Absolute Navetta 70 Reviewed

Open bulwarks and nearly sole-to-ceiling glazing allow unobstructed ocean vistas from the salon. Courtesy Absolute Yachts

Navetta means “little ship” in Italian, but the operative word in that translation is clearly not “little.” If you were to blindfold me in the salon of the Absolute Yachts Navetta 70, I wouldn’t be able to guess the size of this yacht within 10 feet. It’s a big yacht for its length overall.

The assumption would be that the Absolute 70 is beamy but, at 18 feet, 6 inches, its beam is narrower than a vintage Hatteras 70 motoryacht. What’s actually happening is layered space, courtesy of Absolute’s design team.

Their starting point is a fulsome hull with the Absolute Yachts DNA of high topsides, a plumb bow and vertical pilothouse windows. But stand in the salon and look in any direction, and this yacht seems to stretch away into the distance.

Glass balustrades on the main and upper decks minimize the visual barrier between yacht and sea. Courtesy Absolute Yachts

Oversize windows disappear behind the furniture, providing natural light that increases the visual size. Bulwarks outside are cut down so they don’t block the view. The layout is pure entertainment, with a pair of couches and a chair around a coffee table, all very civilized, Italianate and comfy. This is a yacht with as many places to wine and dine guests as to tuck away quietly with a spy novel.

Part of the visual openness comes from the slatted wood bulkhead that partially divides the salon from the pilothouse. Although this design element somewhat hinders vision aft from the helm, there is a wide-angle, aft-facing Surround View camera that gives the skipper the ability to back down safely.

Thoughtful touches in the salon include the electrically sliding dining table to starboard that moves outboard when not in use to increase interior space. The galley opposite is U-shaped, so the chef doesn’t have to deal with guests walking past, and the inboard counter serves as a bar or an island for buffets. Galley amenities include a full-height Miele fridge, a dishwasher, a four-burner cooktop and a convection oven, all tucked into white-lacquer cabinetry.

An open plan, light-tone woods, sizable windows and lighting design enhance the sense of volume. Courtesy Absolute Yachts

The pilothouse feels like it’s from a much larger yacht, with a Volvo Penta glass cockpit housing a 24-inch monitor along with three raised 22-inch displays for cameras, navionics and more. The skipper and a companion have diamond-stitched seats, and guests can relax on a curved couch to port. For immediate deck access, a pantograph door is steps from the helm.

Outside, the Navetta 70 seems to be all deck, including a shaded aft deck that extends at salon level. On the hull that I got aboard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this space had modular three-seat couches around a folding table for dining or munchies. A fiberglass wet bar near the sliders cleverly hid a cockpit helm under a folding panel, with joysticks for engines and Side-Power thrusters.

Gentle steps lead to the flybridge, where a fiberglass hardtop protects an eight-seat dining table, an L-shaped setup with a Kenyon grill and Isofrigo fridge, and a freestanding two-level bar. Aft on the flybridge are two couches and a pair of sun lounges. The upper helm forward has a single pedestal seat with bolsters, twin monitors, and a pair of curved lounges on each side for guests to chill out.

Twin 1,000 hp Volvo Penta IPS1350s allowed us to top 25 knots on the pins in a lumpy sea state. Courtesy Absolute Yachts

As if the salon, aft deck and flybridge dining areas weren’t enough, the foredeck is fitted with a couch that wraps around a table, and with a quad-size sun bed that converts to seats. For sun protection, a two-post removable awning stows neatly into a locker. The bow area is pure mega-yacht, with a Quick vertical capstan with a windlass, sizable cleats, and a sturdy bow roller with anchor locks.

Below, the raised foredeck allows space for a master stateroom four steps below salon level, with panoramic windows by the king-size berth and built-in bureaus on each side. The en suite head has twin sinks and a shower, all lined with gold-veined Calacatta marble.

Amidships, a full-beam VIP stateroom gives equal treatment to guests, and two more staterooms are on each side of the companionway: one with a double berth, and the other with twins that slide together electrically.

While the Navetta 70 could easily be handled by a competent owner-operator, there is a cabin for a captain and one crewmember aft, with a full head as well as a mini galley.

This motoryacht’s power is a pair of 1,000 hp Volvo Penta IPS1350 diesels paired to pod drives. A Seakeeper 18 gyrostabilizer kept our crew solidly planted, even in a lumpy Gulf Stream, and a pair of Cummins generators (29 kW and 21.5 kW) provide sufficient power for the electrical side. The engine room has walk-around space for servicing both sides of the engines and gensets, along with 6-foot-4-inch headroom. Plumbing, wiring and systems are at a level found on much larger yachts.

Underway, the Navetta 70 again proved far more “ship” than “little,” with strong chines throwing water aside and enough vee to provide directional stability. The Gulf Stream allowed the yacht to top out at 25-plus knots, and I would expect another knot or two in flat water. More impressive was the silence: a whispery 56 decibels at harbor speeds, and barely hitting 70 decibels in the salon with the hammers down. That’s like a luxury car at freeway speeds.

Whether owners are looking to escape to the out islands or take a summer cruise down the coast with the family, the Absolute Navetta 70 has the size, performance and volume to accommodate myriad voyaging itineraries. Add luxe touches like exquisite marbles, Italian furnishings and fine wood finishes, and this may be the best Italian import since Super Tuscan reds.  

Viva Italia

Absolute Yachts is an Italian boatbuilder that debuted in 2002 with a 56-foot express. It followed up with more coupe, flybridge and Navetta styles from 47 to 75 feet length overall. The yachts are built in Podenzano, Italy, northeast of Genoa.

Marvelous Marble

The Calacatta marble used throughout the Navetta 70 is quarried in the Apuan mountains of Italy and is among the most luxurious marbles, known for its rarity and bold gold veining.

Take the next step: absoluteyachts.com

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