Mikelson Maverick, a nice boat made by nice people

Based in San Diego, California, Mikelson Yachts has been building semi-custom sportfishing boats for over forty years. Known for ride, performance, and range, the boats are well suited for their home waters on the Pacific Coast where the fish are not always close to shore. Packed with accommodations, these boats provide more than just a way to get out for a day with your buddies to haul in some local tuna. Comfortable onboard living spaces are ideal for expeditions down into Mexico, Costa Rica, and beyond. Discerning East Coast boaters have also discovered Mikelson and found the boats equally capable when fishing in the Atlantic. In addition to their fishability, they are also idea for excursions up and down the eastern seaboard, and even trips into the Caribbean. 

The newest Mikelson, the 45’ Maverick, focuses on cruisability first in a comfortable sedan format. The large cockpit, baitwell, and rod holders won’t hold anyone back from fishing, but the new Maverick has both the look and feel of the stylish cruiser that is her essence.

Exceptional Hull Design

I have known Mikelson founders Dick Peterson and Pat Sullivan for many years and have a lot of respect for their boats and the team they have built. Mikelson is not a megabrand but has a cult like following in certain circles. The late, great Tom Fexas designed boats for Mikelson Yachts, which are known for their stability and ride. I worked with Tom when we were both at Power & Motoryacht magazine where he wrote the infamous and sarcastic Spectator column. Interestingly enough, he designed the hull for the Mikelson 43 during that tenure. He would personally own hull #2 and I suspect he put a little extra time into that design which would prove to be their most popular model with over 100 Mikelson 43s delivered. That same hull, which I’ve always felt is one of Mikelson’s best, is essentially what is now on the new Maverick.

Good People

Aside from building good boats, the secret sauce that has kept Mikelson Yachts going is good people including family members. Most of the same guys that were at Mikelson 20 plus years ago are still there, Nick and Michael, along with Pat and Dick and their wives Debbie and Jill, and now Pat’s sons PJ and Sam who are taking things to the next level. In fact, the Maverick concept came from Sam who realized that their boats were ideal for cruising and pushed to create a model that wasn’t so fishing focused. 

Mikelson’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable team is part of what keeps customers coming back and part of what makes the brand special. When I found out that Mikelson had a new model, the Maverick 45, I immediately called Pat and told him I wanted to test the boat. This was partly because I thought it would be interesting for you (our readers), but also because I really like the guys at Mikelson, want to be involved in what they are doing, and knew the exposure would help them.

Not All About Fishing

Stepping aboard the Maverick at the end of the Newport Beach International Boat Show (NBIBS), I was excited to see what their new cruiser was all about and grateful that I would be the first marine journalist to be able to test the boat. The teak clad cockpit of the Maverick is similarly sized to her flybridge equipped sister, the Mikelson 45, conveniently tied up beside her, but the Maverick quickly demonstrated why she is a cruiser at heart with an open floor plan. 

Just in front of the windowed transom baitwell is a retractable table. PJ Sullivan, son of Mikelson founder Pat who was showing me the boat, touched the button and the teak decking rises up to reveal a sizeable cockpit table ideal for social activities like cocktail parties, snacks, or dining with loose chairs. Once raised, the top flips to make the table even bigger, although the design of the top was still being finalized to add stability. The Maverick is made for fun, so a side compartment in the cockpit hosts a built-in air compressor ideal for inflating stand-up paddle boards or other water toys. Another compartment slides out to reveal built in dog dishes, a feature I have never seen before, and as a dog owner I really like!

A wing station inside a door to starboard along the sidedeck steps slides out for easy docking/backing. Engine hatches rise up from the cockpit floor for access to the twin Cummins diesels, generator, and other systems. An aft hatch has room to store fenders, lines, and more. There are fresh and raw water spigots for cleaning the cockpit, and for rinse-offs, a heated rain shower is built into the overhang near the cabin entrance. Stainless and glass doors to the salon can be sealed to allow the inside to be climate controlled, but in the sunny California breeze they were folded wide open fully connecting the cockpit to the cabin which really makes the layout flow.

Indoor/Outdoor Living

The fully equipped galley inside features a two-burner Kenyon induction cooktop, a Sharp microwave/convection oven, Vitrifrigo refrigerator, and an icemaker. The galley is central to both the cockpit and the inside lounge seating surrounding a varnished table with a decorative inlay. Mikelson maximizes useable space, like having drawers in the steps below the adjustable height table. The entire interior is clad in high-gloss cherry with burl accents, matte finish, and teak or walnut are alternatives. There are a lot of other thoughtful touches like an installed vacuum system that is conveniently available along the galley floor and easy corner storage access in the galley. Where the quartz counter abuts the helm, a lift system raises a section up providing additional storage that streamlines access to the corner of the cabinet below. With the overhead sunroof bringing in sunlight and the accordion doors folded wide, the entire salon/galley area joins seamlessly with the cockpit creating comfortable, open, and airy living space.

Three Cabins, Two Heads

Before we head out for our test runs, I take a few steps down to check out the cabins. There is a head to port which can be used as a day head with a unique shower layout. Bifold smoked acrylic privacy doors surround a built-in rain shower in the ceiling. The shower compartment can be accessed either through the aft head or from the forward ensuite head coupled to the owner’s stateroom. This double shower access is clever and should work for most families, but I’d like to see some reconfiguring of the doors to improve privacy, especially when two couples are cruising together. To me it would be better to have an additional door aft of the shower compartment that would keep this area normally in the master head. This could then be opened up to the aft head when needed and the forward head side sealed off. The guys at Mikelson seemed open to looking at options to modify this access.

The master cabin features a queen island berth with reading lights, a hanging locker, drawer and cabinet storage, an opening overhead hatch above the foot of the bed, and the aforementioned ensuite head with shower. There is also a VIP cabin with a full-size double bed beneath a skylight that hadn’t been frosted yet since the boat was so new. This cabin has headroom that stretches up to 6’10” and is light and airy. There is a hanging locker and an access door that leads to a large utility/storage area beneath the main salon. On this first boat, it was equipped with an extra fridge but could also have a freezer, dive compressor, wine cellar, or more. There is also a third twin bunk cabin so there are three sizeable cabins with sleeping for six and two heads, eight if you made up the salon table as a bed.

The Fun Part, Running The Boat

As the docks in the show separated to allow us to leave, we fire up the engines and follow the Mikelson 45 Flybridge out into Newport Harbor. I settle into one of the twin helm seats that lie before a contoured helm pod under the large opening sunroof. There is good access to the wheel and controls as well as the twin MFDs. The mullions on each side of the window are larger than I typically like but with the helm on the port side the large twin paneled windshield combined with signature drop paneled side windows provide good visibility even to starboard where you owe right away to other crossing boats. We make our way out of the harbor and run alongside the other Mikelson for a while taking some photos as we go. The boats run evenly side by side with only a slight bow rise. 

There is a light chop and around ten knots of wind as we peel away from the flybridge boat to complete our performance testing. Starting at idle, we work through the rpm ranges recording speeds, trim, sound levels, and fuel consumption as we go. The twin Cummins QSB 6.7L 550 horsepower push us up onto plane between 10 and 15 knots. There isn’t much of a hump to get over, the boat just slightly levels and continues to accelerate smoothly. At 2400 rpm we are cruising at 18.5 knots and using 28.6 gallons per hour (gph) which gives us a calculated range with a 10% reserve of 349 nautical miles. This is enough to get from San Diego to Turtle Bay, a common refueling stop in Baja California, Mexico, on the way down to Cabo San Lucas. At a faster clip of 21.7 knots we still maintain a range of 316 nautical miles which is pretty impressive. Mikelson also offers optional expedition tanks that can hold an additional 200 gallons/757 L of fuel which would increase range for longer passages without the need for bladder tanks. Our peak speed topped out at 28.1 knots/32.3 mph, quick for an inboard powered boat of this size and stature. For those that want more speed, an outboard option is in the works that will feature either 3X Mercury V12 Verado 600s or 4X Mercury V10 400s. I personally like diesels but am certainly interested to see how this proven Fexas hull will perform using modern outboards.

There really wasn’t much in the way of waves to test seakeeping, so I pushed her hard over and made circles of around three to four boat lengths before slicing through our own wake. The Mikelson Maverick leaned gently to 5° or less as I ran the maneuvers at 22.5 knots. It was fun carving turns as the boat remained mannerly no matter what I did thanks to the proven Fexas hullform. As I zigzagged around at high speed, I suddenly see a whale spout not too far off to port so I throttle back and the Maverick eases effortlessly to a stop. I think it was a gray whale which seemed to be traveling solo but it dove before we could get a photo.

It was fun playing around on the new Maverick off the sunny California coast, and I wished I had taken PJ up on his offer to take me to San Diego that afternoon, but I had other obligations. As we cruised carefully past where the whale had been and then throttled up to head back in, I pondered about how much I really like what Mikelson has done with this new Maverick model. They incorporated enough of their fishing heritage to make the boat fishable while doing a great job delivering a smooth running, well laid out, and stylish cruiser. The sedan layout makes things easier and provides access to more places including the Great Loop. Being on the boat brought a smile to my face, I just felt comfortable hanging out and driving her with PJ. To me the people are part of what makes Mikelson so special. They build some nice boats, and they have a core group of really friendly people that are fun to hang around with. 

Good boats and good people, what more can you ask for?

Mikelson Maverick

Length Overall: 46′ 6″ / 14.17 m 
Beam: 15′ 10″ / 4.83m 
Draft: 3′ 3″ / .99m 
Fuel: 600 USG / 2,271 L 
Fuel (Optional Expedition Tank): 200 USG / 757 L (makes total capacity 800 USG / 3028 L) 
Fresh water: 200 USG / 757 L 
Holding tank: 60 USG / 227 L 
Air Draft (w/radar): 13′ / 3.96 m 
Displacement (loaded): 34,600lbs / 15,694kg 
Genset Standard: 9kW Onan 
Genset Optional: 11.5kW Onan 
Standard Power: 2X Cummins QSB 6.7L 550HP (Shaft Drive)
Optional Outboard Power: 3X Mercury Verado 600HP or 4X Mercury 400HP

Test Boat as Equipped: $1,635,000

Best4Boats.com Performance Snapshot

Mikelson Maverick 2X Cummins QSB 6.7L 550HP Turbo Diesel

Arnie Hammerman Publisher

Boats and the ocean define my life. From teaching sailing to captaining yachts, marine publishing, and marketing, I’ve spent decades sharing seafaring tales. At Best4Boats, adventure awaits—welcome aboard!

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