Fountaine Pajot MY5

The Fountaine Pajot MY5 presents a masterclass in liveability

Familiarity makes tasks simpler — organised  workshops are more productive, and supermarkets with the same layout make return visits easy and recognisable. Fountaine Pajot have taken this and created something familiar, placing it on a modest 40-foot print. It's an apartment with a modern free-flowing layout enabling a smooth and trouble-free transition to time on the water.

Responsive, peppy, and with the ability to pirouette on a dime, the MY5, formerly known as the MY40, is an agile, light-on-its-feet dance partner. It effortlessly offers open-air seaside benefits with an ever-changing neighbourhood and is all about the location without the body corporate fees that come with apartment ownership. 

ONBOARD EXPLORING

The onboard aspects are impressive, with each of the three levels maximising the view —the owner cabin has a large window framing your toes whilst in bed; the raised saloon maximises the water's sightlines; and the flybridge is a multizone extravaganza with a helm unrestricted by moulded combings. 

The MY5 offers an immersive experience with a breezy connected environment, but when you want to close up and cool down in comfort, this seaside retreat has you covered.

Small touches enhance the onboard experience, and these are noticeable from the moment you step aboard. 

The continuous level swim platform adds another dimension to life on the water. A push of a button on either the wireless remote or physical switch lowers a platform low enough to effortlessly launch and retrieve a tender and works equally well as a beach or diving platform. 

The two entrances to the cockpit lack symmetry. To port, a proper wide entry allows for loading bags and provisions. To starboard there is more subtle and narrow access right next to the swim ladder and the shower — you can also pass straight up to the foredeck without wetting the cockpit. This slimmer entrance helps maximise the seating in the cockpit, allowing an expansive L-shaped lounge. 

This pleasant open cockpit can have a removable table for dining if desired, and the standard layout encourages an unfettered interactive connection with the galley and saloon. The modern textured fabric covering the seating uses a simple and effective technique to attach the cushions — to stop them from flying away, they have done away with the hard to manage snap buttons and instead use a simple fabric tether looping around the steel railing and easily securing with velcro back onto the cushions. It makes installing and removing much less of a task.

Curved stairs minimise the main deck space's impact and lead to the open flybridge, a surprisingly big area of approximately 17 square metres on the upper level. On the review MY5, the dining is on the upper deck, with the optional dining table installed in place of the standard coffee table. Fresh air and cross breeze pass by diners at the C-shaped lounge that surrounds it. 

Whatever the occasion, the optioned hardtop protection and the optional clears make this an all-weather spot. Subtle pop-up lighting allows for quiet evenings without the stadium effect of overhead lights.

The amenities centre keeps you up top and in the moment. Perfect for drinks preparation and snacks, this one has the optional drinks fridge below the sink, and there's still room for an optional icemaker and barbeque grill for complete independence. 

Back on the starboard side, the lounge's forward end shows the age we live in, with charging options and cutouts for phones to stay in place underway accessible from the helm.

Replacing the standard single helm chair with the double helm lounge option is perfect for a cruising companion to enjoy the journey. If you're bringing the tribe and everyone wants a front seat, the adaptable forward portion of the sunlounger lifts from flat to create seatbacks for additional forward-facing seating.

CONTROLLING THE VESSEL

The helm is probably one of the most reassuringly placed helms on a flybridge. It has the best vision I have seen in a long time, as the lack of moulded combing surrounding the flybridge opens up the view through the spray dodger. Seated, you can see all corners, including the aft corner on the opposite side, thanks to the sightline through the flybridge entrance. Having this vision is a real bonus for the helmsperson — you don't need to rely on the judgement of another.

To further enhance the simplicity of operation and enjoyment, the process of manouevring lies in a simple point-and-go joystick thanks to the Volvo IPS drives. 

Powering the MY5 today is a pair of upgraded Volvo IPS 500 engines producing 370hp each. The extra pep from the upgrades gives a fast response from standstill to planing and enables a top speed of 23 knots. The steering feels light and nimble, combined with the Garmin electronics integration. Systems operation, observations, and navigation are intuitive.

Anchoring can be remotely performed from the flybridge, the lower helm, or at the source on the foredeck. 

Access to the foredeck is via the vast, well-gripped walkways. The width of these side decks would have you thinking that saloon volume could be compromised, but the 6m beam allows for generosity inside and out. 

Solid railings lead all the way forward and wrap around the bows for safe anchoring. A spacious and usable foredeck seating arrangement opens up this space for casual seating for at least eight people. Built-in drink holders positioned perfectly for lounging thanks to the tiltable backrests. A large hatch opens the footwell floor to reveal a substantial storage locker for full-size fenders and more.

A flybridge deck provides full protection for the cockpit. Large engine hatches provide convenient and safe access to each engine room, and the larger port hatch houses the generator. The central hatch accommodates the liferaft, and just forward of that below the teak grate is the filling points, centrally located for easy filling no matter which side you tie-up. 

HEADING INSIDE

The C-shaped galley connects thanks to the wide-opening doors fluidly to both the cockpit and saloon. There’s a decent amount of workable galley bench space for cooking and entertaining. Optioned with an oven and twin gas hobs, you can also choose an induction cooktop and a convection oven. Bench space and storage give this three-bedroom apartment a very solid amount of liveability. The galley's forward end conceals the 40in TV that slides out on an electric actuator. 

Views surround the saloon, which is flooded with natural light. Fresh air flows in through the opening portlights on each side. A small step up to the saloon and helm enhances the viewing and connectedness with the environment. A button's push raises the coffee table, and a simple transformation provides dining for four or five.

The lower helm in the saloon's forward area has all the same equipment found on the flybridge, perfect for long distances and inclement weather. 

This all-weather helm has excellent vision and everything you need to ply long distances in comfort and keep yourself part of the main deck conversation.

The MY5 has three cabins. Dedicated to the owner is almost the entire port side. Stepping down into the foyer, you'll appreciate the convenient access to the electrical panel just outside your cabin door as well as the optioned washing machine. Two simple but handy items to have on hand when you shut the boat down at night and get the systems going again in the morning. 

Above the washing machine is storage that works well as a linen cupboard, and the area is well-lit thanks to the impressive hull window.

Forward into the owner's cabin, there are many striking elements. The first is the picture window that frames the calming view of the water. What's even better is that the substantial king-sized island bed faces this window, and that the view is available from the bed. 

Modern conveniences for charging and bedside storage cater to longer stays onboard. A decent vanity with good storage works equally well as a work station for the laptop. More extended stays onboard are further enhanced with plenty of hanging locker space before you enter the bathroom forward. 

The master bedroom has a masterful bathroom. The long bench with loads of storage complements an equally long wetside on the outboard side, and a shower that is so spacious you can stride into it. The cherry on top is an entirely separate toilet cubicle forward.

All cabins have the same impressive two metres of headroom. On the starboard side, the guest accommodations share a bathroom that separates the cabins fore and aft. The aft cabin has a spacious queen-sized berth, large hull windows with an opening portlight, plus excellent storage for guests or kids.

The forward cabin has a double berth with two opening overhead hatches and another remarkable hull window completing an excellent package for sharing with friends or escaping with family. 

Fountaine Pajot has done an exceptional job putting this much liveability onto a 40-foot platform. If you're looking for a change of perspective in an easy to manage format, this is a great boat for a range of ambitions and experience levels. 

FACTS & FIGURES

PRICED FROM

€543,360 EUR ($847,040 AUD)

OPTIONS TESTED

Upgraded Volvo IPS 500 (600 optional), 8kW generator,  air conditioning, watermaker, bimini hardtop, 3kW inverter, hydraulic swim platform, freshwater flush toilets, dishwasher, exterior hull colour

PRICE AS TESTED 

€859,980 EUR ($1.785m AUD) Plus logistics costs that can be obtained from dealer

Note: Factory pick-up is optional

GENERAL

Length overall 13.98m (45ft, 8in)

Beam 6m (19ft 8in)

Draft 1.1m (3ft 7in)

Displacement 14 tonnes light, 22 tonnes full load

CAPACITIES

Fuel 1400L

Water 450L

ENGINE

Engine (standard) Volvo IPS 300hp, Volvo IPS 440hp optional

Architects

Daniel Andrieu

INTERIOR DESIGN

Pierangeli Andreani Studio

MANUFACTURED BY

Fountaine Pajot - France

SUPPLIED BY

Multihull Solutions

33–45 Parkyn Parade,

Mooloolaba, Qld 4557

Ph: 07 5452 5164

E: info@multihullsolutions.com.au

W: multihullsolutions.com.au