The first of a new range of hybrid cruisers, the Azimut Seadeck 6 is billed as a gentler, more sustainable way to go boating. Does it succeed? Alex Smith finds out
When testing the first new Azimut Seadeck 6 we had to wait a little longer than expected, principally because the Italian builder’s last-minute decision to debut the model at Milan Design Week skewed the schedules. But better weather and a more dramatic backdrop were ultimately our reward. We finally caught up with her six weeks later at the Venice Boat Show.
Azimut tells us the Azimut Seadeck 6 concept is rooted in a ‘back to nature’ philosophy that not only includes ethically sourced and recycled materials wherever possible, but also presents a cleaner, softer aesthetic inside and out with the sea as the primary focus.
The 57ft 5in Azimut Seadeck 6 is the first of several Seadeck models. A 72ft Seadeck 7 was launched at Cannes Boat Show earlier this year and an 85ft Seadeck 9 will be introduced sometime in 2026. Whereas the Seadeck 6 is a hardtop coupé, the Seadeck 7 and 9 are sportsflys.
As with most of Azimut’s current range, the exterior styling is by Alberto Mancini. He says that openness and transparency were the watch words for the Seadeck range. That is certainly evident in the cleaner lines and softer, gentler vibe that the Seadeck 6 gives off, despite the plumb bow and raked-aft windscreen lending it a distinctly modern edge.
It’s the stern area, however, that really defines this new Seadeck – a three-tier terrace that seamlessly connects the saloon, cockpit and bathing platform. With its fold-down terraces and extended bathing platform, it’s like a scaled-down version of the ‘Oasis Deck’ that has proved so successful for Azimut’s superyacht sister company, Benetti.
Azimut has dubbed this the ‘Fun Island’, and while the name may lack some of the original’s sophistication, it does transform access to the sea. That hydraulic platform, incidentally, will accommodate up to a 3.4m (11ft) tender.
As the stern platform lowers it reveals a wide, gently sloping staircase down to sea level
Recycling
As with all Seadeck models, the Azimut Seadeck 6 is fitted with reconstituted cork decks rather than real or artificial teak. Cork has a lot going for it; it’s a natural, sustainable bark that can be harvested without killing the tree. It’s impermeable, fire-retardant, elastic and buoyant.
Certainly it feels soft and warm underfoot and while it wasn’t sunny enough to confirm it, we’re assured it doesn’t get quite as hot as teak in the full glare of the sun. Whether it will last as long remains to be seen, although with no grain to match, grafts are at least easier to blend in.
The cockpit consists of a lounge-dinette just outside the saloon door with an aft-facing bench sofa, extendable table and a sunpad, the leading edge of which converts to a forward-facing sofa with the aid of a flippable back/headrest.
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Walkaround decks connect to the foredeck. This involves a short two-step climb but they are nicely protected behind deep bulwarks, which have cut outs at their bases to enhance the profile and allow light and views into the interior. There is more sunbathing space forward of the windshield but the foredeck itself is just a working space and consequently relatively small. That plumb bow, incidentally, includes a concealed anchor.
Wellness was the primary inspiration for the interior design team, which was led by designers Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, as was the management of light.
The main deck space is zoned conventionally enough with a walkway to port and everything else to starboard. Instead of sliding glass doors between saloon and cockpit, there’s a galley work surface stretching across from a starboardside fridge-freezer to a single glass door to port. However, the window above that worktop does drop-down to open up the space visually, allowing food and drinks to be conveniently passed between the galley and outside table.
The softer lines are designed to be more in keeping with its surroundings
The main saloon is a very light, bright space with minimal clutter and maximum views. Everything with a function, save for seats and table, is concealed from view, whether that’s the induction hobs on an otherwise flush worktop or the TV screen that hinges down from the headlining. Big full-height picture windows along both sides, especially evident to port because of the absence of furniture, dominate with big views, while the creamy white upholstery helps bounce light into every corner and soften any natural shadowing.
The oak veneers of the laminated sole and matching ribbed panelling diffuse the light further. Plus there’s a large skylight over half that lounge area to starboard with a louvred blind that breaks up the light. Both the skylight and the louvres are fixed rather than opening. Discreet spots and LED lighting deliver a similar softness throughout the boat at night.
Azimut has succeeded in producing a boat that is significantly more sustainable than most of its rivals
Also vital to the Seadeck offering is the use of recycled materials. Azimut says each Azimut Seadeck 6 contains material from around 15,000 recycled plastic bottles equating to almost a third of the interior. Even the optional Econyl carpets are made from recycled plastics, including, appropriately enough, old fishing nets.
Azimut Seadeck 6 below deck
Lower-deck accommodation consists of three cabins on the Azimut Seadeck 6. The owner’s is located in the usual full-beam slot amidships but has an inward-facing transverse bed to starboard, a sofa to port with storage behind and more of the signature ribbed oak panelling and Venetian blinds. Its ensuite shower-room is tucked into the aft port corner.
The galley is so discreet you wouldn’t even know it’s there
It’s good to see that there’s plenty of storage space in here, but some of it, like the wardrobe and drawer space adjacent to the bed, is rather awkward to get at because it requires reaching over some of the low-slung joinery around the bed, which presumably conceals the rake of the vee hull. Similarly, you have to be kneeling on the bed to open the porthole.
Then there’s a VIP cabin in the bow with good windows to either side and an aft-facing bed that shares its Jack-and-Jill-doored ensuite with a starboard-side twin cabin. The latter is very snug. It has two slender berths, the inboard one slightly bigger than the outboard one, and, because they’re so close together (just 9.5in apart), it is not easy to spot the step in the floor between them in the shadows – I found it the hard way! It’s there to boost headroom by the bed.
Port side is devoid of furniture to make the most of the tall windows
Headroom elsewhere on the lower deck is ok. There’s 6ft 4in (1.93m) in the owner’s cabin and 6ft 5in (1.95m) in the VIP. There’s also space for a washer-drier off the lower lobby.
There’s room for a single crew cabin beneath the cockpit sole as well, although the first one that we tested had it configured as an electrical systems space instead, as it was bound for an owner-driver.
A question of efficiency
Pulling the Azimut Seadeck 6 along are either triple 380hp Volvo Penta IPS500s or 480hp IPS650s. Using three smaller blocks was deemed to be more efficient in terms of fuel consumption as well as space requirements.
Our test boat had the more powerful engines and was at a little under half-load during our sea trial (46% fuel, 66% water, eight people but no tender or stores). With the Seakeeper off and Trim Assist on, the best we could manage was 31 knots.
The skylight above the sofa has fixed louvres to project dappled light and shade
Trimming manually managed to nudge this up to 32 knots. Given time constraints we only managed to record speed and fuel figures at 500rpm increments but in retrospect we could have done with seeing what happened every 250rpm as the relationship between speed and fuel efficiency isn’t as predictable as usual.
For instance, our numbers suggest it’s more efficient at 3,500rpm and 28 knots than it is at 22 knots (8.6 litres per mile vs 7.72lpm). Allowing for a 20% reserve, this equates to a cruising range of 249nm at 28 knots but only 223nm at 22 knots. You have to slow things right down to less than ten knots before the range pushes out to 500nm or more.
A drop-down window above the galley allows it to double as a handy cockpit bar
The handling is well mannered if not particularly exciting and the visibility is good forward and to the sides but there are the usual blind spots aft owing to the full-height fridge freezer, the rear support pillars and the rise of the bow at speed.
The Fun Island maximises guests’ connection with the sea
Our test boat was also impressively quiet; cantering along at 20 knots with all the doors closed, we recorded just 63dBA at the helm, 65dBA in the VIP and 67dBA in the owner’s stateroom.
Mild hybrid
Although the Seadeck 6’s hull is GRP, 40% of the deck and superstructure is carbonfibre. The fold-down terraces and hydraulic platforms are all carbon too. That keeps down the displacement, which in turn reduces CO2 emissions.
The owners’ cabin is arranged with the bed facing across the beam
While the larger Seadeck models will have the option of hybrid diesel/electric propulsion, the Seadeck 6 has a simpler mild hybrid offering. This comprises a 400V Torqeedo 40kWh battery pack housed in a separate technical space that can power all the ship’s systems, including the Seakeeper stabiliser and air conditioning, for up to eight hours at night or four hours during the day.
This can either be recharged by shore power, the onboard generator (our test boat had a 15kW Mase variable-speed unit), a shaft-generator on the port engine and a pair of alternators on the starboard engine, as well as the 1.4kWp of solar panelling on the coachroof.
Azimut Seadeck 6 specification
LOA: 57ft 5in (17.50m)
Beam: 16ft 7in (5.05m)
Draft: (Full-Load) 4ft 5in (1.35m)
Fuel Capacity: 2,400L
Water: 590L
Displacement: (Full-load) 27.6 tonnes
RCD: B/RINA
Design Exterior: GA Alberto Mancini
Interior: Matteo Thun & Antonio Rodriguez
Price from: €1.85m ex VAT
Contact: azimutyachts.com
Azimut Seadeck 6 costs & options
Upgrade to IPS650: €75,500
Advance package: €195,100
Proportional bow thruster: €15,500
Seakeeper 9 stabiliser: €134,950
Volvo Assisted Docking: €59,950
Cork side decks: €19,000
Crew cabin: €46,000
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Verdict
There’s only so much a yachtbuilder can do to be sustainable while delivering planing performance from diesel engines, but by doing what it can to reduce fuel burn (IPS engines/efficient hull shape/carbon fibre) while simultaneously focusing on using recycled and recyclable materials, Azimut has succeeded in producing a boat that, while far from carbon neutral, is at least significantly more sustainable that most of its immediate rivals. Crucially, it has managed this while still being just as quick, quiet, pretty and beautifully finished as ever. Factor in the added appeal of that spectacular Fun Island and the result is a boat you can feel good about for all the right reasons.
