The new Absolute 48 Coupe, already a prize-winner, is the Italian builder’s first in a new line of express yachts. It was introduced at the Cannes show last fall, and then won a “European Boat of the Year” award in its class, with the citation saying, “Absolute once again combines ground-breaking design with masterful boat building.”
The massive side and hull windows are obvious, and offer the advantages of air and space and views, whether the boat is at anchor or on a two-week cruise. What you don’t see, is that Absolute has a new idea (at least for a 48-foot production boat) of letting the owner design the layout of the aft deck.
The aft deck here isn’t like other cockpit/aft decks. Absolute describes this area as a waterfront terrace. It has a totally open feel because the transom is glazed. Even if you’re standing in the salon, looking aft, you don’t have a set transom interrupting your view. On the Absolute 48 Coupe, you’re looking straight at the water behind the boat, stretching all the way to the horizon.
For furniture in the aft deck, Absolute offers owners a choice of Absolute’s modular units, or anything else the owner might have in mind. You can have settees, sofas, a dining area, chairs, sun lounges, whatever.
Going forward, glass doors open to the salon, filled with light from deep side windows and the windshield. The galley is aft, on the port side, so it can serve the aft deck as well as the salon. A large U-shaped settee and table are forward, opposite another settee on the starboard side. The helm is on the starboard side, with a door opening to the side deck.
On the cabintop, Absolute has built a series of flexible, double-glazed solar panels to feed the batteries. You don’t have to run the generator at anchor.
Below, the 48 Coupe has three staterooms and two heads. The master is forward, and the bed is offset to provide lots of walking-around room. Two very large windows in the hull let in lots of natural light. The master has an en suite head.
The VIP cabin is amidships on the port side, and the third, smaller cabin, with two beds, is on the starboard side. Both cabins also have large hull-side windows.
The 48 Coupe is powered by twin 480-hp Volvo IPS650 pod drives, producing a top speed of more than 28 knots and a cruising speed of about 15 knots, with a range of 189 nm.
The low profile of the 48 Coupe means it can slide under the many bridges along the Great Loop or in the Southeast, giving it an advantage in the U.S. Absolute will have a display at the Miami Show, starting February 16.
Specs.: LOA: 48’11”; Beam: 14’10”; Draft: 3’8”; Disp.: 42,400 lbs.; Fuel: 422 gals.; Water: 140 gals.; Power: 2×480-hp Volvo IPS650 pod drives. Read more at http://absoluteyachts.com and see the video below:
