I handed over a couple of these when they were new, how has it faired over the years and what are they like?
What is it
40 foot Italian flybridge motor yacht, twin cabins, twin Cummins Mercruiser diesels with shaft drive.
The 40 is or was the smallest flybridge yacht in Azimut´s range, originally called a 38, the name designator was changed, I believe these were built at the Azimut factory in Turkey. One thing I know, I have never seen this model in a low specification, always very highly optioned, including air conditioning, generator, hydraulic passerelle, hydraulic bathing platform and teak decks.
If you are not familiar with Azimut yachts, they are one of the largest of the Italian yards, producing designs from thirty metre plus flybridge models, sports yachts and the trawler yacht inspired Magellano range. One thing I have noticed about them, they just seem to nick the mooring gear off the bigger boats and install it on the smaller ones in the range, I can only imagine how they do it, "just stroll over, all casual like to the large yacht production line and calmly walk away with the cleats for the 70 footer, say nothing".
Engine room
Azimut have always done engine rooms very well, throughout their ranges, the machinery spaces have been accessible, well laid out and everything important has been to hand, the 40 is not different, in fact, it could be said its better, because there is less installation volume, they have done an excellent job, there is a removable two step staircase to drop into the middle of the engine room, generator is aft, engine seacocks and strainers right in front of you, to port and starboard the fuel tanks, which both have double Racor selectable fuel filters, these are very expensive and also very useful, if you get a clogged filter, just turn a handle to bring the second (clean) one into use, no dirty diesel smells or removing filter housing caps, they are easily reachable and plainly visible, the tanks also have sight gauges on them, so even in the unlikely event that the fuel sender units fail, you have a visual level of fuel in the tank, this is something often seen on much larger yachts, all good here.
The black water tank is in the aft starboard section, steering gear is aft of the generator, anything that might need a visual check or might want to get to in a hurry is within reach, it is really very well thought out, it isn't all plain sailing though, there are some things I feel could use improvement;
Bilge pumps, first there is only one electric bilge pump in the engine room, this is cheaping out, its located very far aft under the steering gear, there should definitely be a second, preferable with a high bilge water alarm. Staying on the subject of bilge pumps, the principal breaker for the bilge pump is on the main electrical panel inside the boat, its not a tamper proof breaker, it can be switched off! Even though there is a sign to "always leave on", something as important as this should not be able to be switched off so easily, this is very typical of Italian yards, I have seen it on brand new boats from this year!, I just do not understand it.
Bonding cables, these join underwater metals together, the idea being it holds them at the same potential and helps to prevent or slow down corrosion. Again, Azimut are not the only Italian yard who are guilty of this, they install their bonding cables on the thru hulls using hose clamps, given that this is an insecure connection and, that introducing another metal into the circuit should be avoided, and, stainless steel is a bad conductor of electricity. This installation is particularly ridiculous given that Italy makes some of the best bronze thru hulls and, they also make the bonding washers complete with nut and bolt to attach the terminal and cable, it makes no sense to me at all.
Batteries
The battery switches are remote type ones, the buttons for the solenoids are in a locker on the starboard side aft deck, the manual bilge pump is here also, two other important items have also been installed here, one is the manual pull for the fire extinguishing system, the other is an emergency stop for the motors, this is very good thinking, everything is located in one place. If the batteries are too low to engage the solenoids, they can be manually engaged, the plungers are in the engine room on top of the electrical box on the forward bulkhead of the engine room.
Engine and house banks of batteries are wired for 24V, the batteries are in two boxes between the engines, generator start is 12V and has a separate battery and charger, the generator battery switch is located right on the battery box in the engine room.
Deck arrangement
Deck storage on this level is normal, not good nor bad, a couple of lockers under the rear cleats, then storage under the rear bench seat, useful for ropes, boathook etc. The things you need frequently.
I have two criticisms of the deck arrangement, the first is the ladder from the aft deck to the flybridge, the rungs are made of teak, which look great and are very comfortable even when barefoot, but, form some reason they have been cut in a strange form with one side nice and wide and deep, the other slim and narrow, , it forces you to use the same foot first every time, the handholds are reassuringly thick and strong though.
The second criticism or perhaps more of an observation is the fwd deck over the bow cabin, just in front of the lower helm windshield is abnormally high, in order to comfortably cross from one side of the deck to the other you have to take a seriously high step up, its easier to take a few more steps to the bow and walk round.
Flybridge
Once you get past the peculiar ladder to get onto the flybridge, its pretty good, helm seat is to port, a nicely arranged helm with the throttles and bow thruster falling naturally to your left hand, the helm panel permits you to install quite a large plotter, there are gauges for the important functions and Smartcraft LCD screens built into the rev counters, the interior helm has a full Vesselview system.
There are very generous loungers to starboard, with enough space for many people to sunbathe simultaneously, there is storage underneath the loungers too. A notable design touch is the teak table with its folding base built into the handrail, it is out when needed and completely flush when not in use, clever.
The windshield is not high and I don't think it deflects a great deal of wind or air, the all around handrail is sold but is low, it is definitely a flybridge you sit "on" and not "in", there is a nice large bimini sunshade which folds backwards against the arch when not in use, word to the wise, the shade is much easier to put up when there are two of you.
Interior
The cabins do deserve some praise here, they are quite light, the beds are of a good size too. I am trying to hard to remember, I don´t recall there being an abundance of storage, I think in the starboard side guest cabin there is a tank under one of the beds, there is a hanging locker and both the guest cabin and master suite are air conditioned, as is the salon. The master cabin has an average sized double bed, storage is average for this type of boat.
Azimut, as well as some other Italian brands, install the Tecma range of fresh water flush toilets, these are great units, not prone to problems. Also something I have noticed on countless Azimut yachts is the installation of a grey water tank, a decent sized one too, the shower, wash hand basin and possibly the galley sink all drain into this tank. The pump out feature is controlled from the electrical panel, auto or manual mode. The nice thing about the separate larger tank is the pump runs less, will not disturb sleeping guests. The independent tank does not empty into the black water (toilet) tank, I have seen this set up, all that happens is your black water tank gets filled up very quickly, requiring either the services of a company to come along and empty it or a trip out to sea. I am not sure of the exact reason of the installation, Italy has a lot of protected areas, as does France and Spain, the natural sort of destinations for this boat, perhaps it is in anticipation of knowing where their boats are likely to be sold and used.
The head compartment is a very good size, bit dark though, if buying secondhand, changing the bulbs to white LEDs makes a large difference, the shower cubicle is a good size. The hardware for toilet paper and the toilet brush always show signs of corrosion, the finish starts to pit and look bad, I have seen this on quite a few Azimuts, fortunately its an easy thing to fix.
The galley is located to port, down some steps, it might look small but it has been packaged quite well, there is a microwave in a hidden pull out cupboard, a dual voltage domestic fridge, the sink is quite large and has a brilliant tap with a pull out sprayer, under the work surface there are storage cupboards and there is a large storage space, the plastic tub can be removed to gain access underneath.
The models I have seen have been finished in the same chocolate and cream colour schemes with pale wood finish, a sort of limed oak look, it doesn't look dated even ten years later and seems to hold up very well.
Salon
Very bright, possibly to much so, let me explain that, for those who live in sunny warm climates, too much glass can be a disadvantage, its great for visibility and the interior helm has a terrific view but, in the port or at anchor, all that summer sun coming in through the glass makes the salon a sauna to be in, the air conditioning will be on permanently (aka Med spec.) and the curtains will likely be permanently drawn closed. The sun will also deteriorate the upholstery and wood finishes quickly. One of the changes we get asked a lot to get done is having the windows tinted or a UV film put on them, the difference is dramatic, for little loss of light the drop in interior temps in staggering. It has almost become standard practice on any boat with a glass roof to have the film installed, its not cheap to get done, the films are cut on site and each one is a custom fit but it is very worth having it done.
Navigation
Neither good nor bad, just sort of "normal", believe it or not this is a good thing, if you have vivid memories of a boat being a wet ride, that slams or is "tippy", that's never good. There are very few that are exceptional, so most fall somewhere in the middle, Azimut have been building boats for a long time, they know what they are doing. Its not a hugely fast boat, I would say cruise in the low twenties, the ride is quiet, the underwater exhausts do a great job of keeping sound muffled.
The interior helm seat has a bit of a upright position, this is common to a few other Azimut models, the larger Azimut 62 has one of the best helm positions of anything that size or indeed elsewhere, its not horrible but not brilliant for long periods, so mostly you will upstairs on the flybridge.
Instrument panels are clear and easy to read, the panels are also easily accessed for any maintenance or repairs, I also noticed that although the flybridge arch is fairly low, giving a really sleek appearance, the radar is installed high up on a stainless steel tower, I like that. The trim tabs are hydraulic from Bennett, nothing wrong there, both helms have a digital readout for the tab angle, the anchor winch is supplied by Quick, with a chain counter at both helms.
If you are not familiar with Azimut or Ferretti, they have extensions on either side of the bathing platform that are well proud of the hull, they house exhausts and sometimes drains or bilge pump outlets, be aware when med style docking (stern to the dock) or going alongside, you must make sure these areas are properly fendered, it can make for some tense moments when taking these boats to the boatyard for lifting out as its easy to forget that extra width of the hull.
Summary
Good points
Excellent engine room
Nice cabins, good soft furnishings
Quiet navigation, good instrument panels
Quality deck hardware
Bad points
That staircase to flybridge
Only one bilge pump in engine room
Cabin storage is not the greatest
Salon can get too warm quickly
For Mediterranean cruising the hydraulic passerelle is a must have, if you have a tender then the hydraulic platform is nice to have, but, even the smallest of dinghies cramp up the area making the platform unusable and moving around the stern a real pain, even hooking up the shorepower cable becomes a chore, this is a common mistake boatowners make, they forget the size of the boat, even much larger boats suffer the same.
A few changes will make life on board better, do have the windows tinted, replace the original halogen bulbs throughout the boat with LEDs, the navigation electronics might also need replacing, the originals were supplied by Raymarine and were good in their day.
If you are in the market for a forty foot flybridge, this is definitely worth a look, its not designed for long distance cruising or for staying on board for weeks on end, it is however very easy to live with, Azimut have been doing this a long time and it shows. An important point to make here is the design, its quite classic and classy, not avantgarde, it will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers, makes for easy resale, too many boats have strange designs and unless you can find someone with the same taste, they date quickly and sit around for sale for a long time.
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