58 Azimut Flying Bridge 2008

Source: Capt. Grant Rafter, Power & Motoryacht Magazine

Italy has hundreds of little museums, most with something worth looking at behind their engraved doors. Sometimes the art is inspiring, sometimes just surprising, but usually adding up to something fine and enjoyable. Moreover, it helps you understand what style and craftsmanship are supposed to be about.

You could say the same thing about Azimut’s 58 Flying Bridge, specifically the interior design of Carlo Galeazzi and the exterior design and overall concept of Stefano Righini. Her artful interior is appointed with grain-matched, raised-panel pickled oak walls and furnishings. Since the panels all look the same, it’s difficult to tell a facade from the front of a drawer. Not that this is a bad thing; anyone who’s been on the boat a while will know the difference, and for me it made every compartment I opened a bit of a treat, as if I were walking through an advent calendar.

For instance, along the outside of the galley’s bar are hidden drawers in which to store the cutlery and porcelain dinnerware that come with the yacht. Each drawer, in classic nautical style, has a piece of mortised white oak to precisely accommodate each piece. The panels in the lounge area aft of the galley hide accessories such as the remotes for both the stereo and the fixed LCD TV (not yet installed on my test boat). At the lower helm station, another cut of white oak appears to be merely a small writing surface; but hinges along the upper face told me otherwise. I set my fingers under the lip and lifted it to reveal a brushed-aluminum breaker panel. Even the head in the master suite has an unassuming cabinet behind the porcelain bowl whose large volume—313⁄8″x231⁄4″x11″—makes it perfect for a clothes hamper. But wood is not the only material used to cover and hide items aboard. A slight push on the fabric walls above the steps that lead down to the staterooms pops open a latch and reveals the Hoover washing machine.

When I followed the steps around their 90-degree bend to a small landing area at their base, I came to more steps leading down and aft toward the master. Four others took me forward toward a higher landing and the three guest staterooms. Knowing there had to be space underneath the stairs, I searched for a way to lift them; but I found none. Rolling up the carpet on both the lower and upper platforms again revealed nothing. I mused for a second, and then inspired, I headed to the VIP, where I discovered the access beneath the carpet. When I lifted the scuttle and stuck my shoulders into the cavity, I found a fuel tank occupying the space directly under the stairs and an 8-kW bow thruster in the front of the compartment. Since carpeting runs through every part of the interior, with the exception of the galley and heads, servicing some areas might take a little longer than it would with a solid sole. It’s a small price to pay for comfy feet.

The VIP held more unexpected features. Part of the overhead slides back to reveal the 22-inch Nemo hatch, and long windows on either side hold 151⁄2″x91⁄4″ opening ports that offer the possibility of cross-ventilation. (Both these and the 10″x131⁄4″ ports on either side in the master are certified by Registro Italiano Navale—RINA for short.) The head to port and the guest cabin with twins to starboard have dead lights; the guest cabin’s are circular and 12 inches in diameter, so not as much natural light enters. Yet, halogen lighting set inside a square three-inch stainless steel frame does a fine job at illuminating the space.

Boat Specifications:

Boat Type: Cruiser

Standard Power: 2/800-mhp MAN R6 diesel inboards

Optional Power: none

Length Overall (LOA): 58’8″

Beam: 16’3″

Draft: 4’6″

Weight: 56,000 lbs. (w/ standard fuel load)

Fuel Capacity: 740 gal.

Water Capacity: 172 gal.

Standard Equipment: telescopic passarelle; 20-kW Kohler genset; 6.5-kW bow thruster; Treben helm chair; 8-person cutlery set; 8/fenders; scissor-shape queen berth; Delta anchor w/ Quick windlass

Test Engines: 2/ 800-mhp MAN R6 diesel inboards

Transmissions / Ratio: ZF/2.037:1

Props: 30×42 Italian Propellers 4-blade nibral

Steering: BCS hydraulic power-assisted

Controls: Rexroth electronic

Optional Equipment On Test Boat: 8-kW bow and stern thrusters; Racor fuel-water separator for genset; 15.8-gph watermaker; 72,000-Btu Tropic Air A/C; flying bridge covers; crew cabin; joystick controls; dishwasher; Raymarine electronics: VHF, 3/ E120 chartplotters, and autopilot