Azimut 53 Fly Review, Price and Specifications

The Azimut 53 Fly in brief

The Azimut 53 Fly, now sold as the Fly 53, is the smallest yacht in Azimut's current flybridge range and the model that took the brand to Volvo Penta IPS pods in this size. Alberto Mancini, who also styled the Azimut 78, drew the exterior; Azimut's own team did the interior, and the hull was developed by Azimut's R&D department with MICAD. YachtBuyer records a World Yachts Trophies award for best exterior design in 2021 and a European Powerboat of the Year nomination for 2022.

It is a family boat sized for owner-operators: three cabins and two heads, a crew cabin that many U.S. owners use for storage, and two helms. Azimut fly 53 prices are among the most searched figures for the model, so we cover both new and used values below, along with the older Azimut 53 of 2009 that shares the name.

Mancini's trick for a low-looking flybridge

Flybridges of this size tend to look tall. Mancini disguised the height with a dark glazed band that wraps almost the whole flybridge, widening toward the stern, so the top deck appears to float. A forward-rising sheerline, minimal dark window frames and large hull windows complete the effect. Yachting noted that the fine entry, straight sheer and glass make the boat look more like an express cruiser than a flybridge.

The bow is near vertical, which is not only a styling choice. MBY explained that the upright bow and IPS engines placed further aft free about two extra feet of usable lower-deck length compared with a conventional bow and shaft drives. That space goes into the cabins.

Why Azimut chose IPS for this one

Azimut told MBY that the choice of IPS was as much about living space as performance or fuel economy. The 53 was only the second model in the Fly range to use pods, after the 78. Each Volvo Penta IPS950 is driven by a 725 hp D11 diesel, and the package brings joystick driving that engages the autopilot as soon as it is activated, plus automated interceptors that adjust trim for speed, wind and weight.

For a U.S. owner-operator, the practical benefit is simple close-quarters handling and a quiet main deck. The trade-off is pod maintenance, which must be done by Volvo-trained technicians, and the pods need inspection and anode service at every haul-out.

A main deck that starts with the galley

The galley sits aft to port at the entrance, close to the cockpit, saloon and flybridge stairs, so whoever is cooking stays part of the party. Forward, a U-shaped settee with a high-low table faces a sofa to starboard, and the lower helm is forward on the starboard side. Slim window mullions and an almost seamless deck height between galley and lounge keep the space open, with nearly 360 degrees of glass.

Yachting highlighted the integrated Garmin helm, which shows tank levels, engine data and alarms on the helm displays or a tablet. Single-lever controls and a joystick are fitted at both helms.

A walk-in closet in a 53-footer

The full-beam master is the 53's selling point. It has a queen bed with full standing room around it, a private bathroom with a separate shower, a settee with a hidden vanity, large hull windows and a walk-in wardrobe, which MBY called a rare luxury in this sector.

The VIP is in the bow with a walk-around bed and its own door into the second head, which also serves as the day head and is shared with the twin cabin to starboard. The crew cabin with a single berth and head is reached through the transom, and Azimut expects most owners to use it as a toy store instead.

• Master: full-beam, queen bed, walk-in closet, en suite with shower
• VIP: bow, walk-around bed, shared head with private door
• Guest: twin beds to starboard
• Crew: single berth and head, entered from the transom

Three outdoor zones and a hardtop with a sunroof

Up top, the helm is to port, with a sunpad forward of it, a wet bar with fridge and grill, and a crescent-shaped lounge around a convertible table that seats everyone for dinner. Most boats have a hardtop with a sunroof or a retractable roof. The cockpit has an asymmetric layout that keeps walkways clear while extending the table and seating, and the foredeck has a sunpad and sofa.

The asymmetric transom also gives the crew cabin a private entrance, so a captain can come and go without crossing the cockpit.

Lloyd's-witnessed performance figures

Azimut publishes performance data from a sea trial to ISO 8666 witnessed by Lloyd's Register. The Fly 53 reaches up to 31 knots, cruises at up to 26 knots, and at 26 knots uses 7.8 liters per nautical mile, roughly 54 gallons an hour, for a range of 279 nautical miles. At a slow cruise of 15.1 knots consumption is 7.7 liters per nautical mile and range 281 miles, so slowing down saves surprisingly little.

The practical lesson is that this hull is happiest at full planing speed. With 634 gallons of fuel, plan on about 280 nautical miles between fuel stops, enough for Florida to the Bahamas and back or a long coastal leg with reserve. The 3 ft 5 in draft including pods also opens shallow Bahamian anchorages.

The other Azimut 53, from 2009

Before the Fly 53 there was an Azimut 53, introduced in 2009 with 65 hulls built, according to Yachting. It was a shaft-drive boat with twin 730 hp MAN diesels in Europe and 715 hp Caterpillar C12s on PMY's 2010 test boat, 54 ft 9 in overall with a 16 ft 2 in beam and 618 gallons of fuel. Yachting quoted a 28-knot cruise and 33-knot top speed, and Motor Boat & Yachting named it boat of the year.

Its full-beam master had a breakfast dinette, an offset bed and 6 ft 4 in of headroom, and Azimut's Easy Docking joystick worked with the thrusters. PMY's test boat cost $1,747,200. Today these boats ask about $589,000 to $880,000. From 2012 it was succeeded by the closely related Azimut 54.

What a Fly 53 costs new and used

New, a Fly 53 was offered in Spain at €2,176,700 before VAT in 2026, and MBY called it a £1.1 million boat at the London show in 2022. With U.S. specification, a Seakeeper, hardtop and electronics, expect about $2.2 to $2.6 million. Used, U.S. asks include $1,149,000 to $1,799,000 for 2023 boats, $1,295,000 to $1,849,000 for 2024 boats and $2,049,000 for a 2025. European 2022 to 2024 boats ask €1.29 to €1.59 million.

Running a Fly 53 in the U.S. costs roughly $75,000 to $140,000 a year with slip, insurance, IPS and generator service, gyro maintenance, bottom work and occasional captain time.