Matthews Boat Company 56 Voyager 1973

1973 Matthews Boat Company 56 Voyager MY ALIBI for Sale – Classic Comfort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Timeless Design and Spacious Living
The 1973 Matthews Boat Company 56 Voyager, available through Gilman Yachts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a stunning representation of classic yacht craftsmanship. This 56-foot motor yacht features a spacious layout designed for both cruising and entertaining. With its elegant lines and well-appointed interior, MY ALIBI provides a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for family and friends to enjoy time on the water. Accommodations and Social Spaces
The Matthews 56 Voyager boasts three cabins. The master suite features a double bed, while the additional cabins offer single beds, making it ideal for families or groups. The generous salon area is perfect for socializing, with large windows providing plenty of natural light and beautiful views of the surroundings. The well-equipped galley ensures that meal preparation is a breeze, whether for a casual lunch or an elegant dinner. Performance and Reliability
Powered by twin Mack E-7M-002 inboard engines, this yacht delivers a cruising speed of 19 knots and a top speed of 21 knots, making it suitable for both leisurely cruises and more adventurous outings. With a draft of 5 feet, MY ALIBI  is capable of navigating a variety of waterways, ensuring you can explore hidden coves and popular destinations alike.
WALKTHROUGH

Boarding MY ALIBI is via port or starboard railbreaks and into the Pilothouse via hinged port or starboard wing doors.

The Pilothouse has a five panel windshield, centered helm, a teak and holy sole and highly varnished bulkheads. A clever helm bench with divided storage cuddies within offer ample storage.

Next aft behind a hinged door is the eat in galley with a U-shaped booth dinette to starboard and a fully updated galley to port.

Going aft through a pocket door is the Salon with an antique desk, three cushion sofa, two occasional chairs and a built-in wall unit forward. Aft to port are stairs to the Master cabin.

Furthest aft is the aft deck with a three cushion sofa, hi-lo table, two teak chairs and a storage cabinet. The Aft Deck has a new 3-sided enclosure, port and starboard boarding door and a sliding door to the Salon. 

The Master cabin is huge. A queen size berth on centerline is aft with built-in chests of drawers and nightstands port and starboard. A bank of six louvered teak doors is to starboard and forward.

The head with a large shower, raised vanity and VacuFlush toilet is forward to port.

Additional cabins as well as the engine room are reached from stairs in the Pilothouse. 

To port is a twin lower berth cabin, to starboard a head with a stall shower and forward is an upper and lower bunk cabin suitable for crew or guests.

PILOTHOUSE

Accessed via port and starboard hinged doors, this area is very well laid out to make the best use of space.

The centerline helm has the following equipment:

• Varnished ship’s wheel
• Garmin 5212 GPS Map touchscreen MFD plotter, AIS, SAT Weather
• Furuno TZT-14” multi-function display
• Autohelm ST-7000 autopilot
• Interphase forward looking sonar
• Full VDO engine instrumentation
• (4) VDO fuel gauge
• VDO holding tank gauge
• Raritan rudder angle indicator
• Morse engine controls
• Glendinning synchronizer
• SidePower bow thruster with joystick control
• Imtra remote windlass control
• Key start switches
• Push button stop switches
• (3) windshield wipers/washer
• Rule high water alarm
• ACR joystick search light control
• Naiad stabilizer control
• 12” camera monitor (4) CCTV cameras
• 8” Ritchie magnetic compass in binnacle
• (2) Icom M424 VHF’s with DSC
• Digital A/C controls
• Trim tab controls
• Heuer stop watch/clock/timer
• Fireboy engine override engine shutdown switch
• Fireboy manual fire system pull handle
• Chart light above chart flat
• Seth Thomas clock
• (2) red/white LED overhead lights
• (2) LED overhead lights
• Pilothouse electrical panel

This area also has a varnished teak and holly sole with a carpet runner over and a helm bench aft with handy storage cuddies. The overhead is vinyl and the surfaces are varnished for a very nautical look.

Next aft is the Galley via a hinged varnished door.

GALLEY

A very special feature of MY ALIBI is her updated Galley, not modern but classically updated in 2014.

The highly varnished teak and holly sole continues aft from the Pilothouse. To port is a U-shaped dinette with a varnished table and house side windows covered with wood blinds. 

The updated galley features full size stainless steel appliances and an attractive blue and gold rope trimmed cabinetry with varnished butcher block countertops.

Features include:

• LG stainless steel refrigerator with water and ice through the door and a lower freezer drawer.
• LG five burner glass top cooktop and full size oven
• LG stainless steel microwave with work light and fan
• Kraus farmhouse style stainless steel sink
• Stainless steel faucet with removable spray handle
• Stainless steel checkerboard style backsplash
• Full size stainless steel LG dishwasher
• (6) Blue and gold trimmed drawers
• (6) Blue and gold trimmed cabinet doors
• 4 additional cabinet doors
• Vinyl overhead with 3 LED light fixtures
• Digital A/C controls

SALON

Continuing aft from the Galley is the full beam Salon separated by a pocket door. This area is carpeted and has large side and aft windows to offer plenty of light. The side windows are covered with wood blinds.

Immediately upon entering the Salon to starboard is an antique four drawer desk with folding desktop and a chair. Next aft is an upholstered three cushion sofa with accent pillows and a small coffee table. Furthest aft is a four drawer antique chest with a table lamp above.

To port starting forward is a built-in open shelf and cabinet unit ideally arranged to the yacht’s design. Cool air is delivered via vents either side of the 24” Samsung TV. Open shelves are below the TV with four drawers and four louvered cabinet doors below. Next aft are two upholstered chairs - the forward one with a matching ottoman. Outboard of the aft chair are stairs to below. Aft is a sliding door and screen to the Aft Deck.

Also in the Salon are two LED lights in the vinyl overhead, digital A/C controls and an oriental style plush throw rug centered.

AFT DECK

Entered via a sliding door from the aft salon or hinged port and starboard boarding gates, the aft deck is fully enclosed with an extended hardtop and a new 3 sides vinyl enclosure.

Features include: 

• Painted non-skid fiberglass deck
• (3) cushioned upholstered sofa
• Teak hi-lo two-leaf table
• (2) Folding teak chairs with cushions
• (3) U-zips in the three aft vinyl enclosure panels
• (4) LED lights in vinyl overhead
• Wet bar with stainless steel sink under a fiddled hinged top and two storage cabinets below
• (2) 110V GFCI outlets
• Deck drains
• (6) stainless steel support poles
• Varnished boat hook
• 5-step Marquipt tide ride ladder
• 3-step vertical Marquipt ladder
• Varnished flagpole with ensign
• Teak swim platform
• 5-step ladder to swim platform

MASTER STATEROOM

Down nine carpeted steps from the port aft salon area is a huge private Master suite. A queen size berth is on centerline aft with storage accessible from the forward end. Built-in port and starboard nightstands with two drawers each flank the berth. Above are two open shelves. Between is an inset upholstered headboard, two swing arm reading lights and an art niche inset. Flowing both port and starboard from the nightstands are three drawers each side. Above is a mica shelf and two opening portholes with drapes each side. The port side also has a 24” Samsung TV. Going forward to port are four half-height cedar lined auto lit hanging lockers.

The forward bulkhead has two additional teak louvered lockers, the cabin’s A/C system and a heater.

Access to the private head is to port along with a full size dressing mirror. The overhead is vinyl and has a newly added teak escape hatch, five LED lights and the sole is carpeted.

MASTER HEAD

Forward to port is the Master Head with a raised Corian vanity top and sink, two beveled edge mirrored medicine cabinets and a five light fixture above. The toilet is a VacuFlush model. The large shower has a curtain and a wall mounted or handheld fixture. Also in the head is an opening porthole with drapes, a large storage cabinet, Three overhead lights and an A/C vent.

FORWARD COMPANIONWAY

From the starboard side of the Pilothouse are six varnished steps that lead to the forward accommodation area and engine room.

The sole is varnished teak and holly and the bulkheads a tasteful blue tweed wallpaper. To port is the twin bed cabin. To starboard is the head with shower.

Forward is another upper/lower guest or crew cabin with a sink. Aft is the engine room and laundry facilities.

History of Matthews Yachts

Founded in 1890 in Ohio the Matthews Boat Company built over 1000 boats and yachts. Many were minesweepers for the US Navy. In business till 1975, when transitioning from wood to fiberglass, they teamed up with Halmatic LTD from Great Britain to supply their hulls. Halmatic built patrol boats and commercial craft with their over built hulls reportedly able to withstand machine gun fire.

This 56 Voyager model has a Halmatic solid fiberglass semi-displacement hull with the decks and deckhouse built at Matthews of wood with decks and some components having a fiberglass cloth covering.

COMMENTS

Bult as STROLLER then renamed LADY HAWK, then JOY SEA, her current owner named her MY ALIBI upon purchase in January of 2017.

Lovingly maintained and updated, MY ALIBI represents a modernized classic with updated 4-cycle MACK engines, a newer generator, updated A/C, galley and electronics.

She would make a perfect liveaboard with her huge master cabin and updated galley.

All spec and photos are current and accurate! 

Please note current owner prefers a more leisurely cruise speed of 10-12 knots.
Contact Gilman Yachts
For more information or to schedule a viewing of 1973 Matthews Boat Company 56 Voyager MY ALIBI, contact Gilman Yachts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida today at +1 (954) 525-8112.