Azimut launches flagship 26m Seadeck 9 yacht model

Italian shipyard Azimut has announced the launch of the first unit from its flagship Seadeck 9 yacht model. The 26-metre new build hit the water at the yard's Avigliana facilities, on track with a scheduled delivery date this summer. The yacht will debut at the 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival.

Alberto Mancini is behind the model's exterior lines, while interiors are the work of Milan-based designers Matteo Thun & Antonio Rodriguez, both of which have been curated to transform owners and guests on board "back to nature". The Seadeck 9 stands as the yard's flagship model in its hybrid Seadeck series and was first unveiled at the 2023 Cannes Yachting Festival.

A key feature of the design can be found on the aft deck, otherwise known as the "Fun Island", which is defined by a cascade of three terraces, generous sunpads, a pool and a descending swim platform to blur the connection with the sea. There are 60 square metres of living space here, intended as a place to share and experience with family and friends.

Inside, the Seadeck 9 captures the series' conscious-led design through a "simple and elegant language centered on the relationship between people and the environment", according to the yard. Large, floor-to-ceiling windows and natural light add to the bright and calming atmosphere.

As the first unit launched from the flagship line, the new build now also marks the largest yacht ever built at the Azimut facilities in Avigliana. The yard benefitted from a €50,000,000 investment plan in 2023, which redesigned spaces, processes and production flows, and enabled the construction of yachts up to 27 metres.

“Avigliana represents a unique reality in the industry: building boats at the feet of mountains has encouraged us to develop new solutions, to push our technical and engineering capabilities to the limit, and to manage the entire process, from fiberglass and carbon to the finished boat," said Giovanna Vitelli, chair of the Azimut|Benetti Group. "Seadeck 9 is the product of 50 years spent making the unthinkable possible, 50 years of challenges overcome."

The shipyard noted that the Seadeck 9 is ready to install the Volvo Penta hybrid propulsion system. The Seadeck series aims to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40 per cent in an average year of use, both while sailing and at anchor.

According to BOATPro, Azimut currently has 77 yachts under construction or on order. The yard unveiled the newest addition to its popular line of explorer-oriented vessels during boat show season last year.