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Properly designed galleys—and the dry and cold stores that
support them—are also high-priority items on any charter yacht. Christensen’s
standard outfitting for galleys in the Custom Series boats is impressive in
terms of fit, finish and quality of equipment. Yet, although the arrangement is
more than adequate for normal yacht use, it leaves a bit to be desired for the
nearly round-the-clock, heavy-duty service required for meal preparation for
charter customers. For this type of work, it is best to commission specialized
galley designers to specify equipment and its placement, and to specify work
surfaces that are constructed of materials that are more durable in a commercial
environment or that help prevent damage to crystal and china when items are
bussed to the galley for washing. That said, the boats have as standard
equipment plenty of dry stowage just forward of the galley, adequate walk-in
cool rooms and freezers on the deck below, and a large refrigerator and freezer
in the galley itself, along with wine coolers and other useful appliances.Exterior spaces on Custom Series boats are numerous and
generous, providing guests with a choice of covered and open lounges and dining
options. In addition, the boats are equipped with an elevator that services all
decks. For Marathon’s owners, this feature was particularly
appealing. "We’ve done a lot of charity work for physically challenged and
terminally ill children and their families and relatives," he explained. "We let
them use our motor yachts and take them on Sunday cruises. Savoy has been
used in this way, and we intend the use Marathon the same way. The
elevator allows physically challenged people to [circulate among] the decks. "Also, when the boat gets to Florida, we are planning to put an
extension on her to assist physically challenged people to get in and out of the
water. These were all considerations that would help us to do this kind of
work." Despite the checklist that usually guides the overall
purchasing decision, one of the principal factors for potential buyers is
delivery time, and the idea of obtaining a nearly finished semi-custom boat
versus beginning a one-off project becomes more and more attractive as the
amount of time until launch of the semi-custom boat decreases. When asked
whether delivery was a factor in his decision to buy Marathon, the owner
quickly answered: "Absolutely. I wasn’t going to live through a two-year
project. We came in when the project was about seventy percent done. "A lot of guys will put a guy on the project, and they stick
their nose in there and end up screwing everything up. My instructions to my
project manager were to get out of their way, which, I think, was the right
thing to do, and he followed those instructions to a T. Essentially, his job was
to keep me posted to see that we were on calendar. The yard was very
cooperative." Chuck Singleton, Christensen’s in-house project manager,
confirmed that in addition to the close collaboration that existed between the
owner’s wife and the interior designers—Carol Williamson and her project
coordinator, Kate Graziano—Marathon was built almost entirely as
originally specified by the yard, and that the handful of changes that were
requested were all included before the contract was signed. Some of the items
include an extra set of shore-power receptacles on the foredeck, a pocket in the
swim platform that accommodates a stern anchor and its rode, and an extension
for the crane that increases the reach of the boom, allowing it to access items
on the quay. The owner said that the extension has another purpose that relates
to the modification he plans to make to the swimming platform. "The [platform] extension will also assist in the recovery of
divers. It will increase the length of the boat. With the crane extension, we’ll
be able to remove the [upper surface] and use it as a pallet for cargo. The
apparatus that raises and lowers it will remain permanently installed and will
fold underneath." The owner said that from Mexico, Marathon made her way through the
Panama Canal to begin a season in the Caribbean. "We plan to bring
Marathon to the Miami boat show, then we plan to go down island and over
to Europe. We hope to get an early start in the Mediterranean, and we’re looking
forward to spending time on her."
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