[elsupremo]

I'm wondering if anyone here has had any experience with the older Azimut model 70 Sea Jet. I know that, for some very elusive reason, Azimut does not appear to be a favorite on this forum, I love the brand and this model looks very intriguing to me. From the pictures I have seen of this boat, the 70 looks much more like a large yacht to me than the newer 68. It looks like a smaller "megayacht", rather than a "large boat".

If anyone has had any experience or knowledge of the Sea Jet, please share it with me and I will be very appreciative.

[AMG]

If we are only talking design, I agree with you. Azimut was nicer ten years ago, the 40-43, the 70 and the 100 Jumbo. All contemporary and good looking. Since then, I must admit that the interiors have been even better, but the exteriors are not at all to my taste.

So if you like the 70 Sea Jet, make a survey to find out the weak points and if it passes, I think you will have a more timeless boat than the present line....

[elsupremo]

Thanks AMG. I hoping for some more responses! C'mon guys!

[nilo]

Dear Elsupremo,

I assume you do not want us to confess that "indeed Azimut is good value and we have personal bias against the brand". Joking aside, I have had an Azimut boat and my impression, they are not built based on quality but the company has a very good understanding what the public, who is not experienced in boating, wants and they address to them. Because there had been a considerable number of new comers to boating all over the world in the recent years, they were able to attract new buyers all the time and still grow the business.

What you express about sea jet 70 is very much in line with this factor. Indeed sea jet looks like a much larger boat than it is. So up side, in a marina one can boast that he/she has a large boat, but at sea it is a very poor performer. I recall once cruising across the bay of Taranto, I have come in contact with and Azimut 85, which is much larger than the sea jet 70. I was driving my Ferretti 68 and there was some chop coming in from the beam. We passed by the Azimut 85 and arrived in Cratone something like an hour earlier and then when they came alongside us their comment was how come with that smaller boat we were able to proceed much faster and more stable compared to them. No need to evaluate further details, reason was we were sitting much lower in the water.

So, if you are going to sit in the dock, Azimut sea jet is ok, but if you want to feel safe and cruise distances it is not the best choice.

[elsupremo]

Hi Nilo, thank you very much for sharing your opinion. I do appreciate it.

I'm relatively young and have no "professional" boating experience, but I've accrued decent experience with my 42' Sea Ray and with smaller boats. I'll readily admit I have no experience with larger boats, and I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the ride characteristics of boats in the 50-70 ft. range. So, your comments don't at all offend me but they do surprise me.
I've been on 55 (new), 58 (older), and 62 (new) Azimuts, and I never had a feeling they were lacking much in quality. My perception is, being part of Azimut-Benetti, they have a nice heritage and would be very fine boats. They always seem very comparable to the Ferretti's I see...is this really not the case?

I'm very open to comments here. I want my family to feel very safe in the ocean, and I'm often bringing along people who aren't too comfortable with the sea. I'll confess that my Sea Ray does not ride well - it feels cheap, doesn't take chop well at all, pounds a lot, and generally doesn't feel very safe. It's been my assumption that an Azimut 55 or bigger would feel solid, smooth, and very safe even in some slightly rougher conditions. However, I've never been on one at sea, so I don't know if I'm correct - that's why I'm asking here.

To any knowledgeable readers - how do Azimuts perform? Are they good quality, or is Nilo correct? Please share your opinions/experiences, good or bad.

[azureazimut]

My family has had a new 68' Azimut for the past 2 years. It has been great, and has made the trip from NJ to Miami and back twice. There have been no major or even serious problems with the boat, although we have a full time crew of two to perform maintenance. We love it so much we have already bought a new one.

[nilo]

dear azureazimute,

congratulations for your new purchase, i hope you enjoy that for years to come.

as to the discussion on sea jet, i want to put issues into a context, otherwise we wil not be having a fair discussion.

1- the issue was sea jet looking much larger than other boats of her size.
2- azimut 68' is much lower than sea jet on the sea and i know that she also behaves much better.
3- when we discuss quality we should consider systems, hull strength and in general not the interior furniture/fabrics or lay out only. what most of the people do experience are the stuff you touch and feel when you are on a boat like azimut or ferretti and not the other hidden details. azimut and i have to admit also ferretti recently having understood this public appeal they put more emphasis on the soft side of things.
4. if one is not hands on with his/her boat, then these issues are dealt by the crew and they are the ones facing the difficulties.
5. check the second hand prices, why do you think they are loosing value so fast?

Originally Posted by azureazimut

My family has had a new 68' Azimut for the past 2 years. It has been great, and has made the trip from NJ to Miami and back twice. There have been no major or even serious problems with the boat, although we have a full time crew of two to perform maintenance. We love it so much we have already bought a new one.

[elsupremo]

Nilo,
I think you're taking one thing I said and making it something much bigger. The fact that, in pictures, the boat seems to look more like a large yacht is NOT the only reason I was interested in her. It was just one thing that occurred to me that drew me toward her.

Here is some things I think about the 70 Sea Jet:
1) Price - some good deals out there on some with not too many hours.
2) Quality - My understanding has been that Azimut builds a solid boat that performs well on the open water. Magazine reviews and my impressions on boarding a few Azimuts have given me this idea. If a knowledgeable person knows otherwise, I would love to hear it.
3) Performance - still a pretty quick boat for its size.
4) Looks - Looks more like larger yachts tend to, in my opinion. As AMG noted, has classical looks that seem timeless compared to some other comparable designs.
5) 4 Staterooms, spacious boat.
6) Sport yacht layout with fly and lower helm, spacious salon are all things I'm looking for.

So there is a list of things I'm thinking about the Azimut 70 Sea Jet, just so people can see where I'm coming from on this.

Continued input is appreciated. AzureAzimut, THANK YOU for your comments. I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying it so. I'm wondering if the 68 is a big improvement quality/performance wise from the 70? I would be surprised if this is the case.

Originally Posted by nilo

dear azureazimute,

congratulations for your new purchase, i hope you enjoy that for years to come.

as to the discussion on sea jet, i want to put issues into a context, otherwise we wil not be having a fair discussion.

1- the issue was sea jet looking much larger than other boats of her size.
2- azimut 68' is much lower than sea jet on the sea and i know that she also behaves much better.
3- when we discuss quality we should consider systems, hull strength and in general not the interior furniture/fabrics or lay out only. what most of the people do experience are the stuff you touch and feel when you are on a boat like azimut or ferretti and not the other hidden details. azimut and i have to admit also ferretti recently having understood this public appeal they put more emphasis on the soft side of things.
4. if one is not hands on with his/her boat, then these issues are dealt by the crew and they are the ones facing the difficulties.
5. check the second hand prices, why do you think they are loosing value so fast?

[AMG]

Originally Posted by nilo

So, if you are going to sit in the dock, Azimut sea jet is ok, but if you want to feel safe and cruise distances it is not the best choice.

There are still miracles, this afternoon an Azimut 85 Ultima arrived here!

I think her name is Giliana, registered in Road Harbour BVI. So with the right spirit even an Azimut can travel a long way...

[nilo]

dear elsupremo,
i am sorry if i have offended you, i wish you success and hope you enjoy your experience with the sea jet. i know boats are only tools to enjoy life on the water, so it does not matter much whether it is this or that boat.

[elsupremo]

Originally Posted by nilo

dear elsupremo,
i am sorry if i have offended you, i wish you success and hope you enjoy your experience with the sea jet. i know boats are only tools to enjoy life on the water, so it does not matter much whether it is this or that boat.

*Sigh* No, Nilo, you did not offend me at all, not even a little bit. I only wanted to clarify the reasons I like her, and that it wasn't only that it looks like a bigger boat.

[elsupremo]

Researching yachts can be so difficult because trying them out isn't like getting a ride around the block at a car dealership. You depend on knowledgeable people with experience of the boats to share their opinions and experiences.

[Tony Hammer]

The Azimut Sea Jet was one of the most successful yacht built by Azimut in their facility in Viareggio (Near Pisa) the mecanic, piping and electrical plant are very similar to the larger Azimut yachts. I've seen one of this Yach equipped with stabilizer plant and thus improve a lot sea confort an sea stability even if the top speed decrease a couple knots.
Furniture, carpentry and upholstery are very detailed and it is very easy to drive even in small marina.

The Azimut 70 Seajet is a great boat

she is build as a large motor yacht and in facts feels bigger then actually is, the saloon and flybridge are very big
she was constructed from 1996 - 2000 and was built in Viareggio
I always was on the beleive that Azimut constructed in the Benetti establishment where always better produced to the Torino cousins especially at the period
she has a Righini designed exterior and is available in 3 or 4 cabins
the 1999 introduced 68 Plus was the demise for this model, altough a bit smaller in size
the model was more succesful to the USA market and clients then EU ones, the model in 2001 was then updated to become the 74 Solar with a longer hull, more spacious interior and bigger garage space for the toys aft

I think if you like her you should get a good survey done and move on from there
as for the comparison with Ferretti, I admit that Ferretti have always a small step ahead of quality but I would not make too much of it especially in the bigger Viareggio build models as is the case for the 70 Seajet

[elsupremo]

Thank you for your input, both of you! I'm very appreciative for your thoughts.