that we are in the salon of a catamaran”

“Our will was to combine performance with the highest volume,” Benelli explains. Standing around six foot tall inside the elegant salon, he points out the room above his head.

“Another basic premise was to offer the largest possible beam, so this vessel has a 7.9-metre beam. The superstructure nearly covers the full length of the vessel,” except for the foredeck, which is dedicated to anchoring operations.

In short, the yard had a lot of interior volume to play with and made sensible decisions about how to use it, with a spacious owner’s suite, four guest cabins, including a second owner’s cabin, two tender garages (one transversal, holding a tender up to 20ft), two exceptional salons, two pilothouses and crew quarters for five.

Also integral to the feeling of space, this boat has more than 2,150 square feet of glass and wide-opening sliding doors. Connections with the environment are everywhere, including in the owner’s cabin, whose windows offer a spectacular view, and on the upper deck, where a large section of the roof opens to the suns or stars.

For privacy, this is a perfect spot to dine or sunbathe, above the fray and al fresco. If you don’t mind seeing and being seen, the main deck is connected to a swim platform via a series of steps and a wide sliding door opens into the saloon and dining area.

“We designed a unique boat; it’s asymmetrical up to the central part of the boat, full beam from the service trunk to the foremost part of the superstructure, and full beam on the upper deck.

The impression is that we are in the saloon of a catamaran. The difference is when you are on the lower deck, you have still the same volume [as a monohull],” Benelli says.

Like Lady Nina, the first Maiora 35 Exuma, Pesa II, which is built to the commercial code requirements of the French flag and classification society Rina, has two fully equipped pilothouses with Furuno electronics and Hatteland screens, so that the owner can enjoy navigating the boat on the upper deck.

The captain’s pilothouse, with a nearly identical set-up, is forward of the owner’s cabin and connected to the crew quarters for ready access.

This unusual dual set-up is optional. If an owner chooses to have just one pilothouse, the space is used differently, for instance, to expand the owner’s suite and add an owner’s gym.

The third hull, which will be a shadow boat with space for a lot more crew, has a different layout with the main deck entirely dedicated to the owner. “The Maiora Exuma is a very versatile model range,” says Isabella Picco, head of communications.

Flexibility is the point of the platform. While Pesa II has sisterships, she is highly customised. For instance, she carries 20 batteries from MG (that have enough power to support the lights, appliances, stabilizers and air conditioning at anchor overnight).

Her top speed is a bit lower than her predecessor’s, but she still goes up to 33 knots. Two Seakeeper 35 gyrostabilizers are designed to keep her steady in heavy seas.

But what most sets her apart is her interior. Pesa II has a distinctive and organic interior with finishes that enhance the perception of luxury.

Instead of the usual combination of wood, stainless steel and linear planes with sharp angles, there is a more complex scenario of shapes and layers. There are few straight lines and no sharp corners. The colours are cohesive.

The owners, who have an affinity for the new French design style, asked Maiora to achieve as natural an interior as possible with soft curves and subdued colours.

Drawing inspiration from the work of Liaigre in particular, the builder’s design team set out to create one of its most striking interiors to date. “This is our interpretation and our ideas of that style,” Benelli says.

Attention to detail is above and beyond. For instance, the yard concealed hatches to access hidden compartments within the existing decor patterns. It takes a suction cup or a discreet lifting point to move them. “We wanted to hide everything as much as possible,” Benelli says.

The soothing interior combines brushed and painted oak, walnut (used as strips on the ceiling), Alcantara on sections of the ceiling, bed frames and cabinet doors, plus travertine and marble in the bathrooms.

Nothing is overdone. Round carpets recall curved mirrors. The soft patterns and fabrics help muffle noise and absorb light, a calming counterbalance to sunlight pouring through the windows. A large television in the main salon is hidden behind a rounded mirror. No electronics or speakers are obvious.

These client’s requests pushed the yard to do things a bit differently. “The requirement to create very complex shapes led us to search for new construction solutions and, sometimes, to harken back to traditional woodworking techniques,” says a spokesperson for Next Yacht Group’s Centro Stile, who describes this interior as “the ultimate expression of organic design principles, where aesthetics, technology and functionality perfectly harmonise with the lifestyle and daily routines of her guests.”

Pesa II offers a great deal for her length, pumping the volume and pushing the interior design to new heights. The result is both repeatable and truly individual. It’s quite a feat.

First published in the May 2024 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.