Azimut Yachts launches Seadeck hybrid yacht series

Italy’s Azimut Yachts revealed details of its new Seadeck series of hybrid motor yachts, said to be the boatbuilder’s ‘most efficient’ design to date.

During a press conference held in Milan to showcase the Seadeck series, the Azimut-Benetti Group also confirmed the appointment of Giovanna Vitelli as the new chair of the group. Giovanna is the daughter of Azimut founder Paolo Vitelli, and was previously executive vice president of Azimut-Benetti.

The Azimut Yachts Seadek 6, the first of three models in the Seadeck series, will be presented at Boot Düsseldorf 2024; Seadeck 7 and Seadeck 8 will follow between 2024 and 2025.

Azimut says the new Seadeck series is designed for families and features technological solutions that reduce emissions by ‘up to 40 per cent’. The series’ ‘fun island’ is a reinvented aft terrace developed in partnership with designers Alberto Mancini and Matteo Thun & Antonio Rodriguez, the latter duo making their debut in the world of yachting.

“We wanted to create a boat that puts maximum emphasis on the concept of openness and transparency and that also represented a radical change in terms of the relationship with nature,” says Mancini. “With the introduction of the fun island, Seadeck is actually a floating island where owners can get away from their daily routine and live in total contact with the sea.”

Seadeck is said to be the first series of models from 60ft up that integrates Volvo hybrid propulsion and onboard systems designed to reduce energy consumption. Emissions-reducing features include over 40 per cent carbon fibre surfaces, an efficient planing hull, and zero-emissions roadstead stop, thanks to a state-of-the-art battery pack. These features in combination will deliver a ’40 per cent reduction in CO2 emission over a year of average use, both when cruising and at anchor, compared to a traditional flybridge boat of similar dimensions,’ according to the boatbuilder.

“Seadeck is a new starting point for future generations. We wish, once again, to chart a course that will be an inspiration for the entire industry, so that the theme of respect for the environment is interpreted – as it is for Seadeck – with a concrete approach made up of investment, technological research, and the courage to introduce a new lifestyle that embraces the sea,” says Giovanna Vitelli, chair of Azimut-Benetti Group.

In their interior design concept for the Seadeck Series, Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez have opted for cork to replace teak.

“We prefer to talk about consciousness rather than sustainability,” explain Thun and Rodriguez. “We try to work by subtraction because reduction means durability, both technical and aesthetic.”

In 2022, MIN reported that Azimut-Benetti was reporting a backlog of over €2 billion for the first time in its history. The group says unprecedented sales last year were driven by the success of its diversified product portfolio and the introduction of the 38-metre Grande Trideck for Azimut Yachts and Oasis 40M and B.Now 50M for Benetti.