Azimut Yachts Sport Yachts & Express Cruisers

Azimut 43S Review, Specs and Used Buying Guide

The smallest S-range Azimut, a 44-foot hardtop that made Volvo IPS pods standard equipment on an Italian yacht for the first time.

2005 to present Discontinued Updated October 2026

For reference, Azimut flybridge motor yacht moored in Cannes, not the Azimut 43S. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Length: 43.8 ft13.36 m
Beam: 13.8 ft4.22 m
Cruise: 30 kn
Cabins: 2 (owner's double forward, twin guest cabin)
Used price: $210K to $360K

On this page

Overview
The bambina of Azimut's S range
Italy's first yacht with IPS as standard
Wine-red stripes and windows shaped like shark fins
A cockpit and saloon that open to the sky
Two cabins, two heads and a galley short on lockers
What the 43S did on Long Island Sound
Three ways into the machinery
Owning a 20-year-old pod-drive boat
From $781,505 new to a quarter-million used
Specifications
Price and value
Strengths and weaknesses
Used buyer checklist
Rivals
Our verdict
FAQ

The Azimut 43S is a 43 ft 10 in hardtop sport yacht from the mid-2000s with twin Volvo Penta IPS pods, two cabins and an electric sunroof. Power & Motoryacht averaged 39.1 mph (about 34 knots) at wide open throttle; used boats ask roughly $210,000 to $360,000.

Best for

Couples who weekend with one other couple
Buyers stepping up from a sterndrive express cruiser
Owner-operators who want pod-drive docking on a budget
Sunny-climate day cruising with the roof open

Azimut 43S by the numbers

Plan view drawn to scale from the published length and beam.

Speed to length ratio at cruise: 4.86A planing cruise. Fast passages in exchange for much higher fuel burn per mile.
Horsepower per ton: 51 hpStrong power to weight for a planing hull.
Length to beam ratio: 3.17 : 1Moderate proportions.

Length compared with the 118 sport yachts & express cruisers we cover

Azimut 43S

18 ft92 ft

The bambina of Azimut's S range

By the middle of the 2000s Azimut had a flybridge line running from 39 to 116 feet and, after buying Gobbi in 2001, an Atlantis range of open boats. What it lacked was something sporty with Azimut's own name on the transom. The S range filled that gap, and the Azimut 43S was its smallest member, following the 62S, 68S and 86S. Motor Boat & Yachting featured the new boat in its January 2006 issue, and at its U.S. premiere at the Fort Lauderdale show later that year it was moored diagonally so the crowds could take in the whole profile. Jeff Moser of Power & Motoryacht noted that the swim platform was permanently buried in visitors' shoes.

Today the 43S, sometimes listed as the Azimut S43 or simply the 43 S, is a used-only proposition. YachtBuyer's database credits Azimut with 137 hulls. Most listings are 2005 to 2009 model years, and searches for a 2007 Azimut 43S turn up some of the best-documented examples, because that was the year the American press tested the boat.

Italy's first yacht with IPS as standard

The 43S mattered for more than its looks. Azimut worked with Volvo Penta to become the first Italian builder to fit IPS pod drives as standard equipment on a model, and Volvo's engineers helped shape the hull around the forward-facing, twin-propeller units. At launch the 370 hp IPS500, built on Volvo's D6 diesel, was the only engine on the list. There were no shaft-drive or sterndrive alternatives.

Later boats moved up to the 435 hp IPS600, which is the package YachtBuyer lists and which appears on most 2007 to 2009 listings in Europe and the U.S. Buyers should treat these as two distinct versions when comparing prices. The IPS600 boats carry 130 more combined horsepower for essentially the same hull, which helps when the boat is loaded with fuel, water, a tender and six adults. If a seller cannot tell you which pods are fitted, the engine identification plates and the Volvo EVC display will.

Blue-hulled Azimut motor yacht in a Stockholm guest harbor. Photo: Simiha, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Wine-red stripes and windows shaped like shark fins

Stefano Righini drew the exterior and Carlo Galeazzi the interior, the same pairing responsible for most Azimuts of the period. The S treatment is easy to spot: a broad wine-red stripe along the hull, mirrored shark-fin windows in the superstructure that make the boat look as if it is moving at the dock, square portlights in the hull sides and a hardtop with Azimut's raked aft section shading the cockpit.

Moser called it a little red Corvette, which captures both the appeal and the limits. This is a weekend boat for two couples, built to look fast and feel open, not a liveaboard. The stripe and dark mirrored glass have dated better than many 2006 designs, though faded or crazed stripe graphics and hazy window film are common on boats that lived in the Florida sun.

A cockpit and saloon that open to the sky

The key feature on deck is the electric sunroof in the hardtop, roughly 5 ft 3 in wide and 6 ft 5 in long. With the roof retracted and the glass and stainless folding door pushed back, cockpit and saloon become a single bright space, which is exactly how Azimut sold the boat. The cockpit has a six-seat sofa with a height-adjustable table that turns into a sun deck when you drop in a filler cushion, and the bow carries a sunpad.

Aft, a standard Opacmare hydraulic swim platform about 3 ft 6 in deep doubles as a tender lift and makes swimming easy. The saloon has a large L-shaped sofa that can become an extra bed and a two-seat sofa opposite, enough for six people to sit together. Dark wenge against cream upholstery is the signature look, with the big windshield and side glass keeping it from feeling heavy.

Two cabins, two heads and a galley short on lockers

Below, a centerline companionway with Asian-inspired wenge and cream doors leads to two cabins. The owner's double is in the bow, lit by a deck hatch and horizontal hull windows, with drawers under the bed, lockers, two column cabinets and a full-height mirror. A twin cabin serves guests, and there are two heads, so a couple and their friends do not have to queue in the morning.

The galley sits two steps down from the saloon to port, which keeps the cook in touch with the helm and guests. Stainless counters and backsplash contrast with the dark sole, and a full-size Vitrifrigo fridge-freezer was an option. Moser's main complaint was stowage: a long weekend may mean eating ashore or restocking, and that criticism still applies. Plan on adding soft bags and organizers rather than expecting the boat to swallow a week of provisions.

What the 43S did on Long Island Sound

PMY ran a 2007 IPS500 boat out of Huntington, New York, and averaged 39.1 mph at wide open throttle, which is about 34 knots. YachtBuyer lists the same 34-knot top speed for the IPS600 version with a 30-knot cruise, so the bigger pods add punch rather than a higher ceiling. The magazine did not publish a fuel curve, and we have not found a verified independent one, so treat any range figure you see in a listing with caution. With 291 gallons of fuel, the 43S is a coastal hopper, not a long-range cruiser.

The handling impressed. The fly-by-wire steering turned the boat through 180 degrees at full speed in under two boat lengths with only a 50 to 100 rpm drop, and sightlines were good in all directions. Bow rise of about six degrees at 2,500 rpm partly blocked the view ahead until the Bennett trim tabs were adjusted. In the marina, pods that swivel 26 degrees each way meant the test boat docked in a strong current and 20 mph wind without the optional bow thruster or the optional joystick.

Three ways into the machinery

Access was better than you might expect on a 44-foot hardtop. A cockpit hatch about 2 ft 6 in square handles daily checks, with nearly two feet between the engines, so dipsticks, filters and belts are easy to reach. Engine room headroom is only 4 ft 3 in, so for the 10 kW Kohler generator and the Racor fuel filters there is a removable panel in the saloon sole. A third hatch under the cockpit settee cushions reaches the marine gears, the hydraulic steering ram and the swim platform hydraulics.

Standard equipment on the test boat included a Raymarine autopilot, Volvo EVC electronics, a 40,000 Btu chilled-water air conditioning system, two VacuFlush heads and the electric sunroof. Options included teak decks, a Side-Power bow thruster, a Raymarine E120 package, the full-size fridge and a cockpit refrigerator. On a used boat the options list matters, because a bow thruster and joystick add real value for owner-operators.

Owning a 20-year-old pod-drive boat

The 43S belongs to the first generation of IPS boats, so its pods, EVC electronics and steering units are now around two decades old. That is not a reason to avoid one, but it does change what you inspect. Ask for Volvo service records showing regular pod oil and filter changes, anode replacement and any software or EVC updates, and have a Volvo-certified technician check the pods for water in the oil and wear in the steering actuators during the survey.

Budget around $35,000 to $70,000 a year in the U.S. for a slip, insurance, bottom and pod service, the generator, canvas and the usual repairs. Two D6 diesels are among the cheaper modern engines to maintain in this size, which is part of the attraction compared with older twin-shaft Italian boats.

From $781,505 new to a quarter-million used

PMY's 2007 test boat was $781,505 as tested. In 2026 the market is far lower. European listings we found ran from €229,000 for a 2009 IPS600 boat in Mallorca to €320,000 for a 2008 boat with 512 engine hours, while 2006 IPS500 boats asked €240,000 to €259,000. On the U.S. side, a 2009 43S with twin IPS600s and 900 hours was listed in Florida at $296,800.

For a U.S. buyer, $210,000 to $360,000 covers most of the realistic range once import and survey costs are factored in for European boats. Pay toward the top for an IPS600 boat with low hours, a joystick and documented Volvo dealer service. Buy toward the bottom only if you have budgeted for a pod overhaul, new canvas and possibly a sunroof reseal.

Azimut 43S specifications

Length overall	43.8 ft13.36 m
Beam	13.8 ft4.22 m
Draft	3.9 ft1.19 m
Displacement	34,172 lbs15,5 kg
Fuel capacity	291 gal1,1 L
Fresh water	132 gal5 L
Cabins	2 (owner's double forward, twin guest cabin)
Berths	4 in cabins, plus a saloon sofa that converts to an extra bed
Heads	2
Standard engines	Early boats: 2 x Volvo Penta IPS500 (370 hp each), the only engine offered at launch
Optional engines	Later boats: 2 x Volvo Penta IPS600 (435 hp each)
Maximum power	870 hp
Cruise speed	30 knots
Top speed	34 knots
Hull type	Planing hull designed around forward-facing Volvo IPS pod drives
Hull construction	GRP hull and superstructure
Builder	Azimut Yachts, Italy
Other design credits	Exterior by Stefano Righini, interior by Carlo Galeazzi; hull developed with Volvo Penta engineers for IPS
Production	2005 to present
Status	Discontinued

Figures come from builder documentation and independent tests where available. Displacement is usually quoted light, so a loaded cruising boat will weigh more. Compare these specs with another model.

How much does a Azimut 43S cost?

New, typical sail-awayNo longer built

Used, typical asking$210K to $360K

Yearly running costs$35K to $70K

Power & Motoryacht's 2007 test boat was priced at $781,505 as tested, so a 43S today sells for well under half its original cost. Recent European asks run from about €229,000 to €320,000, and a 2009 IPS600 boat in Florida with 900 engine hours was listed at $296,800. IPS600 boats, low hours, a documented pod service history and a dry, leak-free sunroof push a boat to the top of the range.

Estimated used asking prices by model year, US market, 2026

Estimate your yearly cost

Purchase price Engine hours per year Slip rate per foot per month Fuel price per gallon

A planning estimate using common rules of thumb: insurance near 1.5 percent of value, maintenance near 3 percent, haul out and bottom paint by length. Your marina, region and use will move these numbers. Open the full cost calculator.

Versions and options

Azimut 43S with IPS500: Launch configuration tested by Power & Motoryacht in 2007: twin 370 hp Volvo Penta IPS500 pods, the only engine choice at the time.
Azimut 43S with IPS600: Later boats with twin 435 hp IPS600 pods, listed by YachtBuyer with a 34-knot top speed and 30-knot cruise.

Azimut 43S timeline

2001Azimut buys Gobbi and creates the Atlantis brand, clearing the way for a separate sporty S range
2006Motor Boat & Yachting features the new 43S in its January issue; U.S. premiere at the Fort Lauderdale show in the autumn
2007Power & Motoryacht tests an IPS500 boat on Long Island Sound, about 34 knots and $781,505 as tested
2008IPS600-powered boats appear on the market alongside the original IPS500 version
2009Latest model year commonly found on the brokerage market

Strengths and weaknesses

What owners like

First Azimut with IPS as standard, easy close-quarters handling
About 34 knots on twin D6 diesels
Electric sunroof opens the whole main deck
Two cabins with two heads in a 44-foot boat
Three separate engine room access points
Distinctive S-range styling that still turns heads

What to weigh up

Galley and cabin stowage are limited
291 gallon fuel tank limits range
Early-generation IPS pods and electronics now need careful checking
Only 4 ft 3 in of engine room headroom
Noticeable bow rise in the midrange without tab adjustment

Used Azimut 43S buyer checklist

Take this list to a viewing. Your ticks are saved in this browser so you can come back to it.

Confirm whether the boat has IPS500 or IPS600 pods and price it accordingly
Review Volvo service records for pod oil changes, anodes and EVC updates
Have a Volvo technician check pod oil for water and test the steering actuators
Run the electric sunroof through several cycles and look for leaks and stains below it
Inspect the hydraulic swim platform rams and hoses under the cockpit settee
Check the hull stripe, window film and gelcoat for sun damage
Test the chilled-water air conditioning and the 10 kW generator under load
Look for a bow thruster or joystick, both of which were options

Always commission an independent marine survey and an engine survey before you buy. How a marine survey works.

Rivals to consider

Azimut 40S

The later, smaller S-range hardtop for buyers who want a newer Azimut sport yacht with pods.

Compare side by side

Princess V42

British sports cruiser of a similar size, with a strong U.K. and U.S. dealer network.

Sea Ray 420 Sundancer

American express cruiser with more cabin volume and easier U.S. parts support, but less Italian flair.

Compare side by side

Prestige 420

French alternative with more interior space for the length, aimed at cruising families rather than sporty weekenders.

Our verdict on the Azimut 43S

The Azimut 43S is a weekend sport yacht that looks expensive, drives easily and still costs far less than most newer pod-drive boats of its size. Its strengths are real: about 34 knots, handling that makes docking simple without a joystick, and a sunroof that opens the main deck to the sky. Its weaknesses are just as clear, with tight stowage, a modest fuel tank and IPS hardware that is now two decades old. Buy an IPS600 boat with Volvo dealer records and a dry sunroof, and the 43S makes an affordable entry into the Azimut S range.

Azimut 43S questions answered

What engines does the Azimut 43S have?

Early boats have twin 370 hp Volvo Penta IPS500 pod drives, the only engine offered at launch. Later boats have twin 435 hp IPS600 pods.

How fast is the Azimut 43S?

Power & Motoryacht averaged 39.1 mph, about 34 knots, at wide open throttle with IPS500 power. YachtBuyer lists a 34-knot top speed and a 30-knot cruise for the IPS600 version.

How much is an Azimut 43S for sale today?

Most asking prices fall between about $210,000 and $360,000. European boats list around €229,000 to €320,000, and a 2009 IPS600 boat in Florida asked $296,800.

How many cabins does the Azimut 43S have?

Two: an owner's double in the bow and a twin guest cabin, with two heads. The saloon sofa converts to an extra bed.

Is the Azimut S43 the same boat as the 43S?

Yes. Listings use 43S, 43 S, AZ 43 S and S43 for the same sport hardtop. It should not be confused with the Azimut 43 flybridge of the same era.

How much fuel does the Azimut 43S carry?

291 gallons (1,100 liters) of fuel and 132 gallons (500 liters) of water.