Azimut’s Fly 82 can reach up to 32 knots with triple IPS engines

Azimut’s Fly 82 is the new flagship of the Italian shipyard’s renowned Fly series, which remains a core line for the brand even as the new, fast-growing Seadeck range garners plenty of attention and the shipyard’s Grande superyacht series grows from strength to strength.

Successor to the Fly 78, the Fly 82 is a CE A flybridge motoryacht with a significant overall length of 24.8m that even encroaches on Grande territory, with the Grande 26M being just a few feet longer. In fact, the Fly 82 and Grande 26M were both on display during the former’s world premiere at last September’s Cannes Yachting Festival in France, then the following week’s Genoa International Boat Show in Italy and again at this year’s Boot Düsseldorf in Germany.

Comparable lengths aside, stats bear out the significant differences. At full load, the Fly 82 weighs 63 tonnes, compared to 84 for the Grande 26M. As well as being a third heavier, the Grande 26M has two-thirds more interior volume.

Dressed in comfortable, deep cushions, the foredeck offers plenty of seating and a flexible sunbathing and lounging area

And although Alberto Mancini designed the exteriors of each model and is responsible for both the Fly and Grande series, the profiles also underline the differences between the series, which remain in different sectors.

While the Grande 26M’s profile looks almost muscular, the sharply defined Fly 82 is dominated by straight, horizontal lines and rectangular windows, with a long, gently sloping windscreen and smoothly inclined bow underpinning a streamline look described as “shaped by the wind”.

EXTENSIVE OUTDOOR OPTIONS

However, at the aft end, there’s a notable overlap between the yachts. The 82 is the first model in the Fly series to feature Azimut’s own Deck2Deck™ system, which was introduced on the Grande 26M and is also included on the Grande 30M that debuted at Cannes last year, with hull one now in Hong Kong.

The Deck2Deck™ garage door shown in its closed position

Overlooking an almost full-beam hydraulic swim platform, the Deck2Deck™ essentially features a hinged, teak-clad garage door that rises to align horizontally with the main deck. And, yes, it makes a big difference, extending the Fly 82’s aft cockpit by about 5ft.

The raised garage door allows for foldable chairs or even a yoga mat or two to be placed aft of the cockpit’s two facing sofas and round-edged, adjustable coffee table, which can be raised and folded out to double its size for alfresco dining, all with guests fully covered by the flybridge above.

When the Deck2Deck™system is deployed, the cockpit offers a walkaround social zone centred around the facing sofas and high-low table

In the cockpit’s forward port corner is a wood-topped wet bar that even includes a fold-up cover revealing the third helm. Opposite is a fridge, which is fitted under the curved stairs to the flybridge.

The flybridge is a truly expansive space, making the most of the fact that the deck reaches as far aft as the garage door below. The aft end of the top deck is surrounded by railings and glass panels aft, while the floor is left clear for loose furniture, with Azimut dressing it with two stylish, curved sofas and a rounded coffee table.

The flybridge includes a large lounging area and twin-seat upper helm forward

Forward of the steps, the flybridge is covered by a hardtop with a sliding sunroof and is partially protected from breeze by a low-set, wraparound windscreen. Fixtures include a large American-style wet bar with flip-up grill and bar stools, while to port is a long, rectangular dining table surrounded by eight foldable director’s chairs.

To port, the helm station features a large two-screen display and twin pilot seats backed by a half-height storage unit, while the rest of the forward area is occupied by a large lounging-cum-sunbathing area.

The flybridge features loose furniture at the aft end

Outdoor lounging and comfortable cushions are also offered in the beamy foredeck, an attractive social area where a wide C-shaped sofa faces a large triple sunpad with adjustable cushion backrests that allow guests to sit and face fore or aft.

FANTOLINO CHAPTER THREE

Fabio Fantolino – who opened his first studio in Turin in 2001 and added a second in Milan in 2014 – handled the interiors of the Fly 82, his third project for Azimut after starting with the Fly 72 and Fly 62 that debuted in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Fabio Fantolino’s interiors feature huge windows and a round dining table

Saloon doors slide to starboard to reveal an interior bathed in natural light through massive, almost full-length windows along both sides. The lounge features a deep L-shaped sofa and a coffee table in the aft port corner, with two circular, orange-brown chairs to starboard providing further seating while remaining low enough to not distract from the expansive window views.

Forward to port, by a bronze glass wall, Azimut has entered new territory by including a round dining table, a common feature in Asia but a first for the shipyard in its Fly series. To starboard, two steps lead to an elegant day head, a superyacht-level addition benefiting from large mirrors and a window.

Aft view of the saloon, where round chairs to starboard complement the circular dining table

The steps also lead to a combined wheelhouse and galley, laid out with the twin-seat helm to starboard, a central dinette, an L-shaped kitchen to port with a double, full-height Siemens fridge freezer aft, plus forward stairs down to a crew accommodation area with three berths and shared head.

On the lower deck, guest accommodation comprises four en-suite cabins, with a twin and double either side of the central hallway and a forward VIP with a slightly angled, inward-facing bed.

The master suite’s bed is flanked by doors to a walk-in dressing room to port and bathroom to starboard

It’s the full-beam owner’s suite, situated midships, that gets most of the attention and is dominated by a large forward-facing bed and lit by long hull windows. Beautiful cabinetry adorns the port side and includes a pull-out vanity drawer with fold-up mirror, while aft is the walk-in wardrobe. To starboard is a sofa and access to the bathroom, which includes a large central shower.

HIGH-TECH PIONEER

Azimut has always been a leader in technology, and the Fly 82 is the shipyard’s first model to incorporate WatchIt Eye, developed by WatchIt in collaboration with the shipyard’s R&D department.

The master suite’s port cabinet includes an elegant vanity drawer

An AI-based collision-avoidance system designed specifically for recreational boating, WatchIt Eye is designed to detect obstacles such as floating objects, boats and submerged hazards, so a few less things to worry about.

In terms of performance, the Fly 82 features hull design by Pierluigi Ausonio Naval Architecture and the shipyard’s R&D department, while the yacht benefits from Azimut’s extensive use of carbon-fibre to lighten the superstructure, so reducing weight and lowering the centre of gravity.

Stairs to the guest cabins

Like the 78 Fly, the Fly 82 comes standard with triple 900hp Volvo Penta IPS1200 engines, with the upgrade option of 1,000hp IPS1350 versions providing a top speed of over 32 knots – as proven in sea trials – and a cruising speed of 25.

Among the shipyard’s ‘Low Emission Yacht’ family, the Fly 82 is another example of Azimut’s extensive use of IPS, which is also fitted on all Seadeck models and most S sportbridge models.

With maturing synergy between Mancini and Fantolino, the Fly 82 is a triumph both outside and in, while the introduction of the Deck2Deck™ and WatchIt Eye systems help take onboard technology to a new level and Azimut’s iconic Fly series to a new high.