AZIMUT 53

The Azimut, which introduced its 53 to European customers last fall. The boat takes on strong contenders from both sides of the Atlantic. But the builder seems quietly confident—having already won a major (and entirely credible) boat of the year award from the U.K. magazine Motor Boating and Yachting—and it’s not hard to see why. With an overall length closer to 55 feet than 53, the new model packs a lot into that space, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the owner’s suite. It’s a luxurious, full-beam affair of the sort that you see in much larger boats, with big hull windows that extend almost to the waterline, a full-size breakfast dinette, an offset berth, and 6'4" headroom. There are no deckhead intrusions to betray the fact that there’s another deck just above your head, and the vee of the hull is cleverly disguised. Only the height of the dinette, hard up against the port side, might remind you that you’re not onboard something bigger.