AZIMUT 48

Is it a party platform? A sportsboat? A weekender? Whatever it is, this American-style Azimut has plenty to recommend it...

- Alex Smith

American boats have a couple of traits that tend to set them apart. The first is massive outboard engines - in this case a trio of Mercury's epic 600hp V12s. The second is a whole load of day boating party space with shelter, refrigeration and music. Now while those traits can sometimes make American-style sportsboats that bit less popular on this side of the Atlantic, that's not to say we won't jump at the chance to sea trial one if the opportunity presents itself. And so it was that on a gentle morning on the Cote d'Azur at the World Launch of the new Verve 48, we stepped on board the most American looking Azimut you're ever likely to see...

1,800HP OF FUN

If you haven't yet helmed a boat propelled by Mercury's 7.6L V12 600s, it's actually a much more refined experience than you might imagine. The noise levels, according to Azimut, stop around 10 decibels short of the quadruple 450 rig that graced the transom of the previous Verve 47 - and that (they say) is equivalent to the difference between a hair-dryer and a helicopter. That (we say) is highly fanciful, but with sound readings of between 85 and 88 decibels at everything from 15 to 45 knots, the noise is no louder than you would generally expect of a fast open sportsboat.