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Seems you can't turn around for five minutes these days without Atlantis launching a new model. The company has been burning the candle at both ends ever since it was set up in 2001 by Azimut-Benetti, which bought the high-tech Gobbi shipyard in Piacenza, Italy, for the purpose.
It started with a 42 and a 47, both nice-looking craft, and then came the radical-looking 55 with her domed-glass hardtop and science-fiction folding tables. Last year the company took the bold step of hiring Michael Peters to design the hull and exterior of the Atlantis 39, which was announced grandly as a "world boat" that will appeal to all international markets. It turned out so great, Atlantis asked Peters back to do a 35. And there's also the new 50, the company's sixth new model in five years.
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The 50, however, is very much the son of the 55. The hull is a shortened version of the bigger boat's Ausonio & Falletta design, and the styling, with its distinctive domed wheelhouse, is a kind of homage by the Atlantis design office to the Stefano Righini original. To my eye, at least, it's an improvement.
Although in terms of length and displacement there's not a huge difference between Atlantis' two biggest boats, the new 50 and the older 55 are radically different in outlook. While the flagship was conceived as a style manifesto for the fledgling brand, with her outlandish looks and designer tables, two luxurious double cabins, and three heads, the 50 seems to be a conscious step back to the eternal verities of the cruising boat. She's simpler. Her looks are less flashy, but more handsome. There's an emphasis on practicality and comfort, rather than on ostentation.
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The 50 proved to be a sporty performer, clocking more than 36 mph. |
Take the tables, for instance. On the 55 both the one located in the cockpit and the one that's in the saloon were works of art. They cried out for attention. But they were only averagely good at keeping your drink off the floor. The tables on the 50, on the other hand, you hardly even notice—but you'll find your gin and tonic exactly where you left it.
There is also no tender garage—your boat for the boat will live instead on the 50's bathing platform, to be launched and recovered by the electro-hydraulic hoist that doubles as a passerelle. It's not very James Bond, but it's easy and practical.
The accommodation layout on the 50 makes excellent use of the available hull volume, with a master suite in the bow and two pretty reasonable guest cabins amidships—one a double, and one with twin berths. There are just the two heads, sensibly—a fairly small one for the master cabin up forward on the starboard side, and a slightly larger guest head to port with access from both the saloon and the port guest cabin. In the center of things is a comfortable saloon with a long, straight galley on the port side and a slightly longer L-shape sofa to starboard, facing a big plasma TV.
Plenty of effort has gone into providing practical stowage space. The master cabin does best, with lockers around the edge, three big drawers under the berth, and a big hanging locker; with just its single hanging locker, the starboard guest cabin comes off worse. The galley is exceptionally well thought out, with the big refrigerator and freezer installed in lockers below the countertop and custom-made stowage for crockery and cutlery. It also has plenty of general locker space, some of it fitted with excellent sliding racks.
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