| Azimut 88 |  |
Open yachts make up the fastest-growing segment of the
industry. These sleek, high-speed composite motor cruisers – sized from 50
to well over 100 feet – first gained a foothold in Europe and rapidly became an
acquired taste among North Americans. The Azimut 86S model, from the Italian
builder’s Viareggio yard, typifies the class, but also sets precedents in design
and engineering that other builders will eye as benchmarks for achievement.
 When the salon’s
glass sliders are opened to the aft deck’s settee and
lounge the boundaries blur even further. (Click image to enlarge)
Take, for example, the natural lighting belowdecks. In-house
designer Stefano Righini decided to forego off-the-shelf portholes in favor of
six, one-foot-square hull windows amidships (which first appeared on Azimut’s
68S) that provide a dramatic waterline view and flood the owner’s suite with
sunlight.
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"When the boat is traveling fast, the view from in here is just
incredible," says Errico Riggio, Azimut’s technical development manager. "At
first it’s even a little scary because you don’t really notice the windows are
there. You get the impression of being right in that water."
Top: An enormous sunroof and an abundance of glass, erase the main salon’s
boundaries and structural elements to bring the outdoors in. Bottom: Stefano Righini's square hull windows in the master stateroom provide plenty of natural light and surreal waterline views while under
way. (Click images to enlarge)
Each window is 18 millimeters thick and has an impact strength
four times that of the hull’s topside panels. To accommodate vibrations and hull
flex, the windows are secured in place with Sikaflex flexible adhesive.
Topside, the hardtop rolls back with the touch of a button,
stowing itself in the roof of the aft cockpit and opening the salon to blue
skies. Sliding back the salon’s triple glass doors to the aft deck creates
nearly 600 square feet of uninterrupted space that blends indoor and ooutdoor
living. This openness is perfectly matched by Carlo Galeazzi’s luxurious
summer-feeling interior, which features dark wengé floors, amaranth leathers and
light cotton fabrics edged in a burgundy that matches the distinctive hull color
of this yacht series.
This styling carries through to the full-beam, ensuite owner’s
stateroom belowdecks with walk-in dressing room, as well as the VIP suite and
the two ensuite guest cabins. Crew quarters and a fully equipped galley are
located aft and accessed from a stairwell in the salon.
The 86S also offers substance with its style. Displacing a
relatively light 55 tons, the composite carbon fiber and Kevlar hull is powered
by twin 2,000-hp MTU 16V 2000 M91 diesels. These can be paired to either
Hamilton waterjets or optional Arneson drives with surface-piercing props.
Unique anti-vibration tubular couplings further improve passenger comfort.
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