Azimut 55E (55 Evolution) Used Buyer's Guide

What the E on a 55E actually stands for

Brokers write it as 55E, 55 Evo or 55 Evolution, and they all mean the same boat: the reworked version of the Azimut 55 flybridge that Stefano Righini styled at the start of the 2000s. Motor Boat & Yachting tested the original 55 in its March 2002 issue and Power & Motoryacht ran its own test in January 2003. The Evolution kept that hull and deck and added the visual changes Azimut was rolling out across its flybridge range, most obviously wide, butterfly-shaped windows in the hull sides to light the owner's suite, along with matte cherrywood joinery inside.

If you are searching for an Azimut 55E, you are almost certainly looking at a boat built between about 2002 and 2005, because that is the spread of build years we found on current listings. YachtBuyer files the 55 Evo as a second-generation model running from 2002 to 2012, but that end date looks generous: Azimut's 58 flybridge, which Yachting described as a development of the 55 hull stretched by a few feet, arrived for the 2008 season. Treat any listing labeled 55E with a build year after 2006 as something to verify against the hull identification number.

Righini's curves, twenty years on

The 55 was one of the boats that defined Azimut's look in that decade. Every line of the superstructure is a curve, the cockpit sides rise into fin-shaped windows, and the hull carries large oval and elliptical glazing at a time when most rivals still used round portlights. Motor Boat & Yachting's used-boat report, filed about 15 years after launch, said the 55 still looked ahead of its time, helped by one-way mirrored glass that hides the structure behind those fins.

That styling is now the main reason people buy one. A 55E will not feel modern inside, but from the dock it still reads as a deliberate piece of design rather than a generic white flybridge. The flip side is that so much curved glass and so many bonded windows mean resealing is a when, not an if, on a boat of this age.

A raised dinette, a midships suite and two guest cabins

The main deck follows the split-level plan Azimut used on most of its mid-size flybridges. The saloon lounge sits aft with a half-moon sofa, a fold-away cocktail table and the television unit, and a slightly raised dinette faces the galley forward, separated from the lounge so the cook and diners share one zone while the sofa crowd has another. Azimut's own description notes that the dining table splits into two coffee tables for daytime use. The lower helm sits forward on centerline.

Below are three cabins. The full-beam owner's suite is amidships under those big hull windows, with its own head. A double VIP sits in the bow and a twin cabin is off the lobby; these two share the second head, which also serves as the day head. A small crew cabin with its own head is aft, and most US owners use it as storage or a bunk room for a teenager. Six guests is the honest capacity.

Motor Boat & Yachting found that the original 55 needed the owner's cabin sole dropped to within a few inches of the keel to get standing headroom, so check that the bilge beneath it is dry and clean on any survey.

• Owner's suite amidships with en suite head and hull windows
• Double VIP forward sharing the second head
• Twin guest cabin off the lower lobby
• Single crew berth and head aft, reached from the stern

Caterpillar C12 power and what 32 knots really involves

YachtBuyer lists twin Caterpillar C12 diesels at about 705 hp each for the 55 Evo, with a 32-knot top speed and a 29-knot cruise; a 2005 listing we reviewed quotes the same engines at 715 hp. Some early 55s were sold with Caterpillar 3196 engines, so the engine plate is worth photographing before you make an offer. Both are inline sixes on conventional shafts, which keeps the machinery simple for any diesel mechanic in Florida or the Northeast.

We found no published speed and fuel table for this boat, so treat the factory speeds as best case. Expect a light, freshly bottom-painted 55E to reach the high 20s comfortably, and plan cruising around the mid 20s where twin C12s are working well within their rating. With 666 gallons of fuel, you have enough for a Bimini crossing and back with reserve, but not for long passages at speed.

Handling deserves a sea trial of its own. Motor Boat & Yachting found the original 55 had a large turning circle and was reluctant to change direction, and blamed the short, broad rudder shape Azimut chose for the 55 and 62. It is not dangerous, but if you are coming from a British-built flybridge, expect a more deliberate boat in tight turns.

The 55E's place in Azimut's family tree

Azimut has used the 55 number on three different flybridges, and on sport yachts such as the 55S, and listings mix them up constantly. Knowing which one you are looking at saves wasted trips.

The useful rule is that anything with the butterfly hull windows and a build year in the early 2000s is the 55E, while a boat with straight-edged rectangular glazing, a squared-off foredeck and MAN engines is the 2018 generation.

• Azimut 55, first generation (about 1999 to 2002): the older boat YachtBuyer lists before the Righini 55; rarely seen in the US now.
• Azimut 55 and 55 Evolution (early 2000s): the boat on this page, Righini styling, Caterpillar power, three cabins.
• Azimut 58 (2008 season onward): developed from the 55 hull with extra length and MAN R6 engines, then succeeded by the first Azimut 60 on the same hull.
• Azimut 55 (2018 to 2022): a new flybridge with Achille Salvagni interior and twin MAN i6-800 diesels, about 55 feet 5 inches overall and roughly 30 knots.
• Azimut 55S: a hardtop sport yacht from the S collection, a different boat entirely.

Running an early-2000s Italian 57-footer without surprises

The purchase price is the easy part. Budget roughly $65,000 to $115,000 a year in South Florida for an owner-operated 55E: dockage for a 58-foot slip, insurance on a boat valued around $400,000, an annual haul with bottom paint and running gear service, engine and generator maintenance, canvas and detailing. Add a captain and the figure climbs quickly.

The bigger risk is deferred work. A boat of this age may need new air conditioning compressors, new house batteries, updated electronics, a teak deck repair, new upholstery and a resealed windshield, and each of those runs into five figures. Keep a reserve of at least 15 percent of the purchase price for the first two years, and do not let a low asking price talk you out of it.

Parts support is reasonable. Azimut is still one of the largest builders in Italy and has a US dealer network, and the Caterpillar engines and conventional shafts mean you are not depending on proprietary pod-drive service.

Where 55E asking prices actually land

This is one of the cheapest ways into a 57-foot Italian flybridge. YachtBuyer's tracker recently showed second-generation 55 listings between $345,000 and $399,000, averaging around $373,000, and a 2005 55 Evolution with about 480 engine hours was advertised in Europe at 420,000 euros including VAT. A 2002 example with older Caterpillar engines was listed at 350,000 euros.

On the US market we would expect most 55Es to trade between about $300,000 and $450,000, with the spread driven by engine hours, how recently the electronics and air conditioning were replaced, and cosmetic condition. Because supply in the US is thin, be prepared to look at boats in the Bahamas or to import from Europe; if you do, budget for duty, US-voltage conversion questions and transport, which can erase the apparent price advantage.

Who the 55E suits, and who should walk away

The 55E makes sense for a couple or a small family who want a distinctive flybridge for weekends and Bahamas trips, are comfortable running a boat themselves and have the patience to manage an older yacht's maintenance list. It is a poor choice for someone who wants modern open-plan living, joystick docking out of the box or a turnkey boat with no surprises; for that money, a newer 45 to 50 foot flybridge will be easier to own.