Boat test for the 2005 Azimut 86S with boat pictures, boat specifications, and boat test results. Includes pricing, videos, engine test reviews, and ratings for the 2005 Azimut 86S.

As roomy as she is belowdecks, what sets this boat's interior apart is her Italian style. On my 86S, the decor was highlighted by dark wood trim, light fabrics and treatments, wooden blinds, and enough chrome and stainless steel to make things interesting. Even the heads were eye-catching, with wood soles, designer basins, and those high-tech, multiposition shower heads that make cleaning up something to really look forward to—and that goes double for the master shower that can easily hold two.

More luxury is available topside, at the helm area, where there are three electrically adjustable leather seats; the centerline one is for the skipper and affords excellent views of the seaway through large forward windows. A formidable electronics array features a touch-screen monitor that instantly provides information on all systems, engine functions, Arneson Drive position, and a host of other data.

Aft of the helm is a large, comfortable saloon with seating and an entertainment area that feature an L-shape couch to port with a table that leafs open and can easily seat eight for dinner. Opposite the seating area is the entertainment center housing a 42-inch plasma TV hidden in its own electrically operated cabinet. Reflecting how this boat is likely to be used, the galley is down a companionway to starboard, out of sight and easily accessible by crew. It's finished in gleaming stainless steel and wood trim, and even the crew quarters nearby are quite spacious and luxurious. Logically enough, the main entrance to the engine room is here; secondary access is from the transom garage, which can hold a tender and a PWC. Although it lacks stand up headroom, the engine room still affords plenty of space to perform maintenance checks.

If ever a boat was meant for a red hull, it is the Azimut 86S. And from any angle, she's all about excitement and luxury.

All this is enjoyable and impressive to be sure, but for a real adrenalin-pumping experience, try sitting on the aft section of the 86S, on the seating area just behind the glass door leading to the saloon, while she's cruising across the water at close to 40 mph. You'll be out of the wind with an excellent viewing area of the rapidly passing scenery, including that remarkable rooster tail, and having the time of your life. I certainly did.

It's easy to look at the 86S as just another evolutionary step in Vitelli's grand and methodical scheme. But that doesn't fully account for the boat's excitement and beauty. Indeed, as I debarked with my test gear, I found myself wondering what this visionary builder with foresight, drive, and a penchant for luxury and performance would come up with to top this.

Allied Richard Bertram
(954) 462-5527

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