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Come morning, however, not everyone will be as well rested as your guests. The single crew cabin in the stern is an option and should perhaps stay that way. What seems like a lot of space for a bunch of casually stowed fenders is, to a human, little more than a coffin with extra headroom. If you do find a captain who is actually prepared to live there, keep an eye on him—he's probably mad.
Out at sea the 47 seemed inclined to enjoy herself. Acceleration was exceptionally lively. My yardstick for a cruising boat is 20 knots (23 mph) in 20 seconds, but the torque of the Caterpillar C9s gives the 47 a real kick up the backside. She was past 25 knots (29 mph) well before the stopwatch reached 20.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
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Boatbuilders often look slightly askance when I insist on measuring acceleration on comfortable cruising machines, which clearly have no ambitions to be first away from the lights. But these numbers do give a useful indication of throttle response—and that's important on any planing boat, especially when the weather cuts up rough and you want the boat to react quickly to whatever's coming.
Of course, taut throttle reactions are only half the story. In rough-weather handling, you also need instant answers to your helm inputs, so you can pick out an accurate course between the waves. Here, this first 47 off the line was a bit of a letdown, with a distinctly unenthusiastic helm response. The turning circle looked a good 400 yards across, but catching up with our wake (the only lumpy water available) took so long there was hardly any of it left by the time we got there, although when we did manage it and carved our way through, I was quite impressed with the hull's soft ride.
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That semicircular, electric window is a unique Azimut feature. |
It's all a question of style, of course. Some helmsmen simply prefer to slow down in choppy weather rather than coming on like some wannabe raceboat driver. But we all have to deal with our midlife crisis in our own way. The Azimut engineer onboard also admitted that he was a bit disappointed with the steering. Eleven turns lock-to-lock equates to just six degrees of rudder swing for each turn of the wheel, when it should be more like ten degrees. He's on the case; I'd expect a better showing on future boats.
The 47's in-harbor handling was exceptional, thanks to the optional Sea Energy joystick control system with which she was equipped, but even when I was using just the silky electronic engine controls, she was a pussycat, her big props translating the lightest touches into precise action in both forward and reverse, with no need to resort to the helm. Also, the powerful bow and stern thrusters should prove more than a match for most crosswinds, should the need arise—not that we had the opportunity to put them to the test, though.
Back alongside at Varazze, the weather tried to make amends. Unable to supply the wind and waves we like for boat testing, it gave us what it must have felt was the next best thing: torrential rain. Fortunately the cafe had a decent awning.
For more information on Azimut Yachts, including contact information, click here.
SPOTLIGHT ON: The Finishing Touch
Azimut is great at finish and detail and not averse to adding expensive luxury touches, even at the lower end of its product range. Look at these custom-made cutlery drawers. I'd seen similar ones recently on the 103S but didn't expect to find them on a 47.
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Alan Harper |
The saloon table is also neat. Its pedestal base extends upwards at the flick of a switch, and the top can be rotated through 90 degrees and unfolded, doubling in size. And the cockpit locker door on the starboard side is clever, too, with racks just the right size for cans of gearbox oil.—A.H.
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This article originally appeared in the September 2007
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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