Fellow Azimut owners and fans. I have become a huge fan of the S series Azimut's especially the 68 as it checks off everything on my list. Like everything in this world nothing is perfect and goes without problems. The one thing I did already notice are the square windows for some reason on almost all Azimut's end up looking like there is some sort of delamination or "seal" issue of some sort. The comment I get is.... this is typical. Has anyone addressed this issue and at what cost. So aside from that, is there anything else that is notoriously a problem. I will be making long journeys down the California, Mexico coast with my family and I want to do my best to cover all typical bases before heading out to sea. I am very mechanically experienced, however no better way to prepare then speaking to someone who has already had experience with a similar if not the same vessel and has gone through all the trial and tribulations of an Italian built yacht. Thank you all!
The glass delaminates because of moisture leaking in. Probably not structural. The only solution is to replace the glass and seal it correctly. now the question is why did moisture get in? Did someone do a poor job installing the glass or does the hull side flexes breaking the seal Also I recall a number of bottom delamination issues being discussed a few years ago. Someone posted pictures. Make sure your surveyor does a good job inspecting the bottom
Correct. Either that, or depending on how bad the problem is, just live with it. Counterintuitively, this type of defect rarely gets much worse over time, and it could stay as it is for many years. Certainly worth keeping monitored for some time, before doing a pretty expensive job with no guarantee to get rid of the problem forever. In fact, personally I would neither replace the glass nor keep it. Getting a boat without any of those glasses would be my choice!
I think Azimut have very few delamination issues (I actually know of none beside the one reported here), compared to other main stream builders, and considering they have been in PVC core side of things with Diab since the early nineties, possibly in this regard they know what they are doing better to most. The only case of delamination for an Azimut was reported here on a 62 S, although to be fair that case was a bit strange and when I asked for a better picture of the boat showing the delamination it never arrived. That case was a delaminated squared area (may be half a foot square of size) around the P-bracket if I remember well.