With the 55S, Azimut has added further innovation to the sporty motoryacht sector with a new pearl to the S Collection.
The 55S revolutionizes the traditional spaces with a new layout that sees the three cabins dedicated to the owner and guests located amidships, offering comfort and larger volumes, and with the crew cabin positioned in the bows. There are also new spaces above deck: towards the bows with a sofa looking forward, separated from the large sun deck, and aft with the introduction of the pivoting bathing platform.
With a view to promoting the specific features of the Collezione S, the Azimut Yachts yard has brought into play the greatest energy to breathe life into a project with the same innovative force as underscores the 68S, the first boat in the Azimut sporting collection, and the first Open in history to place the door, open the hard top and insert the windows in the hull. Today, it is the 55S that innovates, surprises and revolutionises the sector.
The revolution starts from below the waterline, and specifically in the engine room, that houses a triple Volvo IPS-1 system: three 435 hp engines with pod and double counter-rotating propellers placed at the front. The choice of the Volvo Penta system in this unusual configuration was fundamental for the dynamics of the project. Compared to the same power output from just two engines, the triple installation makes it possible to reduce the bulk and length. Moreover, since it involves a vertical transmission with pods, and not in-line propeller shafts, it was possible to place the engines right aft and assure the space needed to include a garage able to stow a 2.85 m tender.
The total power output of 1,305 hp is accompanied by limited overall weight, thanks to the use of glass-carbon composite for large areas of the deck and deckhouse and, above all, thanks to the making of structural parts in pure carbon fibre. An innovation that the yard has introduced to strengthen and at the same time reduce the weight of these structures by 37%. The use of glasscarbon composite has resulted in an overall reduction in the weight of the hull by 10% compared to a hull of equal size made from traditional fibreglass.
The sporty performance is proved by a top speed of over 36 knots, as shown by the sea trials undertaken. Moreover, the choice of three engines rather than two opens a vast chapter of benefits: at comparable horsepower, three engines weigh less than two, consume less than two and produce fewer emissions. If one engine should break down, the remaining output will be two-thirds of the total (whereas with two engines, it would be halved). Three turbo-charged engines have less inertia than two and respond more quickly, with increased reactivity and sense of sportiness. And finally, the distance between the two external engines, and thus between the two external pods, is greater. This allows for increased effectiveness in manoeuvring, especially in mooring.
Stefano Righini, Azimut's long-standing designer, has taken the opportunity offered by the new layout to optimise and innovate all the spaces aboard, starting with the stern.
Wholly new, original and innovative, the bathing platform appears at first sight to be a normal teak platform jutting out about a metre over the sea. But a simple press of the button transforms the zone: the garage door, which is fixed to the bathing platform in an L shape, opens and bends towards the sea.
As a consequence, the original bathing platform dips into the sea and disappears underwater, replaced a few seconds later by a new bathing platform (the internal part of the door, which is also panelled in teak), which thrusts out almost two meters over the sea. To launch or retrieve the tender, one need only slope the door/bathing platform further and make the boat slide over special rollers.
It is rather inappropriate to speak of "inside" and "outside" as though they were two distinct settings in a boat of the Collezione S. The opening of the sliding hard top, available either in GRP or with large glass panels, makes it effectively a single space, thanks also to a continuity of design, style, materials and colours that are identical in both the saloon and the cockpit. Here, the large teak table can be lowered electrically to the level of the C-shaped sofa. In this way, with the addition of cushions, the dining area can be transformed into an enormous area in which to relax and take the sun.The main deck is formed of a single uninterrupted level. On top of assuring greater comfort and safety, the lack of steps has enabled the designers to include a forward-facing sofa in front of the windscreen, thus adding a new setting (unique in this category of boat) in the forward relaxation and sunbathing space.
The crew's cabin is located right in the bows, with access from the main deck through a hatch. Its positioning here gives the owner a greater degree of privacy, as it avoids the crew-member having to pass through the cockpit to reach his accommodation. At the same time, it also offers the crewmember greater privacy, as the bow area is generally visited less, especially in port during the evening.
As a result of the moving of the crew accommodation, the VIP cabin, third cabin for guests and Master cabin can be moved aft, being located amidships where they benefit from greater volumes, the widest point of the vessel and greatest stability.The lighting panels are full height in all the cabins, while the luminosity attains new levels with a new design for the horizontal windows in the hull, providing a generous amount of daylight in both the VIP and guests' cabin. The Master cabin also has the traditional six hull windows on each side, providing an unparalleled amount of light.
The style inspired by a character of sportiness is based on the strong contrasts between the use of zebrawood, a dark wood marked by significant veining, which gives a sense of depth, and the magnolia tone of the buffalo grain capitonné leather, always assuring a perfect form.
Main Dimentions
Maximum Length : 17,29 m 56'8"
Hull Length: 16,60 m 54'5"
Length waterline: 13,81 m 45'4"
Max Beam: 4,75 m 15'7"
Max Draft: 1,14 m 3'9"
Full Load Displacement: 22 t 48.502 lb
Light Displacement: 18,5 t 40.786 lb
Tank Capacity
Fuel Tank Capacity: 1600 lt 423 US gal
Fresh Water Tank Capacity: 590 lt 156 US gal
Grey Water Tank Capacity: 225 lt 60 US gal
Black Water Tank Capacity: 225 lt 60 US gal
Layout and Construction
Cabin: 3 + 1 (crew cabin)
Berths: 6 + 1 (crew cabin)
Heads: 2 + 1 (crew head)
Propulsion and Performance
Engine: 3 x Volvo D6 435 mHP (320 kw)
Propulsion: IPS 600
Vmax: 36 kt
Vcruise: 30 kt
Range @ V cruise: 310 nm
Design Category: B
Maximum Capacity: 12
Certifications: CE – NMMA
Hull: Deadrise 15.8° Aft
Platform Dimensions
Closed: 845 x 2.483 mm
Open: 1.820 x 2.483 mm
Tender Dimension*: 2,85 x 1,75 aft x 0,9 m
*Garage for Williams Tender 285.
