North American multi-hull buyers seeking a superyacht to step up to have a new opportunity—and a higher-tech one, too. MarineMax is now the exclusive distributor for Wider Yachts catamarans. The series includes the WiderCat 92 (above), which already has five hulls under construction.
With more than 100 dealerships, plus ownership of both Fraser Yachts and Northrop & Johnson, MarineMax has significant strength in the American market. On a related note, MarineMax recently acquired IGY Marinas, expanding its berthing and superyacht-services footprint. “Their vast network of dealerships and deep experience with yachting and yachtsmen is unsurpassed in the American market,” notes Marcello Maggi, Wider Yachts’ president. (Maggi additionally heads the holding company that outright owns Wider Yachts.) He further notes how MarineMax has dedicated resources to after sales and spare parts. “We believe that MarineMax will be able to make Wider a household name among American boaters,” he says.
Fittingly, two of the five Wider Yachts catamarans currently in build are for the American market. All of the WiderCat 92s will hit the water between 2023 and 2024, too. Each also has an in-house-developed hybrid propulsion system. The Italian shipyard focuses entirely on hybrid propulsion, in fact. This practice dates back to the launch of the Wider 150 monohull motoryacht in 2016. The WiderCat 92 offers buyers a flexible interior layout, with a standard four-stateroom configuration below decks. However, it’s not a traditional configuration, since two of the staterooms have opening platforms connecting them to the beach club. On the main deck, meanwhile, the master suite occupies about half of the overall 1,076 square feet (100 square meters).
Chuck Cashman, MarineMax’s chief revenue officer, believes American cruisers will gravitate toward the WiderCat 92, plus the shipyard’s technical and stylistic skills. “Their unique offering fits perfectly in our brand lineup, and I know our customers, and team members for that matter, will be excited to get some hands-on interractions,” he says.
Note that the Wider Yachts and MarineMax partnership doesn’t involve the custom superyachts from the Italian shipyard. These include the Moonflower 72 project.
MarineMax marinemax.com
Wider Yachts wider-yachts.com
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