Azimut 68S and Azimut 68 Flybridge Buyer's Guide

Which Azimut 68 are you shopping for

Search for an Azimut 68S for sale and you will land on a sleek, hardtop sport yacht from the 2000s with a price tag well under $1 million. Search for an Azimut 68 and you are as likely to find a brand new four cabin flybridge costing four times as much. Both carry the number, and both are worth knowing about, but they serve very different buyers.

The Azimut 68S was introduced in 2004 as Azimut's first new express in more than 20 years, according to Power & Motoryacht's test that year, and YachtBuyer lists it as discontinued in 2010. The 68 name was also used on earlier flybridges, including the 68 Plus that Yachting tested in 2007. The current Azimut 68, launched in 2021, is the third flybridge generation and sits in the Fly series between the Fly 62 and Fly 70. This guide covers the 68S and the current flybridge in depth, because those are the two boats most American buyers ask about.

The Azimut 68S, a mid-30-knot hardtop that has aged into a bargain

The 68S measures 69 feet 6 inches with a 16-foot 10-inch beam and weighs about 71,430 pounds at full load, according to YachtBuyer (Power & Motoryacht's 2004 test listed 68 feet and a 17-foot 1-inch beam). Its sport yacht layout puts the helm and lounge on a single main deck under a hardtop with folding panels, and, unusually, the galley sits down on the lower deck to starboard. Three cabins are below: a master and a VIP, both en suite, and a twin sharing a third head. A single crew cabin aft was an option.

Standard power was twin 1,150 hp MTU 12V 183 TE93 diesels on V-drives, good for speeds in the mid-30-knot range. Power & Motoryacht's 2004 test boat was the first with the optional 1,300 hp MTU TE94s and topped 37 knots, and YachtBuyer also lists a MAN V12-1360 option. Cruising speed is about 31 knots. For a boat of its era, that is fast, and the tester found the fine forefoot sliced through chop confidently. The price is the attraction now: the test boat was priced at about $2.08 million in 2004, and 68S yachts now trade at a fraction of that.

The caveat is that a 15 to 20 year old Italian performance yacht needs real money. Budget for engine overhauls if hours are high, updated electronics, new upholstery and canvas, and possibly a hardtop seal and window rebedding job. A cheap 68S with tired MTUs can easily absorb $200,000 in its first two years.

The 2021 Azimut 68 flybridge, Mancini outside and Salvagni inside

The current Azimut 68 is a very different proposition. Alberto Mancini drew the exterior with long, unbroken hull windows and a sharp bow, Achille Salvagni Architetti designed the interior and the hull comes from Pierluigi Ausonio with Azimut's R&D department. Carbon fiber is used in the flybridge, hardtop and parts of the superstructure, and Azimut says its Carbon Tech approach lightens superstructures by up to 30 percent. Lowering weight high up improves stability and lets a boat of this size run on IPS pods.

It won Best Layout in the 19.5 to 24 meter class at the 2021 World Yachts Trophies and was a finalist at the 2023 Motor Boat Awards. YachtBuyer rated it 4.5 out of 5 and called it one of the smartest, brightest and most contemporary flybridge yachts on the water. Its only stated drawback was that there is no alternative to its modernist style; if you want warm traditional joinery, this is not your boat.

Three galley layouts and four cabins

Azimut offers three main deck configurations. The standard plan puts the galley amidships, enclosed, which suits crewed boats. An open version leaves the same midships galley open to the saloon, and an aft version moves it down two steps, aft and to port, for owner operators who want to serve outside. For resale in the US, the galley-aft and open layouts tend to appeal to more buyers, while the enclosed galley suits Mediterranean charter use.

Below, there are four guest cabins: a full-beam owner's stateroom with an en suite that separates toilet and shower, a VIP with en suite and two twin cabins sharing a head. Quarters for two crew with their own head sit far aft, separated from the master by the engine room. The flybridge has a hardtop over the forward and middle sections, a wet bar, a forward lounge and a flexible aft deck.

• Enclosed midships galley, open galley or galley-aft
• Full-beam master with separate toilet and shower
• Two twin cabins for children or guests
• Crew quarters for two aft of the engine room

IPS1350 performance and real fuel numbers

The 68 runs twin Volvo Penta IPS1350 pods, each rated at 1,000 hp. Azimut quotes a top speed of 32 knots and a fast cruise of 27 knots. At 27 knots the boat uses 9.9 liters per nautical mile, which works out to roughly 71 gallons per hour combined and a range of 336 nautical miles from 977 gallons. Slow to 15.2 knots and consumption drops to 7.9 liters per mile, or about 32 gph, extending range to 424 miles.

Power & Motoryacht's Alan Harper described a medium-V hull that accelerated with verve, cornered precisely and topped out a whisker below 32 knots fairly well loaded, with a safe range of 300-plus miles at 25 knots. IPS joystick docking makes the boat manageable for an experienced owner, though most US owners still keep a captain. It carries CE Category A certification.

Ownership costs for each 68

Running costs for the two boats are very different. A 68S owner who runs the boat themselves can keep annual costs, excluding big repairs, in the $90,000 to $160,000 range in Florida. The bigger risk is the unexpected: engine work, hardtop leaks and system failures on an older Italian yacht. Keep a reserve.

For the current flybridge, plan on $200,000 to $340,000 a year with a part-time or full-time captain, insurance on a $3 million plus boat, a 70-foot slip, IPS services, generator maintenance and an annual haul. IPS pods need regular service, including anodes, seals and software updates, and should be handled by a Volvo-certified dealer.

How to shop the Azimut 68 market

For the 68S, buy the best maintained boat you can find, not the cheapest. A late boat with fresh engines, updated electronics and a clean survey is worth far more than an earlier boat at $150,000 less. Florida and California hold most of the US inventory.

For the current flybridge, the used market is thin, with around $2.5 million to $4 million for 2021 to 2024 boats. Azimut's US dealer network, through MarineMax and others, keeps new and stock boats available, so negotiate hard on a stock boat late in the season.