Using his vast personal cruising experience, Broich set about to make the boat more user-friendly for the Americas. Some changes were minor, such as installing side-deck doors and cleats amidships so boats could tie up side-to at a dock. (A passarelle, meant for the European market, also remains on the American version.) A control station was added on the aft deck to starboard to facilitate easy side-to docking. On the flying bridge, Broich installed a larger helm station capable of holding two computer monitors (the European version could hold only one), enlarged the seating area and added a dinette table.
Other changes were more significant, like extending the flying bridge deck all the way aft to the transom. The extension gives the owner the option of either installing a larger tender on the bridge deck or creating a bigger social space with portable deck chairs and furniture. Broich feels an owner operating his own vessel will probably not put a tender here (the davit is not standard) because it requires at least two people to raise and lower it. Instead, he enlarged and modified the swim platform so that it hydraulically lowers into the water. A PWC or RIB can easily be floated on or off the platform. A four-step hydraulic swim ladder emerges from under the aft deck on the port side of the stern. On the aft deck Broich added a dining table and another forward-facing bench seat for owners who like to eat aboard.
In the interior, a major shift involved bringing up the galley from down below (in the European version) to the main deck. Although it’s completely enclosed, separating the salon from the pilothouse forward, large picture windows fore and aft drop down so that whoever is cooking can still join the conversation. Both windows have a louvered shade in case the chef wants greater privacy. A full-size Isotherm refrigerator/freezer is standard, as are the four-burner Miele stove and oven and dishwasher. Cabinets line the galley fore and aft, and there are more under-counter cabinets too that provide plenty of stowage for long cruises. The galley even has its own door leading to the side deck. (The Maestro has doors on both sides of the house, unusual for yachts this size.)
The lower helm station forward of the galley retains the Italian preference for style, including an interesting mounted instrument panel capable of holding up to four displays and conveniently placed switches on flat panels to either side of the wheel. The only change Broich made involved switching aft-facing passenger seats outboard of the helm to forward-facing. In another touch of Americanization, there’s a pullout countertop next to the helm just large enough for a couple of small breakfast plates or a laptop computer. The vertical windows provide a 180-degree line of sight and virtually no reflective glare, a problem more common in sloped windows.
Getting to the three staterooms means taking a curved stairway to port of the helm station. As you reach the bottom you can turn back and look up at the helm high above — the headroom here is at least 12 feet, an astonishing amount for a yacht this size. At the base of the stairs, as part of the foyer to the staterooms, one can have either a single berth/sofa or a small office with a desk and drawers. (In the European version the space was a galley). The space can be enclosed with sliding doors for privacy.
The master stateroom is down several stairs aft and contains a king berth, a counter with vanity, drawers in every conceivable space (even a laundry hamper) and a head athwartships to port. The head location narrows the master a bit but allows for more space for the guest staterooms. A second stateroom forward to starboard includes twin beds, a hanging locker and a bulkhead-mounted television. The larger guest stateroom is forward, tucked in the bow. There’s sufficient space to maneuver around the centerline bed, but the cost of such a flared, narrow bow is a bit of space sacrificed around the forward berth.
