The Azimut Atlantis 45 shares the same next-generation design cues as the line’s flagship, the 51. Both are snub-nosed open cruisers with hardtops, and both have that smart, new Azimut look. Check out the latest S Collection flagship, the Azimut Grande S10, and you’ll see much of the same sheer and stem, despite the fact that the S10 is twice the length and more than five times the displacement of the 45.
The only power option for the Atlantis 45 is a pair of Volvo Penta D6-440 diesels well-matched to IPS600 pod drives. Azimut quotes a full-load maximum speed of 33 knots and a fast cruise of 28 knots for this model.
We were registering a little better. According to the yacht’s Garmin instrumentation, the 45 topped out at just over 34 knots in Trim Assist mode, but with it switched off and a little tinkering, I coaxed the yacht north of 35 knots. Theoretically, the useful range at a moderate-to-fast cruise would be 200 to 240 nautical miles.
Thanks to a V-hull form with a 15-degree transom deadrise, the 45′s handling is precise throughout the engines’ rpm ranges. And Volvo Penta’s Electronic Vessel Control joystick aids in close-quarters handling.
Azimut’s ergonomics are usually pretty good, and to that end, two bolster seats to starboard address the console with the driver’s seat inboard. To port of the helm is a double bench seat that converts to a 4-foot square lounger. Personally, I’d keep it that way. Who needs the on-the-bus seating? Given the shade of the hardtop—providing you have the 92-by-75-inch retractable fabric sunroof closed—this is the place to curl up with a good book.
But then, perception of space aboard the 45 is slightly skewed because the companionway is off-center, so what you may suppose to be the middle of the yacht really isn’t. Abaft the helm seats, there’s booth dining for as many as eight guests, if you have a couple extra seats handy to complete the ring around the four-piece cockpit table. The table is mostly protected by the hardtop, and there’s an extendable awning, stretched taut by stainless-steel struts, delivering more shade to the aft seating and about half of the stern sun pad.
Belowdecks, the 45 has a two-stateroom, two-head layout with a galley/salon amidships, made all the better for hull windows and an opaque skylight above. The owner’s stateroom is in the bow with facilities en suite. The headroom where you need it is 6 feet, 3 inches. The aft stateroom is surprisingly good, especially for those with younger children. There are three single berths, with an option for a double-plus when the two athwartship beds are combined. The booth sofa in the main salon converts to a double berth too.
The Atlantis 45 takes the builder’s midsize offerings in a new design direction, one that has proved popular on larger models. For yachtsmen looking for big-boat styling in a family-size express cruiser, the 45 may be worth a look.
Take the next step: azimutyachts.com
