62 Azimut Flybridge

Source: Tom Thompson, Sea Magazine

Italian luxury and beauty reaches new heights

“Bello sentirsi mancare la terra sotto i piedi.”

This Italian phrase appears in the brochure for the new Azimut 62 Flybridge, and I’m told the approximate English translation is, “It’s great not to feel the earth under your feet.”

Although the implication is to glide across the water, it could also imply flying over it — and while cruising on smooth seas from the 62 Flybridge’s upper station, you feel far enough above the water that you could be flying. Similar to being on an airplane, you know you’re moving fast, but it hardly seems like it. At a 20-knot cruising speed, I read an exceptionally quiet sound level of 70 dB, little of which was engine noise. (Try getting that low of a reading on a plane!)

Outside Delights
The 62 Flybridge I tested had a pair of Caterpillar C-18 diesels rated at 1,015 hp each. They were a good match to the boat, providing excellent acceleration. Handling was superb, with an overall feel like that of a much smaller craft.

Sea conditions were rather calm while I was out, so I didn’t have a chance to see how the 62 would handle in rough water. However, if this hull were anything like that of other Azimuts I’ve tested, there would be no unpleasant surprises.

The flybridge is the crowning feature of the Azimut 62. Its deck space is more than half of the boat’s footprint. There’s a large, semi-circular seating area along the starboard side, and the forward portion expands into a massive sunpad. A dining table at the center of the seating area is served by a wet bar to port, immediately behind the helm. Although the 62 has upper and lower stations, you’ll likely favor being above. (It’s all about the flying, you know.) An aft section of the flybridge overhangs the cockpit below and provides space to stow a tender to place additional sunpads. The davit here is a standard feature.

There’s bench seating along the transom and enough deck space for a cocktail table and individual chairs. The table stows in a locker under the stairs to the flybridge. You can also dock a tender or a water toy on the wide swim platform. A compartment under the transom seating can be fitted as a crew cabin complete with a head, or it can be left open for storage.

Smooth Design
A predominant characteristic of Azimut styling is the absence of hard edges. Everywhere you look in the salon, there are long, flowing lines. The softness to the eye is complemented by softness to the touch in the fabrics and upholstery. Even the high-gloss woodwork seems to take on a different aura when it’s used in curved cabinetry.

The main seating area in the salon has a U-shaped settee to port and a straight one along the starboard side. Two steps up from that level offers more seating to starboard at a U-shaped dinette. The black granite galley countertop on our test boat was a striking contrast to the wood cabinetry, and there is a complete array of full-size appliances.

Where the upper helm station is stark in the simplicity of its white gelcoat, the lower station is a visual feast of colors, curves and contrasts. A padded leather console holds a burled wood panel where the engine gauges are set. The wood steering wheel, with its brushed chrome spokes, sits proudly on the boat’s centerline. Sitting in the driver’s seat is a unique experience in comfort and pleasure.

Sleep on It
Each of the three staterooms on the lower deck of the 62 Flybridge has its own head. The full-beam master suite is amidships and holds a queen berth, set at an angle coming out of the aft port corner. A dressing table runs along the opposite side of the compartment. Three large oval windows on each side — quickly becoming a common element on board Azimuts — fill the space with daylight. As clothing-conscious as some Italians are, it’s no surprise to find a large walk-in wardrobe in the aft starboard corner, complete with wood shelving and drawers to store your wardrobe. The master bath extends across the aft of the suite as a buffer zone against the engine compartment.

The forward suite has a pedestal berth at the center and its own walk-in wardrobe. There is standup headroom throughout the starboard-side third stateroom, which has twin berths.

A Great Line
The Azimut 62 Flybridge has lines that reflect motion and a sense of adventure. From the point of her bow to the gentle tumblehome of the stern, there’s a stylish flow. To the cognoscenti, this boat is known as the 62 Fly. Those little wing motifs at the end of the flybridge seem quite appropriate.