Azimut Atlantis 48, Specs and Ownership Notes on the First Neo Design Atlantis

Where the Azimut Atlantis 48 fits in the family tree

The Azimut Atlantis 48 is the boat that reset the Atlantis brand. Barche reports that when Azimut-Benetti hired Milan's Neo Design to renew the whole Atlantis range, the work started with the 48, then moved to the 44, 38, 58 and 34. Atlantis presented the 44 and 48 together in autumn 2010.

Despite the name, the 48 is a big boat: 15.94 meters (52 feet 4 inches) overall on a 14.33-meter hull. That matters because its successor, the Azimut Atlantis 50 of 2014, rides on a hull of almost exactly the same build length (14.34 meters), uses the same 1,700-liter fuel capacity, the same 420-liter water tank and the same twin Cummins QSC 8.3 engines. In other words, the 48 is the first version of a platform that lasted until the Atlantis 51 arrived in 2018.

When new it was sold as an Atlantis rather than an Azimut; brokers now usually list it as an Azimut Atlantis 48.

Sports car proportions and an uncluttered cockpit

Barche's tester compared the 48's look to a sports car with a high beltline, the line between hull and windows sitting well up the side so the cabin top looks low and fast. Two-tone color schemes were standard but changeable.

On deck the open concept is less extreme than on Atlantis's Verve 36 day boat but still very clean. From the electro-hydraulic platform (it lifts a tender of about 350 kg) two steps lead to a single-level cockpit: an island sun pad whose backrest flips to make a forward-facing sofa, an L-shaped dinette facing a combined galley and entertainment unit, and the helm with a second sun pad beside it. The electric fabric roof opens more than 1.7 meters, and the deckhouse sides are only partly glazed, so air flows through.

Atlantis argued that a fabric roof meant less weight, a lower center of gravity and better economy than a solid glass top. Owners will also find it far cheaper to replace than a curved glass panel.

• Side decks about 50 cm wide at knee height, 24 cm at deck level, behind a high rail
• First Atlantis with teak-faced side decks, shaped to follow the bow curve
• Standard 75-liter cockpit fridge and hidden sink
• Raymarine E120 GPS and radar on the options list

The owner's cabin is in the stern

Below, the layout reverses the usual sportscruiser order. The owner's cabin is aft and full beam, though not full height: Barche measured standing room at the entrance and in front of the 195 by 160 cm bed, dropping to about 160 cm in places under the cockpit. Two hull windows with opening ports make it bright, and it has two wardrobes, a long sofa to starboard and an en suite head with a large glass-enclosed shower and teak seat.

The forward VIP is smaller with a raised island berth, two wardrobes and its own head with separate shower. Between the two cabins, the saloon has a proper galley to port with a four-burner ceramic hob, combi oven and 100-liter fridge, opposite a C-shaped settee with extending table. Finishes are stained oak walls, walnut veneer furniture and microfiber headliners.

With only two cabins and two en suite heads, the 48 is a boat for two couples rather than a family with three kids. The 2014 Atlantis 50 added an optional third cabin and moved the owner amidships.

Helm, handling and the Cummins shaft drive

Power is a pair of 600 hp Cummins QSC 8.3 six-cylinder diesels driving through direct straight shafts to five-blade Teignbridge propellers, with Mercury DTS SmartCraft electronic controls. Barche found little vibration at idle and smooth acceleration, with a stronger surge between 2,300 and 3,000 rpm as the turbos came in. At cruise the boat ran 4 to 5 degrees bow-up with tabs at zero, dropping to about 3 degrees with 20 to 30 percent tab, and the yard declared 34 knots flat out.

Steering was unusually sensitive for a shaft-drive boat over the first two-thirds of the wheel's travel, though the hydraulic helm felt heavy. A 360-degree turn at about 25 knots and 2,500 rpm needed roughly 70 meters of radius to port, a little more to starboard. In the few real waves the testers found, the hull heeled very little and stayed dry.

The helm itself drew praise: analog gauges on several depth levels for a three-dimensional look, a 12-inch multifunction touchscreen, and everything within reach seated or standing. Visibility aft is excellent; forward, the low screen means taller drivers duck to see the horizon.

How it is built and how easy it is to service

The hull, deck and structural grid are vacuum infused over quadriaxial glass, with vinylester resin in the first layers and DCPD behind it. The bottom is solid laminate and the topsides are PVC-cored sandwich. Interior bulkheads are Laricross, a lightweight composite panel.

The engine room is reached through a cockpit hatch with a ladder or, more easily, by opening the hydraulic garage door and lifting the garage floor. With 140 cm of headroom it is workable. Twin stainless fuel tanks sit outboard of the engines, each with its own filter, and both electrical panels are in plain view forward of the engines.

Buying a 48 today

The 48 was listed in the Atlantis range through 2013 (MBY named it among the bigger sisters of the new Atlantis 34 that year) and was succeeded by the Atlantis 50 in 2014. Expect asking prices of roughly $250,000 to $400,000, with the spread driven more by equipment and engine condition than by year.

Straight shafts and widely supported Cummins QSC engines make it simpler to maintain than pod or sterndrive rivals, and parts are easy to source in the US. Budget roughly $30,000 to $55,000 a year to keep one on the East Coast, including slip, insurance, haul-out, bottom paint and service.