Test driving the Azimut Seadeck 6 in Venice

3 June 2024 • Written by Lucy Dunn

It was a hot muggy morning at the Venice Boat Show, which made the cooling sea breeze all the more welcome as we put Azimut’s new Seadeck 6 through her paces out in the lagoon.

The 17.5-metre vessel is the first in a series of three mild hybrid yachts, a range that will eventually include two bigger flybridge models and a culmination of Azimut’s 20-year R&D drive to reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption throughout its fleet.

Complementing the three 480 HP engines are solar panels that feed a battery pack to run the boat’s hotel load emissions -free for up to eight hours when stationary. Azimut claims this hybrid propulsion, complete with optimised hull and lightweight carbon fibre used in the superstructure, will reduce C02 emissions by up to 40 per cent over a year of average use compared to a traditional boat of similar dimensions. This is accompanied by a range of eco-focussed details throughout the yacht.

By the sounds of it, Azimut spent a lot of time refining the hull shape and this is perhaps the model's most winning feature. The Seadeck showed us how she can progress smoothly through from displacement to planing and be most fuel-efficient at brisk cruising speeds between 22 and 27 knots. “I am proud of what we did with this hull,” Iacopo Senarega, Azimut’s research project manager, told me as we gathered speed. “Of course, I'm a technician, so I'm naturally more focused on naval architecture, but I think that the range of speeds the owner or captain can choose while keeping the efficiency at the same level is impressive. Equally, the design, which reflects all this engineering work; reducing consumption, reducing emissions, and giving the owner a wonderful experience.”

The aft deck centres around what Azimut calls the ‘Fun Island’, a place “where owners can get away from their daily routine and live in total contact with the sea.” The stepped deck is fitted with eco-friendly cork that is not only great for grip, but dries quickly and doesn’t get hot like wooden decks. Cork has also been carried through on the handrail of the side decks, which is a nice touch. Fun fact: the core of the boat is made from recycled plastic, or to be more precise, from 15,000 plastic bottles.

The Fun Island has been built round outdoor living.

Inside, the creamy white pared-down interiors, designed by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, have a sustainable theme, including carpets made from recycled plastic or fishing nets. The open-plan main saloon features both a lounging area, galley and the helm station. A floor-to-ceiling window on one side gives you uninterrupted views out to the ocean and is fitted with anti-UV glass to reduce the need for air conditioning. A glass opening in the bulwark means you can still see the sea when sitting.

Everything in the galley is super-streamlined. No ugly kit here: the compact galley has an induction hob built into a tactile Lapitec worktop with only a few buttons to indicate its presence. The sink can be hidden away, the TV flips down from the ceiling and the fridge, cupboards and oven is tucked behind a ribbed light wood facia.

Facing aft, the kitchen cleverly blends into the living area .

The helm station has windows front and side and a 360 view.

Below on the lower deck, there is a three-cabin, two-bathroom arrangement. The owner’s cabin comes with a private bathroom and plenty of storage. There is decent headroom, plenty of natural light and lots of space to move around, with a sofa tucked to one side. The VIP has private access to the dayhead, and while the twin is snug with narrow single beds, it will sleep two children or adults for a short jaunt. In smaller boats, corridors can feel dark and claustrophobic but this one benefitted from a strategically placed upper deck window.

The owner's cabin has plenty of room for two people to move around.

So how did the Seadeck 6 perform? Thanks to her optimised hull and, of course, her Seakeeper stabiliser, she never once sacrificed comfort over speed. Perhaps most remarkable was how quiet the boat was at top speed (around 30-32 knots), with most of the noise coming from the water underneath the hull. Despite twisting the boat around a choppy lagoon and pushing the boat from zero to full throttle in under a minute, the ride was smooth; passengers sitting on the aft deck were sheltered and there was almost no spray evident on the hull or windows when the boat finally cruised back into port.

Azimut’s marketing blurb promises that the Seadeck is a “gentle way to live the sea” and the streamlined hull, quietly understated interiors and sustainable touches go a long way to tick that box. A stylish boat that delivers what she promises - style, and substance.