Azimut 53

A quick company wrap. Azimut has numerous boat lines: motor yachts with flying bridges from 40 to 100 feet, the S Collection sports yachts from 40 to 86 feet, semi-custom and custom Grande superyachts from 100-130 feet, after which the Azimut Benetti Group offers custom luxe private liners all the way to 240-odd feet.

If you want to be seen to be green then there’s also the Azimut Magellano hybrid series. The 50 and 74-footers, both displacement boats with electric-diesel power, will be joined by a new 42 footer slated for release at Genoa boat show in October. Last but not least, there are the Atlantis branded sports yachts for the go-fast brigade.

The Azimut Benetti Group is a private company, thus not beholden to investors, and at last peep had zero debt, 300 million Euros in net assets, and 600 million Euros in production values. True, the boats it builds are getting bigger, not necessarily more plentiful, in this fickle market. But it’s also apparent there’s been some new activity in the owner/driver class.

Back to our Azimut 53. About as big as you want to go for a couple, the 53 is a boat you can berth between you, keep on top of the interior clean, and derive seaworthiness for cruising the coast on your own. Around town, the performance from twin 730hp MAN engines wows. The use of vee drives maximises interior space and accommodation which is best described as American -- not Italian -- sized.

The full-beam stateroom is a truly spacious abode for a 53. Guests are treated to a VIP in the bow or a third cabin with twin singles. There are two upmarket bathrooms with Italian touches, of course, while the above-deck living spaces are generous for a European-built boat.

From a base price of $1.325 million our test boat weighed in at $1.75 million. The main upgrades include tropical-strength air con, 17kW generator, twin Racor fuel filters for each engine, crew cabin fitout, hydraulic swim platform, convertible sofa bed in saloon, cockpit table, fridge and barbecue in flying bridge, exterior cushions and high-low television lift.

Thanks to the strength in the Australian dollar, the 53 is still priced competitively. Shop around. A Princess V52 we also tested cost $1.55 million, while a Fairline 58 Targa we drove set its owner back more than $2 million. And neither is Italian-designed and built.

At the same time, the dinette can convert to a sofa bed -- there are occasions when it’s prudent to sleep near the helm -- while the aft sunpad on the flying bridge has a flip fore-or-aft backrest.

Back inside, the C-shaped galley-up design feeds straight across to the dinette. As it’s a mere reach away from the helm seat, you could cruise this boat at first light, before the wind arrives, while the breakfast and coffee is being made alongside. Such was my thinking.

We boarded from the stern and hydraulic swim platform, which has a 400kg tender-toting capacity. This is a good thing. Getting the tender off the flying bridge frees up space and makes its dispatch so much easier. Among the chic deck gear are integrated fairleads and bollards with stainless steel chafe rails, optional side doors with trick drop-in scissor steps for boarding, storage lockers and bins in the cockpit that would make perfect wine holders with the addition of some ice.

LED lights trace a path around the side decks to the bow, whose rail extends well aft (a handrail would be handy on the cabin sides). En route, you pass the starboard-side helm door. The foredeck sunpad cushions attach to tracks and should therefore remain in place when underway.

Anchoring hardware is well thought-out with recessed windlass, salt-water deck wash and 75 metres of 10mm short-link chain. With a fair degree of reverse sheer, the boat offers clear views of the road ahead from the lower helm when idling.

The 53 has a decent cockpit that can seat eight around its teak table once you add some chairs. These might be kept in the crew quarters, accessed below the aft lounge base, which sports a single bed, sink and hot and cold water. Better than a brig.

Meanwhile, thanks to a gas/water separator, generator noise was unobtrusive while sitting on the cockpit lounge. That’s good news for entertaining. But with a moulded staircase, plenty more deck space, commanding views and amenities, the flying bridge on the Azimut 53 may well be the venue.

The aft sunpad with reverse backrest can swallow two couples, the U-shaped lounge and extended table will cater for six, while the amenities centre features Ceran cooktop, fridge and sink. We’d still add a proper barbecue.

Adjoining the portside helm is a flat sunpad that will double as a kids’ playpen even while underway. Among the items to note at the dash, duplicated at the lower helm, are electronic MAN shifts, electric bow thruster controller, designer Azimut wheel, Bennett trim tabs, chain counter, and Raymarine C120W. All good gear.

We also like the stiff, semi-hardtop that reduces the amount of canvas added to a boat like this. Externally, the moulded bridge wings stamp the Azimut aesthetic on the 53, as do the frameless mirrored windows flanking the saloon.

Indoors, the Italian styling doesn’t so much smack you in the face as envelop you in an agreeable manner. Beige carpet, bone leather, roman blinds and oak joinery provide a timeless backdrop to which you can add your own personal touches.

Hard furniture edges and curves meld in a modern way. A combination of soft and moulded headliners sprawl above. The interior is really quite timeless and not as contemporary as some other Italian yards. As the 53 we drove was still being commissioned, we’ve taken the liberty to add some factory handout photos to the accompanying gallery. If nothing else, they serve the purpose of showing what’s possible should you want a more avant-garde look.

Either way, the layout flows, with a good amount of both head and shoulder room. The portside L-shaped lounge faces the entertainment centre, inbuilt lights hint at the art deco era, while steps lead to the portside U-shaped galley, with dinette and helm opposite. It’s a social arrangement bound to encourage conversation at meal times.

Galley amenities range from a decent 220-litre fridge with smaller freezer to three-burner Ceran cooktop with range hood and microwave oven/grill. The aggregate-marble solid counter tops are perfect for pasta making and you even get a special pasta-cooking pot in a cupboard. The potholder on the stove lets you whip up a crab linguini underway. Dedicated drawers exist for the cutlery.

Timber floors help will help with the clean up, while nearby opening side windows provide natural ventilation. A bottle of vino and you’ll be thinking of zeds. It’s then that the three cabins and two bathrooms call.

There is the option of just two cabins, we’re told, and a mid media room instead. Either way, VIPs are treated to an island berth in the bow flanked by triple portlights, his and her cedar-lined hanging lockers, and plenty of light that plays on the oak joinery and bed head.

The third cabin has bunks but they’re adult-length, while an opening portlight ensures connectivity and fresh air. Double-toothed door catches stop rattles, designer lights add to the effect, as does the taupe-coloured trim.

The bathroom opposite doubles as an en suite to the aforesaid VIP in the bow. The leather inlay on the door didn’t go unnoticed, the sink reminds us of something from Dinosaur designs, while the Tecma head is the best money can buy. The shower has one of those sliding tardis-type doors and pencil-thick rose.

Then you arrive. The full-beam stateroom is the clincher. With its bed offset at 45 degrees to the centre line, you gain room for a portside lounge and table. It could serve the purpose of powder room, offer somewhere to sit for after-dinner drinks, do breakfast with the mermaids, or check on office affairs.

Views out the triple opening portlights are stirring, storage for personal effects and clothing is very good, and there’s an en suite with nice big shower. When you consider the location, hotels anywhere in the world would be hard pressed measuring up.

Semi prop tunnels back at the blunt end help with keeping shaft angles low. The MANs are coupled to vee drives, which partly explain why the stateroom is so spacious. Underwater exhausts add to the dignified driving experience.

Azimut builds to three international codes: RINA in Europe, Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in the UK, and USCG in America. The composite hull, with 21 degrees forward back to 12 degrees of deadrise aft, is formed using the vacuum-bagging method and foam coring. Carbon fibre is used in high-load areas.

Accessed via a cockpit hatch, the engine room has a flat white floor liner, big strainers on the centreline, dual Racor filters per engine, wing fuel tanks with sight gauges, and 24V fans. Raw-water intakes for the main mechanical items are labelled and you get around all sides of the six-cylinder common rail engines and service the generator easily enough. Suffice to say, we have no issues with the established engineering.

Key speeds were 18.7 knots at 1600rpm, ideal should there be heavy weather, 22.3 knots at 1800rpm for economical coastal cruising, 25.7 knots at 2000rpm for fast cruising, and 34 knots top speed.

According to MAN, 1800rpm will result in about 110 litres per hour fuel consumption. Double that for the twins, leave 10 per cent of the 2340 litre supply in reserve, and you’ve got a safe cruising range of just 214nm. So the boat hasn’t particularly long legs. But given the styling, it’s more your on-water big-city pad in any case.

While the local importer saw 35 knots following a wild-weather delivery in five metre seas, the 1.5 metres of swell we had didn’t phase the boat. Banked in a turn, the 53 comes around pretty much as expected of a twin shaft cruiser. We didn’t need to call on trim tabs when popping the boat on the plane or cruising, either, as the 53 just assumes it’s own sweet running angle.

These include dropping the signature ‘shark’s fin’ windows for longer and deeper glazing in the saloon and stateroom to direct more light inside; sharpening the interior via edgy rather than just curvaceous furniture; upgrading the bathware fittings; and offering MAN engines, as per our test boat, instead of the more workman-like Caterpillar.

The exterior and conceptual design work comes courtesy of Stefano Righini, while the interior gloss is from Carlo Galeazzi. See what we mean about genuine Italian styling?

But you can customise your own 53 to a large degree, too. Use the Azimut Configurator CAD software and you’ll see 360-degree views of the interior with the furnishings and instrumentation you have selected from the palette.

Meantime, you also get genuine local support through 5 Star Motor Cruisers, a Sealine dealer for eight years, and imminent Sea Ray dealer. Marketing Manager Eugenio Cannarsa says the owner of the 53 we drove was coming out of a Palm Beach and in search of something that was practical as well as stylish. I guess you could say he got the real deal.