Azimut Seadeck 7 Reviewed

Inside and outside volumes benefit from the near-plumb-bow design that carries the beam forward. Courtesy Azimut Yachts

To say that Azimut Yachts’ Seadeck 7 started with a blank sheet of paper would be a total understatement. This is a yacht as unusual as it is desirable, and one of the most interesting vessels I’ve been aboard in years.

The concept is twofold. First, make the yacht appealing to families. Second, create a new benchmark for eco-conscious craft.

In the first case, the Seadeck 7 has four staterooms and a crew cabin, with main-deck living areas that truly set the stage for relaxation. The salon has full-height windows with a 10-foot sliding door to port and a triple slider aft that creates an indoor-outdoor living area. With no threshold step, the Seadeck 7 allows for single-level living from the salon to the transom, with 7-foot-2-inch headroom.

Salon headroom is more than 7 feet. Note the single-level living from the cockpit through the salon. Courtesy Azimut Yachts

Azimut calls the aft deck “Fun Island” because of its foldout terraces on each side that add 450 square feet of usable real estate. A lounge and folding table create an alfresco dining space—but this settee isn’t against the transom. Instead, an aft-facing sun pad reconfigures into seating choices. And rather than a solid, view-blocking transom, the Seadeck 7 has a glass parapet. A delightful double-wide hammock swings from removable posts above the starboard terrace for hedonistic lounging. Yes, I tested it.

The transom also has a slide-out with twin grills for cooking steaks, as well as a garage designed for a Sea-Doo Spark. A significant section of the teak swim platform lowers into the water. It can launch a Williams jet tender from chocks, or become a teak beach with stairs from deck level that would befit a Southern mansion. The platform height can be set to make boarding from a dock or tender easy and safe.

A noticeable absence in the salon is a galley, which has been moved to the pilothouse and can be closed off with a pocket door. This isn’t a large galley, but it will easily handle veal piccata or heaping plates of pasta carbonara on the four-burner Miele induction cooktop. Other niceties include a home-size fridge with two drawers, a convection oven/microwave and an ice maker.

The owners’ stateroom is amidships with a queen berth, an en suite head and a settee. Courtesy Azimut Yachts

The helm, to starboard, has twin electric leather helm seats, a pair of 16-inch Garmin multifunction displays and, because the power is twin Volvo Penta pod drives, a joystick next to the oh-so-Italian wheel. The 9-foot-wide windshield has no mullions to block the view, and oversized wipers clear spray quickly. A sliding door leads to the starboard side deck. The helm has a bulkhead that reduces visibility aft, so a control station unfolds from the port cockpit side.

The owner’s stateroom is centered for minimal motion, although the Seadeck 7 has two Seakeeper gyrostabilizers (a model 6 for night use, and a model 9 for running time). This en suite stateroom has a queenish-size berth and a couch. Forward, the en suite VIP stateroom has an angled berth that provides not only walking space on each side, but also a view out the window while in bed. Between those staterooms are two guest staterooms, one with a queen berth and the other with crisscrossed single berths. These spaces share the day head off the central companionway.

Access to the Seadeck 7’s flybridge is via stairs off the starboard deck, saving cockpit real estate and allowing a gentle climb for Aunt Edna. The bridge is compact, with a wraparound lounge aft (convertible to a sun pad) and two pedestal seats abaft the helm to port. The electronics mast is abaft the seating area, with the surrounding deck devoted to more than 90 square feet of solar panels.

The Seadeck 7’s “Fun Island” is notable for its foldout terraces and convivial layout. Courtesy Azimut Yachts

The eco-conscious theme of the Seadeck 7, recognized by the RINA Green Plus Platinum certification, is throughout this yacht. Twin 900 or 1,000 hp Volvo Penta IPS diesels and pod drives allow for a top hop around 31 knots with an efficient 23-knot cruise speed. This is also the first hybrid model for Azimut, with twin 160 kW electric motors that reportedly reduce the carbon-dioxide emissions by 40 percent annually. Using battery power for up to four hours, they provide speeds to 11 knots for quiet use in harbors and while docking. There’s also a 24 kW Kohler genset.

Underway, the Seadeck 7 reveled in the lumpy seas of the Gulf Stream. With a 15-degree transom deadrise and 21 degrees amidships, this yacht tossed spray aside and sliced through the chop. The hull shape has a wide stern for stability, and narrow forward sections that allow the Seadeck 7 to plane faster and have less drag at displacement speeds. All of this keeps fuel consumption down.

Explore our Review of the Azimuit Seadeck 6: Read More

Azimut’s Seadeck 7 embodies innovative sustainability in a package reminiscent of a luscious Italian villa on the water. And the builder delivers it with everything from embroidered bed linens and duvets to engraved silverware and espresso cups. Azimut seems to have thought of just about everything.  

Hotel Mode

Azimut created a system using high-density lithium-ion batteries to power the electric motors, and to provide silent operation for all systems (including air conditioning) for eight hours overnight.

Pure Air and Water

A sanitizer system provides highly purified air to the air conditioning, reducing airborne pollutants. A water purifier decontaminates the water, which can come from questionable dock sources.

Take the next step: azimutyachts.com

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