Magnum 50 design exceeds expectations with a combination of style and function.
For the design of the Magnum 50, Katrin turned to Paolo Martin, an Italian designer who, like Pininfarina, had made his mark designing fast cars.
Martin started with an open mind and a blank sheet of paper. “I had to work with the existing hull shapes and respect the Magnum philosophy of the open performance yacht,” he says. I wanted to create a strong, simple yet aggressive boat, a style that would enhance the power of the boat which, for its time, was remarkable.” Martin succeeded beyond expectations. The 50’ that emerged to rapturous acceptance was a muscular-looking yacht with air intakes beneath the windshield that looked like flared nostrils. Its exhausts, instead of coming out at the waterline, were like curved fins on the top of the transom, flowing with the lines of the hull. The cockpit had a stand-up bolster helm and throttle seat, but with a deep lounge behind it, and the helm station was like a functional version of a jet fighter, with lines of gauges and monitors across the console. The stylish Olcese Ricci steering wheel had an outer rim that rotated, with finger controls for the Arneson drives set into the wheel. That one detail demonstrated Magnum’s ability to combine style and function. When the boat was completed, Katrin thought color: why not all silver? No other production boat had ever been painted all silver metallic before. Sprayed with Imron paint and hand buffed, the boat looked like a speeding bullet even before the launch. The color started a trend, copied by many other yards.