Azimut Debuts New Superyacht

The Azimut Grande 35 Metri made its debut last week at the Versilia Yachting Rendez-Vous in Italy. Beyond being Azimut’s new flagship, the 115-foot raised pilothouse incorporates pioneering designs that include two beach clubs, a largest-in-class balcony, and the option of adding a level that serves as a second sundeck.

Stefano Righini, the designer who has defined Azimut’s distinctive profiles over several decades, made sure to use every inch of usable exterior space on the 35 Metri. The stern beach club, measuring 130 square feet, is a fully dedicated beach club, with a transom swim platform that pivots down toward the water. Typically, beach clubs compete with tender garages for available space, but the Metri 35’s garage is on the side of the hull, so beach clubbers don’t have to look at hanging jet skis. Instead, the spa-like area that offers immediate access to the water.

Yacht builders have recently discovered the social possibilities that bow areas offer, but only the Metri 35 has embraced it wholeheartedly. The 323-square-foot area is actually a multi-layered terrace that extends from the saloon windshield all the way down to the forepeak, with a dining table, lounges, sunbeds, and a Jacuzzi in between. The area makes a fantastic social area for a party when the 35 Metri is docked stern-to, since the privacy factor is much higher than gathering at the rear.

Righini retained Azimut’s curvaceous, sportboat-like flybridge, but added the option of another deck, measuring 325 square feet, without breaking the boat’s lithe profile. Trends in yacht design have been to find extra space in an existing footprint. This optional deck adds space without compromising the rest of the exterior.

The interior by Achille Salvagni made excellent use of the boat’s 25-foot beam. Salvagni used matte-textured woods against darker, polished species. Inserts in brass, bronze, and stainless steel add a sense of elegance, but a low-key elegance. A large, circular sofa in the saloon is an original piece of furniture underscored by the radial arrangement of other decor. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the interior in natural light.

The master suite forward also has floor-to-ceiling windows, including one that transforms into a unique terrace made of carbon fiber and glass, folding out to become an instant balcony. These kind of gigayacht features found across the 35 Metri—a three-floor spiral staircase with backlit onyx steps, a lifting platform on the foredeck, among others—are rare, if nonexistent, on yachts this size. With its many innovative features, the 35 Metri was successful in reinventing the 100-foot-plus category.

Of course, some of the most important features most people will never see. The all-carbon-fiber superstructure and hardtop are good examples. But so is the use of modal design analysis borrowed from the aerospace industry to minimize vibration and internal noise. Though the 35 Metri is one of Azimut’s “wide-body” designs, thanks to the 25-foot beam, its displacement to planing (D2P) hull reaches a top end of 25.5 knots with the two 2,400 hp MTU engines. In displacement mode of 10 knots, it has a range of 1,500 miles.

Every boat, by definition, contains compromises. The 35 Metri, however, is more than the sum of its parts. The smart design is about as spot-on as a yacht in its class can get. (azimut-yachts.com)