{"id":134391,"date":"2025-02-18T06:55:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T06:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?post_type=review&p=134391"},"modified":"2025-02-18T06:56:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T06:56:08","slug":"otam-90-gts-review-43-knot-party-supercruiser","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/reviews\/aft-cabins\/otam-90-gts-review-43-knot-party-supercruiser","title":{"rendered":"Otam 90 GTS Review: 43-knot party supercruiser"},"content":{"rendered":"

Way back in the beginning was the Record!<\/em>, an 80-foot, grey-and-yellow monohull designed by Fabio Buzzi and packing 6,000hp, built for the express purpose of making a splash. True to its name, in one hectic season more than 20 years ago it set three new long-distance powerboat records \u2013 around Italy, from Monte Carlo to London and, finally, around Britain, the latter at an average speed of more than 40 knots.<\/p>\n

I was a witness to that one, and when they came into St Katharine Docks in London, Buzzi and his navigator, Dag Pike, and co-drivers Simon Powell and Hannes Bohinc looked shattered, but justifiably pleased with themselves.<\/p>\n

There was always an ulterior motive to Buzzi\u2019s racing and record attempts, and while he sold a lot of hulls to military and coastguard agencies, he thought of the 80 as a fast motor yacht. Sure enough, Otam boss Giancarlo Rampezzotti, a longtime friend and associate of the Italian engineering maestro, put the 80 into production as a head-turning, custom-built fast cruiser. The new Otam 90 GTS, launched at the Cannes Yachting Festival<\/a> last September, is its direct descendant.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The GTS\u2019s vast cockpit has the emphasis placed firmly on guest entertainment<\/p><\/div>\n

Loud and proud<\/h2>\n

It could probably set a few records of its own, if not for speed and endurance then maybe for the decibel levels cranked out by its stupendous sound system, which is so intimidating that it has its own compartment, complete with a dedicated fan coil unit to keep it cool. Even Otam\u2019s technical drawings label this one the \u2018party boat\u2019.<\/p>\n

Custom built is key to the concept. Few 90-footers can have been constructed to quite such bespoke requirements. The owner, based in the Med, uses Sexy Me<\/em> as a big, glamorous dayboat with his family and friends, and I have to say it looks like they have a pretty good time.<\/p>\n

There is no dining table and just a crew galley, plus a pantry on the lower deck for making coffee, pouring wine, and concocting cocktails. There are lockers in the cockpit that hold more drinking vessels than the entire glassware department at Heal\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A seagull\u2019s eye view of the foredeck lounge<\/p><\/div>\n

Otam only builds about four boats a year, so as a shipyard it spends more time than most listening to customers, and is prepared to at least entertain any idea you can come up with. It\u2019s not quite carte blanche, however. Because fast boats need to be built like tanks in order to withstand the extreme impacts created by choppy conditions, the 90\u2019s internal bulkheads are carefully aligned and extend from the deckhead right down to the hull bottom, to maximise structural integrity. So once the interior layout of each 90 is agreed, and construction starts, there\u2019s no going back. You can\u2019t change your mind.<\/p>\n

The hull itself is Kevlar, which is more flexible than carbon- fibre and consequently offers a slightly more cushioned ride. The hardtop is carbon. In contrast to these high-tech materials, the 90\u2019s interior is built using stubbornly old-school methods, and is constructed first in situ, by hand, to ensure a perfect fit, before being dismantled and taken out for lacquering and varnishing, and then reinstalled. Compared with the streamlined production-line methods employed by most yards these days, \u201cit takes twice as long and costs four times as much,\u201d according to Otam sales supremo Matteo Belardinelli.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The foredeck seats show off their versatility<\/p><\/div>\n

While the 90\u2019s main deck is a fully optimised entertaining space, with two bars, sunbathing and seating areas fore and aft, and plenty of seating in the shade of the hardtop \u2013 not forgetting the titanium deck fittings \u2013 the lower deck is laid out along more conventional lines.<\/p>\n

Three ensuite cabins lead off from the spacious open lobby at the foot of the main companionway: a twin on the port side, the VIP up in the bow, and the master amidships, down two steps. Their layouts are sensibly rectilinear and make efficient use of most of the available space, and plenty of thought has also gone into maximising stowage volume, which is divided between drawers, numerous hanging lockers, and the cavernous spaces under the double mattresses, which lift bodily on gas struts.<\/p>\n

Across the full beam of the hull \u2013 which is comparatively slender at just under 20 feet, or six metres, this being at heart a performance offshore boat \u2013 the master cabin feels spacious and comfortable, with plenty of floor area. Headroom throughout the accommodation is a generous 6ft 7in or more (2.02m), and there has been no skimping on the size of the beds either: even the twins are 30in (76cm) wide and a surprising 6ft 6in (1.99m) long.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The owner\u2019s cabin is amidships with its ensuite arranged along the aft bulkhead<\/p><\/div>\n

Smart glass in the hull windows provides privacy to the cabins when moored alongside other boats without shutting out the daylight, while the removeable blackout panels for the master cabin\u2019s side windows are another nice touch, being neater and more effective than curtains or blinds. They can be stowed in the hanging locker, and take up no space at all. The crew arrangements were a particular requirement of this owner: a total of four berths in cabins forward and aft, accessed via the cockpit sole and the foredeck.<\/p>\n

When all is said and done, of course, there will only be one question on everybody\u2019s lips as they watch you bring this rumbling behemoth alongside: what will it do? There is no denying the sheer horsepower involved, but it\u2019s surface drives that are crucial to the 90\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The owner’s en suite<\/p><\/div>\n

While Buzzi designed the original 80 with four engines coupled to two Trimax drives, the lengthened 90 makes do with two huge Arnesons and two 16-cylinder MTUs, totalling 4,800hp. The machinery space is somewhat constrained by the big tender garage overhead, which can take a 14ft (4.35m) RIB, but it is well organised and neatly engineered, and not as inaccessible as you might expect. You should have seen the engineroom on Record!<\/p>\n

\"\"

The VIP suite in the bow is almost as spacious as the owner\u2019s suite<\/p><\/div>\n

A hull deadrise of 28 degrees amidships, reducing to 20.5 degrees at the stern, is pretty deep for a boat of this size, and again reflects the marque\u2019s offshore racing heritage. Attempting to obtain accurate fuel measurements on any surface drive boat is always a slightly comical process, as even the slightest adjustment to drive trim can make an enormous difference to speed and consumption.<\/p>\n

But in the capable hands of the man who knows her best, her captain, we arrived at a set of numbers for the 90 that gives a reasonable reflection of its capabilities as a fast cruising boat, not the least of which was its impressive 43-knot top speed. Cruising at 35 knots is a perfectly realistic prospect.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A pantry rather than a galley or a fourth cabin was this owner\u2019s choice<\/p><\/div>\n

Handling was exemplary, and the boat proved pleasingly responsive to helm and throttle inputs \u2013 and to drive trim, of course \u2013 with just the right angle of heel and a gratifyingly tight turning circle.<\/p>\n

The breeze had raised a light chop of two or three feet in the Baie de Cannes, and while we couldn\u2019t claim to be unaware of it \u2013 hitting anything at 40 knots is bound to make a bit of a bang \u2013 the hull remained sublimely untroubled as it charged over the top of it all. As did we.<\/p>\n

It was a fun ride, aboard a genuine party boat. The only thing we didn\u2019t try out was that sound system. The captain assured me they never crank up the volume unless they are literally the only boat in the anchorage. It really is that loud.<\/p>\n

\"\"

4,800hp of German muscle in 90ft of sleek Italian styling is a pretty potent combination<\/p><\/div>\n

Otam 90GTS specifications<\/h2>\n

Length overall:<\/strong> 91ft 0in (27.75m)
\nBeam:<\/strong> 19ft 7in (6.00m)
\nDraft:<\/strong> 5ft 10in (1.80m)
\nDisplacement (light):<\/strong> 65 tonnes
\nEngines:<\/strong> 2 x 2,400hp MTU 16V 2000 M96
\nFuel Capacity:<\/strong> 1,760 gal (8,000 lt)
\nWater capacity:<\/strong> 264 gal (1,200 lt)
\nMaximum speed:<\/strong> 43.4 knots
\nCruising speed:<\/strong> 38 knots
\nRCD:<\/strong> CE certification: B for 16 people
\nPrice from:<\/strong> \u20ac9 million ex VAT
\nContact:<\/strong> otam.it<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/h2>\n
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Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht<\/a> world and at the luxury end of the market.<\/p>\n

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers<\/a> and save at least 30% off the cover price.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Way back in the beginning was the Record!, an 80-foot, grey-and-yellow monohull designed by Fabio Buzzi and packing 6,000hp, built for the express purpose of making a splash. True to its name, in one hectic season more than 20 years ago it set three new long-distance powerboat records \u2013 around Italy, from Monte Carlo to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":418,"featured_media":134397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1620,1593],"review_manufacturer":[],"review_category":[48],"review_type":[],"review_award":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/134391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134391"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/134391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134414,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/134391\/revisions\/134414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134391"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=134391"},{"taxonomy":"review_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_category?post=134391"},{"taxonomy":"review_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_type?post=134391"},{"taxonomy":"review_award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_award?post=134391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}