The Absolute Yachts 52 Fly shares design cues with its recently launched sisterships, the 56 Fly and 60 Fly. These yachts are easily recognized by their snub bows, chopped transoms, sculpted hulls and topsides, and big hullside windows, which give away the location of their owner’s staterooms.

As with the flybridge, the 52 Fly’s cockpit terrace is left bare so owners can choose from a range of exclusive modular furniture by Absolute or from other sources. The vessel’s glass balustrade, which tops off the transom, and the fretted bulwarks aft make for even stronger visual connections to the sea and provide great views for seated guests.

The 52 Fly’s foredeck is also a welcome retreat, especially with the sunshade and side screens up. The space accommodates an island sun pad, as well as a low dinette with double sofas. The flybridge is similarly splendid, and the hardtop comes standard with solar panels that contribute 1.35 kW of peak power, enough to cover the yacht’s basic hotel loads (not air conditioning) without the generator or shore power.

With nearly 360-degree views, the salon consists of an aft galley to port with Corian worktops, and a view between them and the cabinets above. An amidships lounge has a dinette to port and a three-seat sofa to starboard. The vibe is cool and contemporary, with drop-down electric windows on each side. They help keep the temperature moderate when the air conditioning is off.

The two-seat lower helm is to starboard, with great ergonomics and unobstructed visibility. Garmin touchscreen displays provide all the essential information, and other controls are conveniently situated. A side-deck door allows a proper connection with the outside world. A second two-seat helm station up on the flybridge is to port. That means there’s always a fresh-air connection available for the skipper, no matter which side he needs to see when close-quarters maneuvering. An optional third docking station can be added in the cockpit, with joystick and thruster controls for stern-to docking.

Like the rest of Absolute’s portfolio, the oomph for the 52 Fly comes from a pair of Volvo Penta diesels and IPS pod drives. The 52 Fly’s 600 hp D8-IPS800s deliver a nominal top speed of 30 knots and a 25-knot fast cruise. I saw a top-end average speed of 30.5 knots on reciprocal runs with the trim assist on, the Seakeeper gyrostabilizer off, and the boat lightly loaded. Only four people were aboard, with no tender or stores, 26 percent fuel, and 44 percent fresh water in gentle swells.

Underway, handling is surprisingly responsive. Spin the wheel hard over when running flat out, and the yacht heels gently into a relatively tight turn without scrubbing off much more than 3 knots of speed. The turning circle is not much more than three boatlengths.

At my favored cruise-forever dawdle of 10 knots, the diesels burned just 14 gph. Given the tank capacity of 475 gallons, that means a range of 340 nautical miles. The yacht is least efficient at 13 to 15 knots, with fuel burn around 73 gph. Once over the hump, the cumulative burn tracks down gently from 2.5 gallons per nautical mile at 14 knots to 2.25 gallons per nautical mile at 30 knots, so you may as well rush. At a continuous fast cruise of 25 knots, range should be around 225 nm.

Noise is not an issue. I recorded just 64 decibels at the helm at 20 knots (65 decibels is the level of normal conversation). In the owner’s stateroom at the same speed, the tank buffer for the engine room meant just 72 decibels. It was 75 decibels in the double-berth stateroom aft.

Both heads that serve the three staterooms have windows and opening portholes. The owner’s en suite stateroom occupies the full beam forward, with big bow windows and plenty of space around a forward-facing queen berth. There’s also full-standing headroom here. Amidships is the VIP, also with a forward-facing queen and its hullside windows. The guest stateroom has twin berths that convert to a double. It’s good to see there’s enough space in the lobby beneath the companionway stairs for a washer-dryer.

There’s also lazarette space aft that includes a head-shower compartment, but it can alternatively be specified as a single-berth overspill stateroom or a crew cabin. (A teenager would love it.) As on some of the other newer Absolutes, it’s accessed discreetly from the hydraulic swim platform via a pantograph-style door in the transom and a half-hatch.

There’s a lot to like about the Absolute 52 Fly: solid performance, a high level of personalization, and a pugnacious build to cruise across blue water. Add its luxurious flourishes, and you get a family-friendly owner-operator yacht that should have broad appeal.

How It’s Made

Relatively complicated hull and superstructure shapes dictate a wet lay-up build rather than resin infusion. Interiors, including the bulkheads, are assembled outside the hull. They are built up from CNC-cut flat panels before being moved by crane and then bonded to the hull walls and stringer system. Then the superstructure is placed.

Where It’s Made

Absolute Yachts is based in Podenzano, Italy, between Genoa and Milan. Employing around 300 people on a 500,000-square-foot site, the company builds around 90 boats a year. The average length is about 60 feet. 

Wide Range

Absolute Yachts’ 14-model lineup ranges from 47 to 75 feet, with seven Navetta models, six Fly models and one Coupé yacht. Production is split about evenly between the Navettas and the planing models. The next new models are expected to be the Navetta 53 and Navetta 70, with debuts planned at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September.

Take the next step: absoluteyachts.com

The post Absolute Yachts 52 Fly Reviewed appeared first on Yachting.

Yachts 360 has listed Neverland, an Absolute Yachts Navetta 58, with an asking price of $1.78 million. The low-hour, 2020 Italian build has a three-stateroom, three-head layout that sleeps six with an aft crew cabin for two. The Absolute Navetta 58 is part of a seven-model series ranging 48 feet to 75 feet length overall.

Absolute packs a lot of form and function into this 58-footer. The salon gets lots of natural lighting because of the waist-to-ceiling windows running the length of the main deck as well as a wraparound window forward. The salon, accessed via sliding glass doors off the cockpit, is set up with a C-shaped sofa to starboard and settee to port.

Forward and up two steps are the country galley to starboard in a caddy-corner layout with a Bosch microwave, a stainless-steel sink, a four-burner electric cooktop, a full-size refrigerator and a dishwasher. It’s worth noting an electric sliding glass partition can close off the galley and dining area from the salon.

Across from the galley is a U-shaped dinette for evening family meals and that pre-cruise breakfast. The dual-seat helm station with Garmin electronics, single-lever throttles and a joystick for precise close-quarters maneuvering is to starboard with side-deck access via a door adjacent to it, making it a great setup for shorthanded cruising. Wide side decks with high rails lead to the foredeck and four-person U-shaped settee abaft a three-person sun pad, making it a great location to enjoy time on the hook and sundowners with friends.

The second, single-seat flybridge helm station is on centerline and is flanked by L-shaped settees for guests to relax and have bird’s-eye ocean views en route to the next way point. A settee and table are aft and to starboard, creating an alfresco dining location. Additional loose chairs can be added to the after section of the flybridge for another spot to catch some sun.

Stairs to port lead from the flybridge to the cockpit where there is a four-person bench seat and a fixed table set under the flybridge overhang for shaded alfresco dining. A joystick-equipped docking station is to starboard.

Sleeping accommodations are belowdecks, including the amidships master stateroom, which has a queen berth, a desk and en suite head. The forepeak VIP has a cater-corner double berth, a desk, stowage and an en suite head. The starboard guest stateroom is also en suite and has twin single berths on electric tracks that convert to a double berth.

Power for Neverland comes from twin Volvo Penta D8 IPS800 diesels with pod drives that give this Navetta 58 a reported 26-knot top hop.

Where is Neverland located? The yacht is currently lying in Charleston, South Carolina.

Take the next step: contact the listing agent, Brian Dressler, brian@yachts360.com, (919) 971-8953, yachts360.com

Quick Specifications:

• Length Overall: 58′
• Maximum Beam: 16’6″
• Fuel Capacity: 634 Gal.

The post For Sale: Absolute Navetta 58 appeared first on Yachting.

Algi, an Absolute Yachts Navetta 68 currently listed with OneWater Yacht Group, just saw its price drop to $3.99 million. The 2023 build that was delivered less than a year ago has a four-stateroom, four-head layout, with a full-beam forepeak master stateroom and a full-beam amidships VIP.

The forepeak stateroom benefits from the yacht’s 18-foot-6-inch beam by moving the en suite head forward, and having the queen berth closer to amidships. The master also has rectangular hull-side windows that provide views and allow for natural light. A flat-screen TV, a desk, his-and-hers vanities, cabinet stowage and drawer stowage round out the space.

The Navetta 68’s VIP amidships also has a full-beam layout with an en suite head that is located outboard and to port. It’s accessed via sliding glass doors. This stateroom is flanked by hull-side windows and is furnished with a desk, a flat-screen TV as well as cabinet and drawer stowage.

Rounding out the accommodations are guest staterooms amidships to port and to starboard. Both spaces have two single berths; however, the port stateroom also has an en suite head and the two berths slide together for couples.

Algi is also set up for entertaining inside and outside. Take the flybridge, for instance. Guests will find loose furniture just beyond the hardtop, creating a great place to catch some sun. Forward and to starboard is an L-shaped settee, loose chairs and a table abaft the helm. The helm has a single seat forward and is surrounded on both sides by additional L-shaped settees so the captain can have casual conversation with guests en route to the next waypoint. To port, is a wet bar and grill, making this area dialed in for alfresco dining.

On the main deck, the galley separates the salon and cockpit on this Absolute Navetta 68. The open-concept galley to port has a U-shaped Dekton countertop with Calacatta marble nuances. The galley is fitted out with Miele appliances, including a combined microwave and traditional oven, an induction cooktop, an exhaust hood and a dishwasher. There is also cabinet stowage for extended-cruising provisions, a refrigerator and a freezer. A formal dining table with bench seating and loose chairs with room for six to eight guests is conveniently placed opposite of the galley.

Forward of the galley is the salon, which is furnished with a love seat, a sofa and a lounge chair. A smoke-tinted glass table sits between them to create a spot for cocktails and casual conversation. A flat-screen TV is to starboard in case guests are in the mood for dinner and a movie.

Abaft the galley, and through the sliding glass doors, is the cockpit furnished with a bench seat and a table. Add loose dining chairs and you’ve got shaded outdoor dining. Stairs to port lead to the flybridge, and side decks with high rails from the cockpit to the bow enable safe transit to the foredeck entertainment area where a C-shaped settee and table sit abaft a lounge pad.

Forward of the salon and up a couple steps is the two-seat helm station for an all-weather, climate-controlled piloting setup.

Optional twin 1,000 hp Volvo IPS1350s provide the power for Algi, which propel the yacht to a 25-plus-knot top hop. Algi’s engines currently have only 215 hours on them.

Crew quarters are equipped with a captain’s cabin that has a single berth, a wardrobe, shelves, head access and a porthole that opens for fresh air.

From the Archive: New Absolute

“The 68 carries on the series’ tradition of matching striking lines with performance that spans the gap between that of a long-range cruiser and a sporty motoryacht. This model has an interior laid out for longer stays aboard. That includes a feeling of roominess: The salon is perhaps most notable for its nearly sole-to-ceiling windows, which allow for a strong interplay between the comforts of home and the nautical environment.” – Yachting, December 2019

Where is Algi located? The yacht is currently lying in Miami, Florida.

Take the next step: contact the listing agent, Alesha Perez, 727-465-3515, owyg.com

Quick Specifications:

• Length Overall: 68’
• Maximum Beam: 18’6”
• Fuel Capacity: 924 gallons
• Draft: 5’8”

The post Absolute Navetta 68 Sees Price Improvement appeared first on Yachting.

It’s challenging to create a yacht that looks and feels formidable yet inviting. Rugged, luxurious. But all these descriptors came to mind as I toured the Absolute Yachts Navetta 75, the Italian builder’s new Navetta-series flagship in a line with six other Navetta models starting at 48 feet length overall.

Absolute gives each new model a theme, and the Navetta 75’s is “the absolute sphere.” The idea is that a sphere represents perfect balance and harmony. Consider the yacht’s DNA: The Navetta 75 is, indeed, an exercise in balance, including its overall proportions, performance, use of glazing, and interior and exterior real estate’s form and function.

The Navetta comes in at 74 feet, 10 inches length overall with an 18-foot-5-inch beam. It carries a good bit of that beam forward, enhancing internal volume. A beneficiary of this design is the master stateroom. The space is forward on its own level with a private entrance just a few steps down from the main salon. There is 6-foot-6-inch headroom, and the stateroom is made to feel even larger with a light-oak sole and natural light passing through the hullside windows. There is a forward-facing berth, and a vanity with a work desk is to port. Forward of the berth is the en suite head with his-and-hers sinks on centerline. A shower stall is to starboard, and the toilet is to port. It’s whisper quiet in this stateroom underway, and the ocean vistas are as impressive as they are relaxing.

Guests can relax as well, since all three staterooms belowdecks have either hullside windows or port views. There is a full-beam VIP amidships with an en suite head to port and a vanity to starboard. The head is outboard, running longitudinally, with a sink in the middle and a toilet forward. The shower stall is aft. As in the master stateroom, average headroom here is 6 feet, 6 inches, and natural light and views are courtesy of 36-inch-long, 26-inch-high hullside windows. Forward and to port is a second guest stateroom with an athwartship berth and an en suite head. Both the VIP and this stateroom are accessed via space-saving pocket doors. The third guest stateroom is to starboard with twin berths and in-room access to a day head, which can also be accessed from the companionway.

Sole-to-ceiling glass encompasses most of the superstructure, creating a main deck that feels infinite and is connected to the sea nearly 360 degrees. This design is enhanced further with the yacht’s cut-down and open bulwarks. Narrow stainless-steel supports are all that occasionally come into view while looking outward when seated. In fact, the windows adjacent to the formal dining table for eight people—set amidships and to port—are nearly 8 feet long by 4½-plus feet high. Abaft the dining area are two settees in an L-shaped configuration, as well as a loose chair. A coffee table pulls the space together as a cozy conversation nook. The interior spaces are made to feel warm, thanks to tasteful indirect lighting.

Forward of the dining area—also on the port side—is the Navetta 75’s galley. Equipped for serious at-sea meal prep, it’s outfitted with Miele appliances, including a convection oven, a full-height fridge and freezer, a four-burner cooktop and an Isotherm ice maker. During my time on board, the galley was open to the salon, but this space can be closed off during formal occasions. If it is closed, crew can access the Navetta 75’s side decks via a pantograph door to port, to serve guests discreetly.

The all-weather lower helm is a couple of steps up from the salon. It is set up with twin helm seats, three Garmin multifunction displays, a bow-thruster control and a joystick to manage the twin Volvo Penta IPS1350 diesels around the dock. Cockpit joystick controls are optional. The upper helm is where I spent my wheel time; it can be accessed internally from the lower helm or externally via the cockpit. The helm is on centerline with unobstructed sightlines.

I ran the Navetta 75 off Cannes, France, on a light and variable morning with near-flat, calm seas. I found the yacht relatively nimble and real-time responsive to wheel input with minimal inboard heel on hard-over turns. It was a confidence-inspiring driving experience.

With the throttle on the pins, top speed was 24.9 knots at 2,470 rpm. At top hop, fuel burn is about 102 gallons per hour. Considering a 10 percent reserve on the yacht’s 1,057-gallon fuel capacity, range is around 232 nautical miles. Dial the engines back to 2,100 rpm and a cruise speed of 19.6 knots, and fuel burn drops to 67 gph, while range increases to about 279 nm. Slow cruise at 1,800 rpm and 14.8 knots for fuel consumption of 47 gph and range of 300 nm. For longer voyaging, the Navetta 75 has a 541 nm range at a 10.8-knot jog.

In addition to the upper deck being command central on fair-weather days, it’s also laid out for alfresco entertaining. Owners can personalize the layout here. This Navetta 75 had settee seating for about six guests, plus two chaise longues aft with views of the Côte d’Azur through the glass balustrade. An alfresco dining table under the hardtop is also available here, as well as a sink, a Kenyon grill and a bar, making this a great spot to take in Bimini’s aquamarine waters while grilling some mahimahi for the family. When the sun goes down, indirect lighting sets the mood. Open the hardtop’s retractable roof for stargazing.

The Navetta 75’s foredeck creates yet another alfresco social zone with a sun pad for four guests, and built-in U-shaped seating and a table for sundowners with friends.

I wrote the word “complete” in my notes as I exited the Absolute Yachts Navetta 75. Its effective layout, optimized spaces, admirable performance, luxury flourishes and ability for owners to personalize their yacht makes it a vessel that checks off a lot of must-have boxes. For yachting enthusiasts who are ready to level up to a vessel that is at the border of owner-operator and the crewed-yacht experience, the Navetta 75 is an eminently cruise-worthy consideration.

Room for Crew

Absolute Navetta 75 owners may choose to have full- or part-time crew. To that end, abaft the engine room are two berths for crew. One of the berths is in a separate cabin. The second berth also serves as seating for meals. A window slides up, providing fresh air and access to the teak swim platform. There is also a head with a separate shower stall, a table, and a side-by-side Miele washer and dryer for laundry day.

Here Comes the Sun

About half of the Absolute Navetta 75’s flybridge can be covered with a hardtop. If extra sunshine is desired, the hardtop retracts about 80 percent of its total length. With only a few structural elements—and the fact that owners can personalize this space to accommodate their entertainment-at-sea lifestyle—there is a lot of flexibility in how this deck can be used.

Take the next step: absoluteyachts.com

The post Absolute Yachts Navetta 75 Reviewed appeared first on Yachting.

Feeling the command behind the wheel of a yacht is almost unmatched. The boat is under the control of the skipper, and where it goes is entirely up to who’s at the wheel. Whether you’re seeking a premium dayboat for the weekends, a flybridge model to feel the salt or a long-range cruiser, there’s something here for all on-the-water enthusiasts. Here are nine owner-operator yachts under 100 feet that are ready for a new season on the brine.

Maritimo M55

As we turned the bow north, the Maritimo M55 met 6- to 8-footers, with some 10s mixed in. Our captain, Shawn Minihan, didn’t hesitate when he pushed the throttles down. After that point, we regularly went astronaut (you know, totally weightless) on more than a few launchings at 20-plus knots.

The M55 was a rock, cleaving the seas even though we were sluiced with solid water onto the windscreen of the enclosed bridge. There was not a squeak or groan even though we were moving somewhere around 35 tons of yacht into the air and then back into deep, green-water valleys. — Chris Caswell, “Maritimo’s Sea-Tamer: the M55”

Jeanneau DB/43

Powered with a pair of 380 hp Volvo Penta D6 Duoprop sterndrives, the Jeanneau DB/43 I got aboard topped out at 32 to 33 knots at two-thirds load with 39 percent fuel, 100 percent water and seven people aboard. At a 25-knot cruise, the engines burned about 29 gph, which translates to a theoretical range of 170 nautical miles. At 8 knots, expect 340 nautical miles.

The yacht felt nimble at the wheel and turned tightly. The Michael Peters-penned hull form romped through the lively seas. Close-quarters maneuvering with the joystick was easy as well. These latest sterndrives and their electronic clutches are streets away from the old, clunky installations of the past. They slip in and out of gear smoothly. — Phil Draper, “Jeanneau’s DB/43 Reviewed”

Sunseeker Predator 65

Based on the same hull as its sistership, the 65 Sport Yacht, the Sunseeker Predator 65 has an even purer profile. It eliminates features such as the 65 Sport Yacht’s upper deck, extra stairs, and sports-fly setup with a low-slung driving position, and instead offers a sliding carbon-fiber-and-glass sunroof—which means a proper open-yacht vibe on the main deck. There’s also a foredeck terrace and various cockpit furniture choices, along with a swim platform that can combine with the garage to create a beach club. Suffice it to say, during the day, the outdoors is awesome. — Phil Draper, “Sunseeker Predator 65 Reviewed”

Absolute Yachts 56 Fly

It’s hard to give us more without sacrificing what we already have and want to keep, but that’s exactly what the Absolute Yachts 56 Fly has achieved. It falls in the boatbuilder’s lineup between this past year’s 60 Fly debut and next year’s 52 Fly, and it’s a yacht with serious personality. This Italian-built yacht is, as the builder says, all about charisma.

The 56 Fly has a snub-nosed bow and big windows forward that, to my mind, look like the eyes of a sea turtle. Those full-height picture windows to the sides benefit hugely from notched, cut-down bulwarks, as does the aft deck from the fretted quarter rail. These design elements are all about boosting the views out and underscoring the connection to the sea. — Phil Draper, “Reviewed: Absolute Yachts 56 Fly”

Beneteau Swift Trawler 48

For traditional trawler enthusiasts, the Beneteau Swift Trawler 48 offers a range of 1,300 nautical miles at a leisurely 6.7 knots, or 1,000 nm at 8 knots. Owners can run nonstop from New York to Miami or San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

And yet, with the twin 425 hp Cummins diesels on the Swift Trawler 48 that I got aboard (380 hp Cummins are standard), owners also can scamper for home at 26 knots, if foul weather threatens or reservations for dinner ashore are waiting.

In other words, yachtsmen can have the best of both worlds: range when wanted, speed when needed. — Chris Caswell, “Beneteau’s Swift Trawler 48 Reviewed”

Azimut Verve 42

Blasting off waves, the Azimut Verve 42 landed softly thanks to the 22.5-degree transom deadrise and Michael Peters hull form. Yes, there was spray, but most of it was thrown aside, courtesy of double strakes and a wide spray chine/rail. We were in flat water long enough to see a top speed of 45 knots, and then the Gulf Stream dictated our speeds while we occasionally pushed the envelope. — Chris Caswell, “Azimut Verve 42 Reviewed”

Viking Yachts 64 Convertible

The cockpit’s uncluttered layout is the result of thousands of hours of experience aboard other Vikings in big-game tournaments around the globe. The 64C I got aboard had a leaning post/rod holder that bolted into an aluminum backing plate laminated in the cockpit sole, with double-hatch fish boxes on each side. Abaft that, a rounded teak cap rail held a livewell. Overlooking the whole scene was a mezzanine for crew to keep an eye on the spread, along with tackle stowage and a cold box. This 64C also had a Dometic ice machine on the port side for chilling down the fish boxes. — Chris Caswell, “Reviewed: Viking Yachts 64 Convertible”

Hinckley Yachts 35

This 35-footer has notable speed, thanks in part to a pair of optional 350 hp Mercury outboards. The 35 I got aboard made 40 knots on the pins running at 6,000 rpm with a full load of fuel and a half-tank of water. This thoroughbred-level gallop burns 60 gallons per hour. At top speed—and considering a 10 percent fuel reserve—range is about 180 nautical miles. At 4,000 rpm and a 24-knot cruise speed, fuel burn plummets to 23.5 gph and range jumps to 276 nautical miles.

It’s admirable performance when you consider that those engines are pushing a boat displacing 13,174 pounds. Hinckley also offers Yamaha outboards, and the 35’s standard engines are twin 300s, from either Mercury or Yamaha. At press time, Hinckley had sold 15 hulls, and all the owners had picked the bigger engines, Bryant says. — Patrick Sciacca, “Hinckley Yachts 35 Review”

Riva 68 Diable

A pantograph-framed canvas awning protects most of the aft deck when desired. The whole space forms one big, open main-deck lounge, effectively seamless from the swim platform through to the helm console. As with the smaller Dolceriva and Rivale hardtops, the 68 Diable incorporates air-conditioning ducts, but there’s still plenty of headroom beneath—at least 6 feet, 6 inches. The cockpit furniture that isn’t optional is symmetrical on each side of a central corridor. Two L-shaped sofas extend along each side, with a dining table to port (this table could be specified to starboard instead, or on both sides). On Hull No. 1, this table is mahogany and inlaid with the Riva logo. It’s on a pedestal than can rise or drop at the flick of a switch, creating a day bed. A pop-up TV is abaft the observer bench to starboard. — Phil Draper, “Riva 68 Diable Review”

The post 9 Yachts You Can Have Now appeared first on Yachting.

In director John Huston’s 1948 film Key Largo, Edward G. Robinson’s gangster character, Johnny Rocco, says: “Yeah, that’s right. I want more.”

Well, when it comes to yachts, we’re just like him. We want more light, more space, more volume—all of which usually means more weight, and implications for performance and range.

It’s hard to give us more without sacrificing what we already have and want to keep, but that’s exactly what the Absolute Yachts 56 Fly has achieved. It falls in the boatbuilder’s lineup between this past year’s 60 Fly debut and next year’s 52 Fly, and it’s a yacht with serious personality. This Italian-built yacht is, as the builder says, all about charisma.

The 56 Fly has a snub-nosed bow and big windows forward that, to my mind, look like the eyes of a sea turtle. Those full-height picture windows to the sides benefit hugely from notched, cut-down bulwarks, as does the aft deck from the fretted quarter rail. These design elements are all about boosting the views out and underscoring the connection to the sea.

In profile, the 56 Fly has an abundance of glass, and a lot of it is structural. I like the side-deck overhangs and the way the hull appears to conclude with a raked-aft transom but doesn’t. There is only a low transom to aft-deck height. Rather than adding something conventionally opaque higher up, there’s just a stainless-steel guardrail and a glazed lower balustrade to provide a safe separation of the aft deck and hydraulic swim platform. Like most of the flybridge above, the yacht’s “cockpit terrace” is left bare so owners can choose from a range of Terraforma modular furniture or other setups.

Inside, there’s a galley aft, made all the better for the views between the overhead cupboards and the work surface. Near the galley is an amidships lounge with a dinette. Bucket seats are at the helm console to starboard with an adjacent side-deck door. Those picture windows are made all the more splendid because their center sections open.

Solar panels atop the optional hardtop make 1.5 kW of peak power available during the day. It should be enough to run a TV and the usual fridges and freezers (but not the air conditioning) without the need to burn diesel fuel.

The main salon’s decor majors on light- and dark-stained oak veneers finished in a mix of mattes and satins. The sole is also oak and treated with a nonslip lacquer. Owners can upgrade to the same finishes in the staterooms instead of the standard carpeting.

Those staterooms manage to offer quite a lot. There’s a little more than 6-foot-4-inch average headroom just about everywhere. The owners’ stateroom is forward, where there will be less noise from the engines underway and when the yacht is docked stern-to. There’s substantial space around the forward-facing king berth, along with a walk-in closet and ocean views from the elevated windows.

The VIP stateroom is full-beam amidships and large enough that some owners might choose to call it home. The smallest stateroom is to starboard with transverse berths and a full head across the companionway to port, doubling as the day head. A door in the back of this stateroom’s closet leads to a low crawl space above the keel that runs from amidships far forward to the bow thruster. If it weren’t for the door handle, you would never know it was there. That’s the place for strategic stores.

There is room in the transom for an en suite crew cabin with twin berths, meaning the cabin could serve as a fourth stateroom for owner-operators. Otherwise, the space serves as a lazarette. It’s accessed via a pantograph-style door and half-hatch on the aft deck. Owner-operators or crew can access the engine room through there.

Like the rest of Absolute’s model portfolio, this yacht has a pair of 600 hp Volvo Penta IPS800 diesels. They reportedly deliver a top speed of 27 to 28 knots. That’s what I got at half-load with the Trim Assist system engaged. At a fast cruise of 23 to 24 knots, the 56 Fly’s range is a theoretical 300 nautical miles. At a leisurely 10 knots, owners could conceivably run for 500 nm.

The 56 Fly is good to drive, whether from the lower helm or up top. Visibility is unobstructed from up on high, despite the height of the foredeck. Under acceleration, the bow rises steadily to a maximum 3.5 degrees before dropping off half a degree at the upper reaches of the rpm and speed range.

Alas, my day on board had relaxed sea conditions—no wind and virtually no swell—but Absolute Yachts says the 56 Fly is built for offshore passages in anything up to 40-knot winds and 13-foot seas.

A Seakeeper 9 is the usual gyrostabilizer for this model, but this particular 56 Fly, which was bound for Hong Kong, didn’t have one. This hull also lacked the increasingly popular Dynamic Positioning System option, passerelle and crew cabin—all owner choices that illustrate the builder’s ability to personalize the Absolute 56 Fly in significant ways.

Owners’ Retreat

Absolute is a champion of the forward owners’ stateroom. All but two of its seven 48- to 75-foot Navetta models have one, and those that don’t are older. This past year’s new models, the 48 Coupé and 60 Fly, both have the master up front, as does this latest, the 56 Fly.

The Lineup

Absolute’s 17-model portfolio comprises nine Flys, seven Navettas and one Coupé. The builder employs 250 people and is expected to deliver about 90 boats this year.

Where it’s Made

Absolute’s shipyard is in Podenzano, Italy, around 75 miles or so inland. About 100 miles to the southwest, the coastal town of Varazze is where most final commissioning and pre-delivery checks are done. Most sea trials are conducted from the town’s marina.

What’s in a Name?

Absolute is now giving its models project names and motifs, adding a little extra personality to its creations. Absolute calls the 56 Fly model “Charisma,” which is all about attractiveness and charm that can inspire devotion. The motif for this word is five stylized origami boats, and it’s used in just one spot aboard: within the laminate on a bottom corner of a main salon window. No words, just the graphic. Cool.

Take the next step: absoluteyachts.com

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Absolute Yachts recently announced the latest addition to its Flybridge lineup: the 52 Fly. This yacht adds to a nine-model series ranging from 47 to 60 feet LOA.

Upon ascending the portside stairs to the flybridge, guests are met by the two-seat helm station. To starboard is a U-shaped settee with a dinette. Forward of this seating is a sun pad for at least three; abaft, there is a wet bar on a terrace that almost entirely shades the cockpit below. Absolute says all outdoor furniture is modular and made in-house.

The main deck connects the cockpit and galley via sliding doors. There is a four-burner cooktop on an L-shaped countertop to port, and this galley has a full-height refrigerator, a separate freezer and a pantry. Moving forward and one step up to the salon is C-shaped seating with a dining table to port; opposite is an additional settee for two. The helm station to starboard has two seats, and a door offers side-deck access.

Belowdecks, the Absolute 52 Fly is a three-stateroom, two-head affair. Its amidships and forepeak staterooms can both serve as masters, and there is a twin-berth guest stateroom that converts to a double. The forepeak stateroom’s berth is aft, while its head is in the bow.

Available options, so far, include solar panels atop the flybridge so that owners can enjoy anchoring without the hum of a generator.

In the details: Absolute says its furniture is made with light-colored natural timber and leather trim.

Take the next step: absoluteyachts.com

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Fall boat-show season is always a time to be excited about new launches and yacht designs, but this year the Monaco Yacht Show is adding another level with an Adventure Area. This new part of the show will feature all kinds of things that yachtsmen need for expedition-style cruising, including sporty tenders, off-road vehicles, helicopters and high-tech gadgets.

Sign us up for all of that and more, please. We’re especially keen to have a look this season at the new yachts, all of which caught our eye for different reasons.      

Pardo GT52: First Model in a New Range

The Pardo GT52 is the first model in a new range that builder Pardo Yachts in Italy says falls between its Walkaround and Endurance ranges. The GT52 is designed for owners who want more volume and layout flexibility in the guest areas, but without sacrificing performance. Owners can choose either galley-up or galley-down layouts, with the engines placed closer to the stern, allowing more space for the interior cabin options. That extra space, depending on which galley setup is chosen, can be used for an additional stateroom, a TV lounge, or a larger dinette and a more extensively equipped galley. Standard power is a pair of 650 hp Volvo Penta IPS engines, with 700 hp and 800 hp as options. 

Absolute Navetta 75: The New Flagship

The Absolute Navetta 75 is the new flagship of the Italian builder’s Navetta line, which starts at a Navetta 48 and now includes seven models overall. The Navetta 75 has a full-beam owner’s stateroom at the bow, on a level raised to offer more privacy and wider views of the surroundings. The flybridge “terrace,” as Absolute calls it, has no fixed furnishings, so owners can set up the space however they desire. The cockpit below, on the main level, is similarly arranged for maximum flexibility. Crew quarters are aft, giving the crew and guests alike their privacy, and there are stairs to the flybridge from the bow as well as the stern, so the crew can move around as needed without disturbing anyone else on board. 

Fairline Phantom 65: The Builder’s First Sport Bridge

The Fairline Phantom 65 is the British builder’s first sport-bridge model, and it has an exterior inspired by the design of the Fairline Targa 65. There are two engine options: twin 1,150 hp Caterpillar C18s for a reported top speed of 31 knots, or twin 1,622 hp V-12 Caterpillar C32s that Fairline says will juice that speed in excess of 35 knots. Inside, owners can choose a three- or four-stateroom layout, including an owner’s stateroom with a king-size berth. The galley is aft on the main deck, with a bar that extends to the cockpit, helping to create an indoor-outdoor space. Draft on the Phantom 65 is 5 feet, 2 inches, making the boat ready to explore the Bahamas or any similarly shallow cruising grounds. 

Sirena 78: Ready for Relaxation

Onboard entertainment was top of mind with designers at Turkey-based Sirena Yachts as they developed the Sirena 78. The yacht falls between the Sirena 68 and Sirena 88 in the builder’s lineup, and is different from similar-size builds in that it has no main-deck helm station. Instead, that space is opened up for guest relaxation, with what Sirena calls a “massive galley” for food prep, full-size appliances and parties. Up top, owners can choose an open, semi-enclosed or fully enclosed flybridge, and the foredeck is intended to be used as an alfresco lounge with tables, settees and a sun pad. Down below, accommodations include a full-beam master stateroom amidships and a VIP stateroom in the bow. Both are ensuite.

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Absolute Yachts has spent the past several years focused on its Flybridge and Navetta ranges, but the Italian company started out building sports cruisers. With its 48 Coupe, Absolute comes full circle. This yacht is based on the builder’s 47 Fly platform, and it offers something a little different.

Instead of a conventional transom of opaque composites and perhaps a built-in sofa or sun pad, the 48 Coupe’s aft deck comes bare. There is tinted glass, stainless-steel railing aft for safety, and just one transom gate to starboard. All 102 square feet of “cockpit terrace” is essentially open to owner interpretation, and Absolute offers a range of modular deck furniture for the purpose. (Teak decking is one of the bigger options.)

Like the rest of this Absolute range, this latest model is more stocky than sporty—and that’s a good thing. Long, low and pointy is OK for speed, but not always for comfort. Absolute’s team believes that today’s tastes have moved on to comfortable cruising and quality time aboard.

Note that there’s no sunroof option with this model, principally because Absolute has started to embrace solar technology. The coach roof can carry up to 2.5 kilowatts’ worth of solar cells, part of which are inset into a thermally reflective glass panel that delivers light, but not heat, to the salon below. Half that kilowatt capacity comes standard. The other half is optional. With the full solar set, there should be enough power on a sunny day to run all the usual daytime utilities, save for the air-conditioning system, which needs either the main engines or generator. Then again, there is plenty of fresh air when all the doors are open and the picture windows on each side are lowered halfway down.

Absolute is keeping this model as simple as possible from a production standpoint. The contemporary interior layout and most of the decor are fixed. There’s a choice of aft-deck doors; the 48 Coupe I got aboard had the optional triple-section set that opens extra-wide. The main salon is laid out with an aft galley on the same level as the aft deck. Up a step are a lounge and booth-dining area amidships. The single helm seat and bridge are forward. The salon’s sole is a stained oak that’s optional in the staterooms. There’s 7 feet of headroom in the galley and at least 6 feet, 3 inches up by the prime seats.

Accommodations on the lower deck are three staterooms. There is a forepeak master, a location that makes for quiet should owners want to moor stern-to at the marina. The amount of space beneath the foredeck is pretty good because the bow sections are fairly full. The berth is set on a diagonal. There’s a closet to port, and the en suite shower is to starboard. Absolute makes use of sliding, or “pocket,” doors to conserve space.

The yacht’s two other staterooms are amidships. The one to port is a forward-facing, double-berth affair with a vanity desk or a washer/dryer cupboard, as well as a closet inboard that runs across the rest of the beam to starboard. A twin-berth stateroom is forward of that closet to starboard. Both guest staterooms share the portside shower, which doubles as a day head.

All of Absolute’s models have Volvo Penta IPS diesels. The 48 Coupe comes with twin 480 hp D6 diesels and IPS650 pod drives. Expect about a 28-knot top-end speed at 3,800 rpm, depending on load. This model will be most efficient skipping along at around 25 knots and 3,500 rpm, at which the fuel burn is around 1.6 gallons per mile. Given the fuel capacity of 423 gallons, that’s 10 hours’ worth of cruising time. At 20 knots, the motors will burn around 34 gallons per hour, providing a theoretical range of around 224 nautical miles with a 10 percent reserve. At 10 knots, the range would push out by another 40 nm or so, and at 8 knots, owners could conceivably run for around 500 nm.

Ergonomics at the helm are good whether the skipper is seated or perched on the bolster. Unusual for a boat this size, there’s full standing headroom at the wheel, as well as a side-deck door. Thanks to all that glass—and the absence of a tall fridge/freezer in the galley—the views from the wheel are virtually 360 degrees.

I ran Hull No. 1 off Varazze, Italy, which lies 20 miles west of Genoa. It’s a confidence-inspiring, stable yacht to pilot. To turn more sharply, disengage the coordinated turn function in Volvo Penta’s Active Ride Control system. Doing so will automatically limit any leaning through turns.

Absolute’s return to its roots seems to be successful. The 48 Coupe offers the comfort and luxury of the Flybridge and Navetta lines, but with a look and feel that sports-cruiser enthusiasts can embrace.

Docking Help

The first 48 Coupe has Volvo Penta’s Assisted Docking system. The IPS joystick not only vectors thrusts from the pods and a Sleipner proportional bow thruster, but it also references those with dynamic-positioning capability. The boat can go just about anywhere, including perfectly sideways. When I took my hand off the joystick, the boat held the same position and attitude—a great comfort to even the most experienced captains.

Safe and Secure

Raymarine’s DockSense technology helps prevent collisions by overriding steering and throttle commands. The system has three camera boxes, one on each side and one aft-facing. Their views appear together on one of the helm’s monitors, with a schematic radar view that references the gaps between the boat and any surface objects. Green, amber and red colors combined with audible beeps warn the skipper as the gaps narrow.

Take the next step: absoluteyachts.com

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The design of the Absolute Yachts 60 Fly points the way ahead for the Italian builder. Key to the new look is the chopped stern and “cockpit terrace,” which dispenses with the usual molded transom in favor of an essentially blank-canvas, 160-square-foot aft deck. It has nothing more than a stainless-steel guardrail and glazed balustrade to separate it from the swim platform. Gone is any built-in furniture; instead, owners can choose modular furniture or anything else.

The result is serious, customizable outdoor space. The same is true on the flybridge, which hangs over most of the side decks and virtually the whole aft deck. The flybridge measures around 300 square feet with booth seating, a wet bar, and a helm console with one or two seats. There’s more open space aft for owner preferences. The forward half of the flybridge is protected by the hardtop, and most of the remainder has an electrically retractable sunshade.

And there’s an additional 140 square feet of space on the foredeck with another sun pad, bench sofa and table.

When it’s time to retreat from the outdoors, the salon has the galley aft and to port, with various lounge and dining options to starboard and amidships. Headroom throughout the salon and on the aft deck is just over 6 feet, 6 inches. There’s access to fresh air via a drop-down window to port and the side-deck door adjacent to the helm, which is a twin-seat affair to starboard. The principal veneers throughout this model are stained Alaska oak—some matte, some high-gloss.

One of the 60 Fly’s defining features is the master stateroom forward. Its door is off a dogleg staircase that takes people forward and then aft from beneath the windshield. Hullside windows are the giveaway from the exterior to the owner’s stateroom location. Inside, they open up the space dramatically with light and views. There’s a forward-facing centerline queen berth, a vanity/desk and a walk-in closet. The en suite shower is tucked into the forepeak and also has sea views.

For guests, there’s an en suite stateroom amidships with a transverse double berth to starboard, and a twin-berth stateroom to port with use of a separate shower room that serves as the day head. All the guest berths have 6.5-foot-long mattresses (crew berths are slightly shorter). The double-berth stateroom also conceals a surprise: A door in the back of the closet leads to a long, low technical space that extends from atop the keel amidships all the way forward to the thruster tunnel. Alongside, there’s space for stores.

A crew cabin for two with a head/shower is tucked inside the transom. The entrance is via a pantograph door in the transom and a companion hatch in the deck. This cabin could handle extra guests too. Kids of a certain age will love it.

Power is twin Volvo Penta D11-725 IPS950 diesels. The 60 Fly I got aboard was lightly loaded with four people, 30 percent fuel and an empty water tank. Flat-out, the yacht managed just over 29 knots downwind and a little above 28 knots on the reciprocal heading. The Volvo Penta Interceptor system and the NG9 Seakeeper were active throughout the sea trial. At a typical fast cruise of around 22 knots at 2,250 rpm, the fuel burn was around 56 gallons per hour, which meant a range of 280 nautical miles or so was possible. For those who are happy to bumble along at 8 knots, the fuel burn fell away to 8 gph, which extended range to about 900 nm.

Helm ergonomics are good, and there’s a nearly 360-degree view from the helm, save for the galley area and a bit of a stoop for those of us north of 6 feet tall when the yacht is bow-up and on-plane. The 60 Fly handles well and is satisfyingly quick in the turns. This boat had Volvo Penta’s joystick and autopilot system too, but it didn’t have the Dock Assist option, which, from experience, I thoroughly recommend getting. One 12-inch Garmin multifunction display comes standard, but two 17-inch units are an option. There’s room for a 12- or 16-inch multifunction display up top.

The base price for the 60 Fly is $2.1 million. With a strong set of options, as seen on this 60 Fly, expect to sail away for around $3 million. The big-ticket extras include the hardtop, the 882-pound hydraulic platform, the Seakeeper NG9 gyrostabilizer and teak decking.

At the time of my October run off Varazze, Italy, the first three 60 Fly hulls were close to their final destinations. Our ride was destined for an owner in Croatia, the second was bound for Florida, and the third was heading to Hong Kong.

In other words, the Absolute 60 Fly has global appeal.  

Hitting Stride

Flybridge motoryachts around 60 feet are popular, and Absolute has two other Fly models that size already: the 58 Fly and 62 Fly, each with a conventional amidships master stateroom. For now, at least, the 60 Fly will join them instead of replacing them. 

Surprising Texture 

The walls are done in interesting cloth-effect panels made from wood with printed-fabric patterns and a high-gloss lacquer. Those panels are real touch points, and I still can’t quite believe they’re not actually a fabric.

Quietude Throughout

At full speed, I recorded 85 to 86 decibels at the helm (about the same as a gas-powered lawnmower) and 82 decibels at a fast cruise. At 8 knots, the level was 74 decibels, and at 5 knots, it was 71 decibels (about the volume of normal conversation). In the staterooms, the numbers were much the same. Noise in the master was mostly related to water running over the hull. At 10 knots, the owner’s stateroom registered 76 to 80 decibels.

Solar-Power Assist

Instead of a sunroof in the hardtop, Absolute is now championing the installation of solar panels up top. Given the appropriate weather, the panels can deliver 1.5 kW of peak power, which will run all the usual hotel systems during the day, save for the AC. That means this yacht can be truly silent at anchor, with no need to run the generator. 

Take the next step: absoluteyachts.com

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