Designed by the renowned designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, Omikron OT-60 is a unique motor yacht gifted with all the gifts: comfortable, frugal and practical in every way
With their many years of experience in yacht renovations and adaptations, Olimpic Marina in Lavrion in the vicinity Athens had all the necessary ingredients, experience and market know-how to create a unique line of yachts. With this goal, they created Omikron brand, whose first model, OT-60, combines the classic solid performance and fuel economy of sailboats with the simplicity and flexibility of a classic motor yacht.
We visited the new Greek builder to test their very special first model. The design of the hull was entrusted to designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, best known for his designs for the Volvo Ocean Race and Club Swan.
The result is a yacht with an elegant bow-shaped hull with a narrow bow that widens towards the stern. The bow hosts a long anchor holder reminiscent of the bowsprit on sailboats.
However, one step on the bow just above the waterline, as well as the wide stern whose sides do not curve inward at any point, make it clear that this is a newly designed hull and not a repurposed sailboat design.
The superstructure is very simple, glazed on all sides, and the roof is slightly wider than the sides, immediately clear to provide visibility and light into the interior.
The wide stern with its platform houses the tender since above it, level with the main deck, there is a rotating hydraulic gangplank which also serves as a crane for the dinghy. The aft part of the main deck is spacious, with plenty of storage space and a large floor entrance to the spacious engine room. Protected by the roof of the superstructure, the outdoor aft salon offers two dining tables with sofas that can be lowered and turned into sunpads.
The wide side passageways leading towards the bow are protected by a high fence that uses spectra-rope instead of steel cables, and on the bow there is another large sunpad. In front of the windshield, there is the ladder leading to the roof of the superstructure where there is enough room for another sunpad.
Inside, the salon is appointed with spacious daybed on the left side, which can be turned into a classic sofa by moving the backrest, and a small corner galley with a sink, refrigerator, storage and a pull-up TV in a dedicated element on the right side.
The bridge is well equipped, with two Garmin multi-function displays for controlling all the ship systems, the joystick serving the bow thruster, the autopilot screen, a classic two-lever throttle and a small, fully electric steering wheel light as a feather and easy to handle.
Visibility is excellent in all directions, and for easier docking, the left sofa on the stern hides from view another throttle lever and another bow thruster joystick. Next to the command console, wide stairs with tall and sturdy handrails lead below deck, into the dining area with a table and two benches on the left side, and a galley with an L-shaped work surface on the right.
There is a large standing refrigerator, with a freezer and an ice-maker, and the galley boasts incredibly ceiling height, as it opens onto the superstructure ceiling with a large skylight.
All other cabins enjoy plenty of natural light, seeping in either through the hull windows, or superstructure glazing, and the overall light feeling in the interior is further enhanced by the use of light fabrics and light wood. Also, all cabins boast impressive standing height, over two meters, sufficient for even the tallest guests.
Astern, there are two guest cabins, one with a double bed and one with two single beds, both with en-suite bathrooms, while all the space towards the bow is reserved for a spacious master cabin- super-sized, with a central large double bed, a bathroom and a separate shower.
This cabin can be replaced with two smaller cabins in the four-cabin version, both with two single beds and two smaller bathrooms. In the very bow, there is the skipper’s cabin with Pullman beds and a toilet.
Omikron OT-60 performs like a true sailboat: it’s agile in small marinas, especially when the bow thruster is in use, and in sailing it is stable, climbing the waves instead of breaking through them, with almost no rolling, especially for a boat this size.
As efficiency was one of the main guiding principles in the design of this yacht, OT60 successfully passes that test: with five passengers and 40 percent full tanks, powered by two 250-hp Yanmar engines, the model reaches 8.5 knots at 1800 rpm, and consumes 10.5 l/h; at 2500 rpm it reaches a fairly decent cruising speed of 10.8 knots (27 l/h), and at 3000 rpm, the speed increases to 13 knots (60 l/h). Maximum speed we achieved was 15 knots. We must say, this super-low fuel low consumption should be very interesting to charter clients.
Overall, Omikron OT-60 is a unique yacht, pleasant to sail on, and pleasant to live on. It will certainly attract a lot of attention in the coming years, and perhaps inspire copycats. Three units have already been built, five more are in the process of being built, and the model has already received the award for the European motorboat of the year in the category of long-range yachts.
Text Mlađan Marušić
Photos & video Omikron Yachts
