The highly respected Italian builder Azimut yachts has been working with Volvo Penta for the last five years on a new Hybrid diesel electric IPS drive system. They introduced the hybrid concept in the first new design of the Seadeck series with the Seadeck 6 in 2023 and then a more advanced version with the new Seadeck 7 in 2025.
This year they launched their new flagship of the series with the Seadeck 9 and that will be available with a full hybrid system as soon as Volvo has the hybrid engines in wide distribution. The hybrid move is part of Azimut’s new emphasis on eco-friendly, sustainable boat building and a new more relaxed design theme focused on family cruising and a close proximity to the sea.
The Seadeck designs are notable for a softer look than the Sport series it is replacing. A significant part of this theme is the incorporation of large fold-down bulwarks and lowering stern platform around the huge cockpit that create what they call the “Fun Island.” On the new 9, this open space and waterfront platform is truly spacious plus there is a fresh-water plunge pool.
There is a locker aft large enough for a personal watercraft and the Williams jet drive dinghy stows on the lifting stern platform.
The salon is very much a part of the open-living lifestyle. Sliding doors open to make the cockpit and salon one large social space and the starboard side had a fold-down porch accessed through a patio-stye door.
The flybridge has the upper helm and twin bucket seats. Aft there is a lounge and coffee table that will be perfect for evening sundowners or al fresco lunches. The foredeck has yet another social area with a curved lounge and sun bed.
A dog-leg staircase at the front of the salon leads to the four sleeping cabins. The owner’s cabin is aft under the salon floor and spans the full 20-feet of the 9’s beam. With large glazing on both sides, the cabin and en-suite head are full of natural light and offer great seascape views.
There is a large VIP guest cabin in the bow under the fore deck and the two smaller guest cabins are off the hallway that leads aft from the stairs to the owner’s cabin. All three guest cabins have private heads and showers.
In the Seadeck series, Azimut has opted for muted colors and veneers to give the boats a homey, family-style ambience. The interior design is still infused with modern Euro styling and feels like a luxury Milan townhouse.
The company has made a serious effort to use as many sustainable fittings on the 9 as possible and these include faux teak decks made of cork and interior fabrics recycled from old polypropylene fishing nets.
The 9 is large enough to be considered a proper motor yacht but small enough for an experienced couple to run it by themselves or with one crew. This owner-operator facility is made possible by the Volvo technology that provides for effortless boat handling, position keeping and docking. That said, there is a comfortable twin-bunk crew cabin for a skipper and mate tucked into the layout between the engine room aft and the owner’s cabin amidships.
Hull number one, in advance of the hybrid engines, is powered by three Volvo D13 IPS drives rated at 1,000 horsepower each. The 9 will have a top speed north of 30 knots and an efficient cruising speed of 22 knots or so. And, with the Seakeeper 26 engaged, the boat will be incredibly stable at slower speeds and at anchor.
It is always news when Azimut comes out with a new model, particularly the attractive Seadeck line so it is no surprise that the new 9 turns heads every time she passes.
https://azimutyachts.com/en/seadeck-series/seadeck-9/
