What if you’re a boatbuilder and publicly draw a line in the sand to not build past a certain length? But then a new design comes along that is so compelling that you just have to break your own rule.
That’s what Azimut did last week at the Palm Beach International Boat Show when it released initial renderings for its 144-foot Grande 44M, which replaces its 125-foot Azimut Trideck as the brand’s flagship. The Italian builder made the point several years ago that it didn’t plan to build anything past 40 metres, or 131 feet, so it wouldn’t cannibalise its sibling Benetti’s superyacht brand.
At Palm Beach, the yacht’s designers showed initial renderings of the largest-ever Azimut. Marijana Radovic and Marco Bonelli of Milan-based M2Atelier were responsible for the interior and Alberto Mancini did the exterior.
Image courtesy of Azimut Yachts
Mancini, a veteran yacht designer, told Robb Report that this was only the second yacht of hundreds in his career where he was given carte blanche over the exterior, so it ended up morphing past 40 metres into the Grande 44M. Typically, he said, the shipyard gets involved with the details of the design, and most owners want to have a say, so most designs end up as compromises. This time, says Mancini, Azimut not only left him alone, but let him go wild.
And he did.
The yacht itself is revolutionary in some ways, with a 550-square-foot upper deck that can be converted into an owner’s space—the owner’s “enclave”—with two primary suites and a forward glassed-in area that works as an office or dining room, with the world’s best view. Its four stern decks are tiered, emphasising large exterior spaces and easy movement between the interior and exterior spaces.
Image courtesy of Azimut Yachts
Then there’s the 12-person dining table on the aft cockpit above a swimming pool with a transparent window looking out over the ocean. This optical illusion is one of several wow factors, but mostly the yacht overwhelms with quiet luxury.
This new version is clearly a larger sistership to the 125-foot Azimut Grande Trideck, released in 2021, but the 44M looks more substantial and ship-like, thanks to its extra 20 feet of length.
Radovic and Bonelli said their goal was to create a simple interior with muted tones and splashes of colour, as part of the Azimut DNA. The pair are not yacht designers, so brought a new approach from their residential architecture and private clubs to the design.
Image courtesy of Azimut Yachts
“We wanted to clean up the space and enhance it, not overwhelm it,” said Radovic. “For instance, we designed the dining table to be a reflection of the pool, and in every case, we made sure to follow what was happening on the exterior.”
Bonelli added that the goal was to “enhance the flow” between the interior and exterior. “It seems simple, but there’s a lot of effort to finding that balance,” he said.
The shipyard also focused on the technical components of the build, claiming that it will produce 10 to 30 per cent fewer fuel emissions than yachts of the same size and displacement. Federico Ferrante, president of Azimut Americas, said the 44M will have a hydrodynamic wing under the dual-mode hull that provides better fuel efficiency at the same speeds. “It also reduces the pitch—the annoying movement of the boat—and smooths out the wake,” said Ferrante.
Image courtesy of Azimut Yachts
The 44M also has lithium batteries that allow it to run the boat’s hotel (non-propulsion) load for four hours during the day and eight hours at night, at anchor. The vessel also has two electric generators in the shafts that recharge the batteries when under way. “Most yachts typically run their diesel generators 24/7, which causes lots of noise, emissions, and cost,” said Ferrante. “This system cuts that in half.”
The 44M’s moulds are being constructed at Azimut’s Livorno shipyard in preparation for the first build. The first five units have been sold to current Azimut owners.
