MJM Yachts, a builder of 35- to 53-foot Downeast express cruisers, announced it will enter the dayboat market with a new design called the 3z. The 38-footer is based loosely on the dual console concept and is powered by twin 300-hp outboards. Naval architect Doug Zurn, who has designed every model in the company’s lineup, drew the 3z.
“A lot of MJM owners use their boat as a dayboat,” MJM Yachts CEO Peter Truslow said during a video announcement that included MJM Yachts owner and chairman Peter Johnstone and yacht designer Doug Zurn. “The 3z is exclusively designed for day trips,” Truslow added. MJM sees the 3z as a complement to its existing line of boats, which were designed for cruising and overnighting. Truslow mentioned he could see a 53z owner also buying a 3z.
With Zurn behind the pencil, so to say, it’s not surprising that the 3z looks like an MJM. The 3z’s hull will have a deeper V than its double-digit sisterships and an open transom. The design also is proportionally narrower with a wider cabinhouse that pushes the triple-panel windscreens out to the gunwales.
The 3z will feature twin 300-hp Mercury Verados with joystick piloting and Skyhook. A Seakeeper 3 gyrostabilizer is optional. According to Zurn, the 3z will have a top speed of around 43 knots.
The layout includes three distinct seating areas: an enclosed pilothouse with 360-degree views and optional air conditioning; an aft cockpit with transformable day bed; and a forward bow lounge with teak table. The 3z will have a large head and shower compartment in the port console and a stowage compartment situated in the starboard console. An electric grill, refrigerator, icemaker and sink are also on the options list.
Zurn said the boat will have a new dash layout with a glass cockpit that uses more touchscreen features. The 3z can be completely opened up to the weather by opening the three large front windshields and sliding side windows or be completely buttoned up for foul weather with a rolldown closing the rear of the pilothouse.
The 3z will be built alongside MJM’s 35z at its factory in Washington, North Carolina. According to Truslow, the tooling is complete, and the first hull will hit the water in time for the traditional fall boats shows, although some shows have already been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For more details about the 3z, go to MJM’s website.
