Shining Light: Azimut Grande 36M

Azimut just keeps adding temptation to temptation with new models launched at a fast clip. For the Grande 36M, the Italian shipyard called in frequent collaborators Alberto Mancini and Achille Salvagni to create a superyacht where style meets substance without dictating a playbook to potential owners.

Alberto Mancini Yacht Design has penned three yachts in the Azimut Grande series, bringing a real family feeling to the line-up by using similarly clean and simple lines across the size range. Mancini also designed the Grande Trideck (38m) and Grande 26M, both of which have been sold into Asia by regional dealer Marine Italia, illustrating the universal appeal of the new models.

The bow of the upper deck has a large sofa with two tables, a quadruple sunpad and a spa pool

“I always try to create a dialogue between traditional and modern, land-based and seafaring, keeping in mind that a hull has to remain a hull,” Mancini says.

While the yachts he has designed for the Grande range have long sweeps of glass that contrast with structural elements and bring lots of light into the interiors, Mancini never overdoes it.

The sun deck has a bar and lots of seating and sunbathing areas

“Huge, glazed surfaces that cut hull lines are not necessary for a modern interior,” he says. “As a designer, I feel I should coax owners back into a more seafaring world where a yacht’s lines are beautiful in themselves. It’s also important not to forget that we are at sea and have to respect it.”

Respect for the sea played an important part in the design process of the Grande 36M. Constructed in GRP with elements of the superstructure and the beach platform in weight-saving carbon-fibre to improve efficiency, the hull shape is the latest evolution of the D2P (Displacement to Planing) technology designed and engineered by Pierluigi Ausonio Naval Architecture (PLANA) with Azimut-Benetti’s R&D Department.

The fold-out beach club welcomes guests to the Grande 36M,

This type of hull has double chines that allow it to cruise smoothly on its broad upper chine in displacement mode, then transition to planing mode at higher speeds, skimming along on its lower chine and deflecting the water.

Another key feature of this hull is the wave-piercer bow, which adds to efficiency peaks that the yard claims can reach 30 per cent in displacement mode compared to traditional hard chine hulls, earning the Grande 36M a place among Azimut’s Low Emission Yachts, which now applies to more than half the yachts in its portfolio.

The aft cockpit has a bar to starboard and a table for alfresco dining

Twin 2,200hp MTU engines are standard, but owners can opt for 2,400hp versions, offering a top speed of 24 knots and cruising speed of 18 knots.

ONBOARD ATTRACTIONS

Lots of the fun to be had on a seafaring vacation comes when you’ve jumped off the yacht, and aboard the Grande 36M it’s easy due to a transom that opens out to become a beach platform backed by a beach club. Guests enjoying the aft cockpit can easily keep an eye on whatever’s going on in the water through glass bulwarks.

The lounge seating in the ‘living & dining’ version of the main-deck saloon

The 116-footer was conceived to be adaptable to diverse configurations to meet a variety of lifestyle needs. The yacht’s large, open volumes are punctuated by large windows – many of which are actually sliding doors – and can be furnished with freestanding pieces in a variety of layouts, and that’s where architect Achille Salvagni steps in.

“I am an architect, not a decorator, and I think that’s why the interiors I design stand out,” Salvagni says. “I want to sculpt the space I’m working with and give it character, dignity and strength. It’s not a question of pretty things placed here and there. The materials and the lines I work with must have tension. I don’t want corners because they break the line; I want curves that join and flow.”

Formal dining in the main ‘living & dining’ version of the saloon

The Grande 36M is filled with custom pieces purpose-designed by Salvagni for the yacht. “I don’t use production pieces in my interiors because I’m not filling up a furniture showroom. Every interior I design is exclusive and unique.”

Add beautiful and luxurious to exclusive and unique and you get the gist of the main saloon. Large windows, open air and organically shaped furnishings in the colours of a day of sunshine make this a standout space, with living and dining areas that connect seamlessly to the aft guest cockpit with its bar and social area. You only perceive glamour because practical things like a large TV screen and storage spaces are concealed and integrated into the décor.

The full-beam owner’s suite has full-height windows on both sides

Forward on the main deck is the full-beam owner’s suite, with a centrally placed bed and two floor-to-ceiling picture windows.

There are four additional guest cabins on the lower deck, comprising a VIP with its wash basin integrated with the rest of the cabin’s furnishings, a double and twins with Pullman berths, all fitted to the same level of good taste and luxury as the rest of the yacht.

The aft upper deck features two adjustable sunpads/sofas either side of a foldable table

Four crew cabins, also on the lower deck, ensure there’s enough accommodation to assure a high level of service quality. The crew use separate pathways from guests for privacy.

SEMI-WALKAROUND UPPER DECK

The upper deck has a spectacular skylounge with three sets of sliding glass doors, one that leads to the aft dining and lounging area, and others on both sides that connect to the side decks. When all the doors are open, the lounge seems more like a breezy beach pavilion than an indoor space.

The skylounge can be open on three sides

Add that you can walk all the way around from the aft deck dining and lounging area to the spa pool and sunpads on the foredeck without changing floor levels and you’re assured that this is a deck that will get plenty of use – and will provide plenty of memorable moments.

In fact, the entire sun deck above is an option on the Grande 36M, because the shipyard predicts that many owners will feel they have plenty of outdoor spaces without it and will chose the sleeker ‘coupé’ version of the yacht.

The skylounge featuring the ‘media room’ layout

With a winning team of designers bringing diverse talent and skillsets to the Grande 36M, Azimut has created a winner. This is a yacht that doesn’t dictate to its owners, it adapts to their needs, assuring that it will be their favourite vacation home away from home for years to come.

www.azimutyachts.com

www.azimutyachts.hk