OTAM 85 GTS custom

Organizzazione Tigullio Assistenza Motoscafi, or OTAM, for short, has been looking after yacht owners since 1954. Back then, it was a maintenance yard (one of the Liguria’s first), before becoming Riva’s authorised service centre for the Med. Custom jobs soon followed (including a number of triple planked wooden projects that are still on the water today) leading OTAM to start building its own yachts in the 80s. The early OTAM 45’ and 55’ models were well received and since then, 90 yachts from the Italian sportster specialists have been produced.

CUSTOM

Today, OTAM builds yachts and superyachts ranging from 45 to 130 feet, with the shipyard’s sub 100-foot models catering for performance enthusiasts. The 85 GTS featured, was built as a 100% custom project, as OTAM’s Sales & Communication Manager, Matteo Belardinelli, explains: “The 85 GTS is the natural evolution of Otam’s ‘one off’ philosophy, which aims at offering the greatest flexibility and no restrictions to Owners who are looking for exclusive solutions that meet their personal style and needs, and who therefore are looking for true custom.

“The genesis of the 85 GTS goes back to the 2017 edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival,” continues Belardinelli. “We were presenting the OTAM 80, which raised a lot of interest because of its performance, efficiency and its second, full-beam master suite in the centre of the yacht. A number of clients expressed their interest in a ‘different and open or semi-open’ version of that yacht, which was therefore the starting point for our R&D.”

FRENCH FLAIR

French designer, Joseph Dirand was brought in to design both the GTS’s interior and exteriors, as well as create the yacht’s layout. The Paris-based architect’s hotel interiors can be seen from Paris to New York, making him an exciting choice for the GTS as he brought some fresh thinking to the table.

Working closely with the Owner, Dirand created an ‘open day boat’, one that could shelter its guests, while also having the capability of reaching 50-knots. To achieve the above, a composite hardtop was incorporated into the design, covering completely the helm and lounge area, with a bimini top sheltering the cockpit occupants when erected. Adding a comfort element to the sportsters character has opened up the 85’s usage, making it just as comfortable in winter as it is in summer. Should the weather be absolutely perfect, the hardtop’s sunroof can be retracted for that completely open feeling.

As large open yachts are all about deck space, the 85 is suitably usable. Aft is the superyacht-sized swim platform, that can happily accommodate the Owner, guests and anyone else who fancies a dip. The aft sunpad is just as spacious and backs onto the 85’s lounge area. Here, the two C-shaped sofas allow guests to relax under the hardtop, but for an overnighter, it’s time to head below deck.

BELOW DECK

At the base of the main deck stairs is the full beam lowerdeck lobby with a dinette to port and the galley starboard. Having a galley down layout means more space for entertaining up on deck, while creating extra space for the chef’s toys. Here, a light and dark colourway is used throughout, beginning in the VIP cabin at the bow and carrying on through the port side twin and the full beam Owner’s suite, which can be found amidships. There’s enough room in here for two sofas, plus ‘his and hers’ bathrooms stretched across the full beam.

POWER

With the 85’s Owner’s cabin taking up the space amidships, this leaves plenty of room for some hefty powerplants and the OTAM doesn’t disappoint. Bolted to the hull floor are a pair of MTU M96 turbo diesels producing 2,600 horsepower each. That’s a lot of power and the way it’s transferred to the water is equally impressive. Under the transom lurk a pair of Arneson surface drives mated to special, six blade propellers. With less drag produced as the blades are mounted half out of the water, the OTAM can accelerate strongly up to 45-knots, while being able to cruise at 35 knots. The surface drives also help with efficiency, enabling the big MTUs to sup a mere 16 litres per nautical mile – that’s pretty decent for a 45 knot, 26-metre open sports yacht. There again, the OTAM’s performance should not be a surprise, as the shipyard’s CEO, production director and test driver is no other than offshore endurance champion Gianfranco Zanoni, who’s been racing boats since he was a teenager.

CONCLUSION

A lot of different names and nationalities came together to create the OTAM 85 GTS. The shipyard’s Italian, the designer and commissioning supervisor were French, the technical supervisors were Germans – and that wealth of input shows not only in the quality of the build, but also the passion put into the project. The 85 made its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival, but not before the Owner had already enjoyed its performance capabilities in the Med – the perfect place for a fast open day boat.