Maiora 36 Exuma and AB130: Why Shallow-Draft Speed Matters in the Med

Mediterranean charter is often sold through beauty.

That is understandable. The water does most of the marketing. Sardinia, Corsica, Capri, Ibiza, Formentera, the Cote d'Azur, the Greek islands: from a distance, the whole season looks like a sequence of perfect anchorages.

On the water, the truth is more technical.

Draft matters. Speed matters. Manoeuvrability matters. Stabilisation matters. Tender operations matter. A yacht that looks perfect in port may be less useful than a smaller, faster, smarter boat once the day begins.

This is why Next Yacht Group's latest double launch is worth reading beyond the press release.

The group has launched the second Maiora 36 Exuma and a new AB130, with both units scheduled for delivery to their owners during summer 2026. The Maiora 36 Exuma is 36.90 metres with a 1.45-metre draft, a 33-knot top speed, accommodation for up to 12 guests in 5 cabins and crew space for 5. The AB130 is 39.65 metres with a 1.30-metre draft, three MTU engines, MJP waterjets and a reported 41-knot top speed.

These are not just numbers.

They describe a specific Mediterranean philosophy.

Shallow draft is freedom

A yacht's draft is not the first thing most guests ask about.

It should be closer to the top of the list.

In many Mediterranean cruising grounds, the difference between 1.30 metres and a deeper hull can change the way the day feels. It can influence access to bays, comfort near shallow water, tender distances, anchoring options and the captain's ability to place the yacht where the experience actually happens.

The Maiora 36 Exuma's 1.45-metre draft and the AB130's 1.30-metre draft are therefore not minor specifications. They are part of the guest experience.

The best yacht is not always the one with the largest interior volume.

Sometimes it is the one that can get closer without making the day feel forced.

Speed must serve the itinerary

Fast yachts can be vulgar if speed is treated as theatre.

A 41-knot AB130 does not matter because guests need to race around the Mediterranean. It matters because speed, handled properly, creates options.

Leave earlier, arrive before the crowd, change anchorage when the wind shifts, make a lunch booking without sacrificing a swim, connect islands that would otherwise feel awkward, return in time for dinner without rushing the guest through the best part of the day.

That is where speed becomes taste.

The AB130's waterjet propulsion and 41-knot performance put it into a category built for movement; the Maiora 36 Exuma, slower but still quick at 33 knots, offers a more open, flexible cruising logic.

Both answer the same question in different ways: how do you make the Mediterranean feel less congested?

Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearics

These yachts make particular sense in places where the day is won or lost by water placement.

In Sardinia, a shallow-draft fast yacht can improve days around Costa Smeralda, La Maddalena, Tavolara and Corsica, provided local rules and protected zones are respected. In the Balearics, speed and access matter between Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca and Menorca, especially when guest expectations collide with anchoring restrictions and summer traffic. In Corsica, the combination of distance, wind and protected areas rewards captains with flexible platforms.

Capri and the Amalfi Coast are different.

There, speed can help, but excess can become awkward. A 40-metre fast yacht must still be used with restraint because the coastline is compressed, the ports are busy and the best moments may happen from a tender or a smaller support boat.

The yacht must adapt to the place, not the other way around.

Who this category is for

This is not the choice for someone who wants maximum palace volume.

It is for owners and charter guests who value movement, water access and a more active day. Families who want serious comfort without moving into an oversized yacht. Groups who want to cover ground. Repeat Mediterranean clients who know that being able to change plan is more valuable than having one more formal lounge.

The Maiora 36 Exuma and AB130 also sit in a useful charter psychology: large enough to feel proper, not so large that the yacht becomes the whole destination.

That balance matters.

A yacht should not make the coast irrelevant.

The captain becomes even more important

Fast shallow-draft yachts are powerful tools.

Tools require judgement.

A yacht with waterjets and speed can make a brilliant day better. It can also make a poor itinerary worse if the captain is pressured into doing too much. The best use of this category is not to fill the day with distance. It is to keep distance available.

That is a different mindset.

A good captain will use speed selectively, anchor respectfully, manage comfort, watch weather and protect the rhythm of the day. A bad programme will turn the same yacht into a checklist machine.

The boat gives possibility. The captain gives taste.

Yacht.it view

The Maiora 36 Exuma and AB130 matter because they point toward a smarter version of Mediterranean yachting.

Not simply bigger. Not simply faster. More useful.

Shallow draft, speed, water access and flexible deck life are not technical luxuries. They are practical answers to how the Mediterranean now works: crowded, regulated, weather-sensitive, and still capable of giving extraordinary days to those who plan properly.

The right yacht is not the one that wins the marina.

It is the one that makes the water usable.