Every owner has their focus, sometimes it's a feature that gives designers and shipyard "goosebumps". The client of the Otam 90 GTS wanted first-class sound on board for a "fast, cheerful party boat!", as Otam sales manager Matteo Belardinelli says, "with a large DJ set plus bar". At the top of the order list for the semi-open was a music system worth around half a million euros. And almost everything was subordinated to this wish during the planning and construction of the 27.75 metres.
"Storage space?", the client of "Sexy Me" would have asked, "I have that at 70 metres, I don't need any here". Instead, various subwoofers are hidden behind supposed ventilation slots on the annex of his superyacht, for example under the long lounge sofas on the main deck.
The music system has its own room
Where other owners would set up an office on the lower deck, the music equipment with server and amplifier has moved into a room next to the galley, with separate air conditioning, of course. "When the yacht is at rest, the owners switch on the fan from their house using the remote control," says Belardinelli, adding an anecdote: "We weren't allowed to start laminating the hardtop until the Dutch company came on board with their lasers, which indicate the correct position and alignment of each individual loudspeaker.
To achieve the best sound quality, the Otam 90 GTS was willing to go to any lengths. After all, there was the - probably not entirely serious - sentence from the client, who was initially assumed to have a musical background, perhaps even to be the owner of a club: "The motors could break, but if the music stops, we'll go to court."
The shipyard started from scratch for the Otam 90 GTS
The music system is truly not the only speciality that kept the Italian brand on its toes around its 70th birthday. The project itself was a challenge, there was no template for the Otam 90 GTS, "we literally started from scratch", confirms Belardinelli, "and we were very lucky to have the perfect customer who fits our DNA, our philosophy".
Otam has experience with sporty, very fast and at the same time seaworthy yachts, the shipyard from Genoa is a name in offshore racing. And then came an owner who really appreciated this, but also had clear ideas for customising the yacht to his needs. A man who became aware of the shipyard back in 2014 when he saw an Otam speeding past off the coast of southern France during a test drive with the competition.
The customer saw an Otam racing past: Hey, who are they?
"Hey, who are these guys?" he had asked his broker and was standing at the shipyard's stand the next day. Almost immediately, he commissioned his Otam number one, which he naturally had fitted out by star designer Cristiano Gatto. At the time, it was still unusual for an owner to bring his "own" interior designer onto a powerboat. "That gave us a bit of a headache at first," admits Belardinelli.
Such doubts were quickly dispelled. The owner presented an equally impressive list of special requests for his new boat. He wanted an open dayboat, around 90 feet, but please don't get wet when cruising fast off Dubai or the US coast. The projectile had to look great anyway.
"It's sexy," he said, "that's how I want it"
His ideas: modern, but not too much, sporty, yet elegant and not too many curves, please. The road to the goal was a little rocky at first. The design pitch for the Otam 90 GTS was also attended by professionals from the automotive sector, and they had their own style. Otam still builds models today that were designed around 35 years ago.
It is difficult to tell a designer to be iconic, "because iconic for me is not the same as iconic for him," says Belardinelli. When Giuseppe Bagnardi was asked by BG Design to tackle the outer lines of the 90, with the instruction "less angular than the 70", he agreed. When the owner saw the first sketches and renderings, he said: "It's sexy" and wanted it to be exactly the same. And he also wanted to name it.
The custom project developed rapidly and is now a power format with maximum ride comfort. "We've raised the side windows," explains Belardinelli, "yet the boat is still open, but also offers protection from above." No direct sun, no splash water, no wind, no turbulence and no headaches, the sales manager lists, "you can drive for one or ten hours without feeling the disadvantages of an open construction".
The rooms on the Otam 90 GTS are 2.10 metres high
The 3.40 x 1.10 metre side windows, the one-piece curved windscreen and the 3.20 x 1.80 metre sliding roof provide an added bonus: the glass surfaces let in plenty of daylight and visually enlarge the interior. In keeping with this, guests on board "Sexy Me" enjoy 2.10 metre high ceilings throughout, and even 2.30 metres on the main deck.
Almost the entire living area of the Otam 90 GTS is on one level, as many owners are used to at home. "Upstairs, there is only one step from the side decks to the bow lounge," Belardinelli points out, "and inside, two steps lead to the owner's suite." This room almost utilises the maximum six-metre-wide hull amidships, with the remaining guests distributed between the VIP in the foredeck and a twin cabin opposite the galley. The four-person crew spend the night in two separate areas, each with its own access: at the very front in the bow and behind the master suite, where the large galley is directly adjacent to the cabin.
The blankets must fit perfectly, otherwise they will fall off
It goes without saying that Otam has fitted out the interior of the 90 GTS to the highest possible standard. The panels were not machine-made somewhere, delivered by lorry and then installed on board; instead, everything was done directly on the yacht. "We cut and fitted the interior fittings by hand," explains Belardinelli and explains why: "If the ceilings are not correctly dimensioned and fastened, they will fall off in the event of strong vibrations."
After all, it starts to shake on board at over 30 knots, sometimes as low as 25. On a powerboat travelling at well over 40 knots, you can therefore expect a lot - despite meticulous current studies with the aim of keeping the yacht as calm as possible in all conditions.
45.4 knots, the Otam 90 GTS is faster than expected
The hull, designed by Umberto Tagliavini and Aldo Scorzoni, is made entirely of Aramat, a multi-layer composite material made of glass fibre and Kevlar. The propulsion system is worthy of a fast pursuer: MTU power packs with 1912 kilowatts each work in the engine compartment, transmitting their power to Arneson surface propellers. As a result, "Sexy Me" was able to exceed the 42 knot top speed target during the first seatrials off the coast of Cannes, with the display finally showing 45.4 knots.
A figure that surprised all passengers, as the power format was packed full of comfort accessories. On board, in addition to the music system, there is a rotating passerelle, gyro stabilisers and, last but not least, marble in the bathrooms. Belardinelli also has a story to tell here: the shipyard took the owner to Carrara three times before he finally discovered the desired veining in gold and purple.
The steering position looks like a racing car
Another look at the control console of "Sexy Me", which resembles a racing car with its cool carbon fibre interior and matching "steering wheel". There is also a lot to discover here, such as an independent cooling system that regulates the temperature of the console electronics. The air inlets in the foredeck area and the "snorkels" on the hardtop complete the image of a sports car at sea.
Given the enormous effort involved, it is no wonder that the shipyard does not want to go into series production on a large scale, but will expand the Otam 90 GTS to include a closed hard-top version and a T-top variant. "We produce three boats a year at this level of customisation," confirms Belardinelli. If customers have a lot of requests, "then you can't do it for ten people in a row".
Uske Berndt
Editor News & Panorama
