116 Grande
The Azimut 86S is an 86-foot sport yacht with the luxury and amenity of a super-yacht and the high-performance acceleration and agility of a speedboat. Launched at the 2004 Düsseldorf Boat Show and produced for over a decade, the Azimut 86S pioneered the use of innovative carbon fiber and Kevlar composite construction and was offered with the choice of either Arneson drives or Hamilton hydro-jet propulsion.
A Stefano Righini exterior boasts Azimut’s signature “shark-fin” style profile, with a low-slung cockpit, sloping windshield and a hard-top radar station that provides shade across the aft-cockpit. Though not a flybridge model, the Azimut 86S hosts plenty of outdoor entertaining and relaxation space, with a double sunpad out on the foredeck. The spacious, teak-lined aft deck boasts a curved, transom dining sofa with a breakfast table, a wet-bar with an icemaker and an electric grill, an L-shaped sofa to port and an elevated, three-pad sunbed to the rear. There are side steps down to a hydraulic swimming platform where you will also discover access to a transom garage large enough to hold a water tender and a jet-ski.
Interiors are the work of Carlo Galeazzi, and feature plenty of lacquered wood, chrome, stainless steel and Italian leather for a restrained and sedate feel. The aft salon features four, low-slung sofas and a pair of Ottomans for an informal, Ibiza-lounge feel, while there is also space in the cockpit for a wet-bar station and three hand-stitched leather piloting seats. The cockpit benefits from double-height windows and a retractable sunroof that covers almost the entire ceiling for plenty of natural light and an elemental connection to sea and sky. There is nothing like spending an evening under the stars on an Azimut Yacht.
Though most sports yachts can feel cramped below-deck, the Azimut 86S provides a sense of space thanks to mullioned side windows, plenty of porthole openings and a beam of over 20 feet. The kitchen galley is, unusually, positioned amidship and features granite worktops, Miele appliances and a nifty dining table. There are also four bedrooms down here, including a pair of en suite twins, an en suite master V-berth to the bow and a full-beam owner’s stateroom with a pair of armchairs, a king-sized island bed, a workstation or vanity desk and a bathroom with a walk-in waterfall shower and couple’s sinks.
A pair of MTU 16V 2000 M91 diesel engines are fitted as standard on the Azimut 86S, though the owner gets to decide whether these should be fixed to Arneson ASD 15 drives and surface props, or to hi-tech Hamilton hydro-jets. Though the Hamilton jets increase both the weight and price of this yacht, the trade-off is that they also provide quicker and smoother acceleration with reduced vibration, not to mention the option for responsive joystick steering. Both options should provide top speeds of up to 46 knots, while a deep-V hull with pronounced spray rails and wide, flat chines provides superb lift. Raymarine navigational equipment, meanwhile, is installed aboard the Azimut 86S to help you chart your course to some of the top coastal destinations in the world.
