Azimut Yachts Sport Yachts & Express Cruisers

Azimut 55S for Sale, Review and Triple-IPS Ownership Guide

A carbon-topped Italian sport yacht whose three small IPS pods freed three feet of hull for a full-beam master suite.

2012 to present Discontinued Updated October 2026

Photo: Azimut Yachts, courtesy of the builder, source

Length: 56.8 ft17.3 m
Beam: 15.4 ft4.7 m
Cruise: 28.6 kn
Cabins: 3 guest staterooms (full-beam master, VIP, twin) plus crew cabin in the bow
Used price: $480K to $760K

On this page

Overview
The Azimut 55S for sale question everyone asks first, why three engines?
Carbon, Miami Silver and an Alfa-style grille
One level from cockpit to helm
A full-beam master that a twin-engine 55 could not fit
Power & Motoryacht's numbers, 34.4 knots and a thirsty midrange
Living with three IPS pods
Prices, depreciation and what to buy
Specifications
Price and value
Strengths and weaknesses
Used buyer checklist
Rivals
Our verdict
FAQ

The Azimut 55S is a 56 ft 9 in hardtop sport yacht launched around 2012, powered by three 435 hp Volvo Penta IPS600 pods and topped with a carbon fiber superstructure. Power & Motoryacht saw 34.4 knots; used boats now ask roughly $490,000 to $750,000.

Best for

Owner-operators who want a fast Med-style hardtop
Florida and Bahamas weekending
Buyers prioritizing a big master cabin in a 55 ft hull
Couples who entertain at anchor

Azimut 55S by the numbers

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

Speed to length ratio at cruise: 4.07A planing cruise. Fast passages in exchange for much higher fuel burn per mile.
Estimated range at cruise: 228 nmUsing 90 percent of tank capacity at the cruise speed and fuel burn listed on this page.
Fuel economy at cruise: 0.60 nmpgNautical miles per gallon at cruise, both engines combined.
Horsepower per ton: 63 hpStrong power to weight for a planing hull.
Length to beam ratio: 3.68 : 1A slim, easily driven hull.

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

Azimut 55S

18 ft92 ft

The Azimut 55S for sale question everyone asks first, why three engines?

Lift the cockpit hatch on any Azimut 55S for sale and you find the answer to the boat's most famous trick: three Volvo Penta IPS600 pod drives where rivals fit two. Power & Motoryacht's Alan Harper said it was all anyone wanted to talk about when the boat appeared, and the S6 that eventually replaced it was built around the same idea.

Azimut's reasoning was about weight and, above all, length. Three 5.5 liter IPS600s weigh 5,958 lb in total against 7,936 lb for a pair of 10.84 liter IPS800s of similar combined output, and Volvo's own curves suggested the fuel burn is not much different. The decisive point is that the compact IPS600s are a full three feet shorter than the bigger engines. On a 55 footer, three extra feet across the widest part of the hull goes straight into the accommodation, and that is what the 55S is really about.

Carbon, Miami Silver and an Alfa-style grille

The 55S belongs to Azimut's S line of sporty hardtop yachts, and the styling is deliberately loud: angular window shapes, a snub-nosed bow with an axe-blade edge, and on the test boat a steely Miami Silver hull. A carbon-and-steel grille on the stem, which Harper likened to a classic Alfa Romeo, protects the gelcoat from the anchor.

The technology under the paint is serious. The superstructure is almost entirely carbon fiber, which keeps weight high in the boat down and helps the triple-IPS package deliver its numbers. When Azimut developed the S6 on a modified and slightly lengthened version of the same hull, it extended the carbon to the swim platform, tender garage hatch, sunroof and parts of the deck.

Azimut 55S seen from above and astern carving a turn on deep blue water. Photo: Azimut Yachts, courtesy of the builder, source

One level from cockpit to helm

On the main deck there is no step between cockpit and saloon. The glass cockpit door splits into four sections that slide away to starboard, and a drop-in seat can bridge the opening to join the cockpit's port seating to the interior. A large sunroof opens the hardtop, and the port side deck runs straight down to the aft steps without cutting into the cockpit. The cockpit table converts to a sunpad, and there is a sunpad and lounge on the bow.

Inside, the port saloon sofa is a typical Azimut device: the backrest slides fore and aft and up and down, making either a raised forward-facing seat for running or a bench for the dining table. The galley hides along the starboard side under counters that lower to look like a sideboard. The helm has two separate seats, an adjustable wheel, Volvo's electronic controls and joystick, and, as Harper noted with some amusement, three tachometers.

A full-beam master that a twin-engine 55 could not fit

Because the engines sit right aft over the pods, the crew cabin goes in the bow and the guest cabins shift aft into wider parts of the hull. The VIP has the feel of an amidships suite, with substantial hull windows, a full-size bed, 6 ft 7 in of headroom and two hanging lockers. The twin cabin to starboard shares the VIP's head as a day head.

The master is where the extra three feet show. It spans the full beam in an L-shape with the head and shower offset to port. A 6 ft 5 in by 5 ft 4 in berth sits on the diagonal, with real floor space, a large hanging locker, gas-strut storage under the bed and a two-seat breakfast dinette by the window. Headroom is 6 ft 3 in. Yachting described gray zebrawood veneers against dark oak, brass and steel, and both magazines rated the finish highly.

Power & Motoryacht's numbers, 34.4 knots and a thirsty midrange

Power & Motoryacht tested hull one off Cannes with ten people, 260 gallons of fuel, 78 gallons of water and 600 lb of gear aboard in 1 to 2 ft seas. The 1,305 hp triple installation got the boat on plane from a standing start in under 15 seconds and to peak speed about 20 seconds later. Top speed was 34.4 knots at 3,400 rpm, burning 63.9 gallons an hour; Azimut claims 36 knots, which the test boat did not reach.

The practical cruising band is 22 to 30 knots. At 3,000 rpm the boat made 28.6 knots on 47.8 gph for a calculated range of 228 nautical miles. Harper noted the engines seemed thirstier than Volvo's published curve at midrange, possibly an instrumentation issue, and that the 423 gallon tank is smaller than many twin-engine rivals carry, which limits range. Underway the boat was lively, responsive and very quiet in the saloon with doors and roof closed: 71 dB(A) at 28.6 knots.

Living with three IPS pods

Owning a 55S means maintaining three engines and three pods. PMY's advice was to change the IPS pod oil at every annual bottom job or every 400 hours. The engine room is tight: water separators, oil filters and dipsticks are reachable, but major work on any engine, especially the center one, is hard without removing the soft patch overhead, a job for a boatyard. The same space also holds a generator, air conditioning, water heater, electrical and hydraulic systems, all under the molding that supports the tender in the garage above.

Budget accordingly. Expect $70,000 to $140,000 a year to run a 55S in the U.S., covering a 60 ft slip in Florida, insurance, three-engine service, pod service, bottom work and crew or captain time if you use one. Triple-engine service bills are the line that surprises owners coming from twin-shaft boats.

Prices, depreciation and what to buy

In 2013 PMY's test boat was priced at $1,800,950 ex taxes. Today most U.S. listings are 2015 boats asking between $489,500 and about $715,000. Yachting featured the 2015 Radio Waves in Naples, Florida, with 485 hours on its IPS600s, asking $679,500 and later $599,900. Treasure X, another 2015 boat, asked $625,000 to $678,000, and a 2012 boat in Spain was listed at $749,000.

The sweet spot is a low-hour, U.S.-based boat with complete Volvo dealer records, updated electronics and a documented pod service history. Charter boats from the Mediterranean can look cheap but usually carry more hours and wear.

Azimut 55S specifications

Length overall	56.8 ft17.3 m
Beam	15.4 ft4.7 m
Draft	3.8 ft1.14 m
Displacement	41,44 lbs18,797 kg
Fuel capacity	423 gal1,601 L
Fresh water	156 gal591 L
Cabins	3 guest staterooms (full-beam master, VIP, twin) plus crew cabin in the bow
Berths	6 guests in three cabins plus crew
Heads	2 guest heads (master en suite, VIP head doubling as day head)
Standard engines	3 x Volvo Penta IPS600 (435 mhp each) with joystick
Maximum power	1,305 hp
Cruise speed	28.6 knots
Top speed	34.4 knots
Range	228 nm
Hull type	Planing hull with triple pod drives
Hull construction	Fiberglass hull with carbon fiber superstructure
Builder	Azimut Yachts, Italy
Production	2012 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.

Performance data

RPM	Speed (kn)	Fuel (gph)	Range (nm)
1000	7.1	2.5	1082
1500	9.6	9.2	398
2000	12.6	21.9	219
2500	20	34.9	218
3000	28.6	47.8	228
3400	34.4	63.9	202

Power & Motoryacht test of hull one with 3 x 435 mhp Volvo Penta IPS600, 260 gal fuel, 78 gal water, 10 people and 600 lb gear, 1 to 2 ft seas. Fuel is total for three engines; range as calculated by the magazine.

How much does a Azimut 55S cost?

New, typical sail-awayNo longer built

Used, typical asking$480K to $760K

Yearly running costs$70K to $140K

Power & Motoryacht's 2013 test boat was priced at about $1.8 million ex taxes, so depreciation has been steep. Recent U.S. asking prices for 2015 boats ran from $489,500 to about $715,000, with the low-hour Radio Waves reduced from $679,500 to $599,900, while a 2012 boat in Spain asked $749,000. Engine hours, IPS service records and whether the boat has been in charter are the biggest price drivers.

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 55S (about 2012 onward): Triple IPS600, carbon superstructure, three guest cabins and two heads with a bow crew cabin.
Azimut S6 (successor): Built on a modified, slightly lengthened version of the same hull with three 550 hp IPS700s and more carbon.

Azimut 55S timeline

2012Azimut 55S introduced with triple Volvo IPS600 pods
2013Power & Motoryacht tests hull one at Cannes, 34.4 knots and $1.8 million as tested
2015Model year of most 55S boats currently on the U.S. brokerage market
2019Power & Motoryacht tests the S6, which carries the triple-IPS concept forward on a stretched hull

Strengths and weaknesses

What owners like

Full-beam master unusual at 55 ft
34-knot performance with joystick docking
Carbon superstructure keeps weight down
Single-level cockpit and saloon with sliding glass doors
Quiet saloon at cruise speed

What to weigh up

Three engines and three pods to service
Center engine is hard to reach for major work
423 gallon fuel tank limits range
Steep depreciation from new
Polarizing styling

Used Azimut 55S buyer checklist

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

Review service records for all three IPS600 engines and pods, including pod oil changes
Check hours on each engine; they should be close if the boat was run correctly
Inspect the engine room under the tender molding for leaks and corrosion
Test the joystick, EVC electronics and autopilot integration
Check the carbon superstructure and sunroof seals for cracks or leaks
Inspect the stem grille and anchor gear
Run the generator and air conditioning under load
Ask about charter history on European boats

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

Rivals to consider

Azimut S7

The larger later S-line yacht with the same triple-IPS logic and more volume.

Compare side by side

Princess V50

British sports cruiser with a more traditional layout and a large U.S. dealer presence.

Compare side by side

Pershing 6X

A faster, more extreme Italian sport yacht from Ferretti Group's Pershing brand.

Compare side by side

Prestige 460S

Smaller, cheaper hardtop alternative for buyers who do not need 34 knots.

Compare side by side

Our verdict on the Azimut 55S

The Azimut 55S is a clever boat disguised as a flashy one. The three small IPS pods are not a gimmick: they bought the space for a full-beam master and a VIP that feels like an amidships suite, on a hull that runs at 28 knots and tops 34. The price of that cleverness is paid in the engine room, where three of everything must be serviced in tight quarters. Buy a low-hour, U.S.-kept boat with complete Volvo records and it makes a lot of yacht for around $600,000.