Azimut Atlantis 43 - Build Quality in 2015

I haven't been involved with any of the newer Azimut builds. But have been involved with plenty of the older ones. I'd recommend Sunseeker or Riva or Searay in that size.

I have a 2015 Azimut 45 Flybridge and it has been terrible. I have experienced nothing but mechanical failures and then having the boat hauled up for months at a time trying to get the right parts. Steer clear of Azimut. You will spend more time wishing you could have the boat being in the water than it actually being in the water.

When you are no longer shackled to the dealer for warranty repairs I am sure you can with the right people looking after it sort most of that stuff out efficiently. It is in the dealers interest to drag out warranty repairs as long as possible so they reduce the risk of a second or third one for the same thing .

Yes, and in this case it's even worse. My understanding is that with Azimut in the US basically it's much like an HMO works where Azimut is paying by the boat not by the job, and you have a single source of help. The goal then of Marine Max is very much to minimize what is done under warranty. This is much different from other warranties where a boatyard services and gets reimbursement from the builder based on the work they do. Also, different, in that even if it's a distance, with most boats you have another option.

Now any of the equipment giving problems you could take to a reputable boatyard now. Their warranty is from their manufacturer. The problem is that most will blame it on something Azimut has done.

One other thing is I do not know what state you purchased the boat in. Most states do not have lemon laws for boats. However, some do, at least limited. If you purchased in Rhode Island, which would be my guess, then they do have a rather strong Consumer Protection Unit.

I share K1W1's view that you're likely to leave the warranty period with significant problems still, all of which can probably be fixed, just depending on how much you're then willing to spend vs. just tolerating the problems.

Does the following even sound like the potential for problem free: "An Italian boat builder building in Brazil for the US Market."

With Azimuts, most of the time the problems do stem from something the builder has done. I agree most problems can be handled by finding the right people outside of the warranty period. Finding the right people in Boston can be very hard as they're not used to finding Italian parts. Even when you know where to look for Italian parts, getting them can take a few weeks or more. I have spent hours and hours of time searching for an Italian part. Marinemax is not known for very good service during the warranty period with any boat they sell, whether it be an Azimut or one built a few hours away. I would recommend converting from Italian systems, whenever possible, when needed. For example all of the DC pumps and float switches and things like that.

If a defect or problem was noted and documented during the warranty period, but not fixed or repaired within the period, I would think the factory (or dealer) is still responsible after the initial warranty expired?
I sure hope so, I got a brand new boat 5 months ago and still have a few warranty issues going on, most of them documented on a pre-delivery survey.

WorldCat however seem to stand behind their product, so far.
Just to make sure I have their attention, I started a Facebook Owners Group for my model boat with pictures and details of every little problem and fellow owners are signing up almost daily.
Probably a good idea for the unhappy Azimut owners as well, although this site will come up on any search engine seeking information on Azimut or other brands.
Which should keep the manufactors on their toes if they have half a brain.

Nothing new for Azimut, Norseman. And, their handling of warranty in the US is very unique. But the concept of Marine Max not solving the issues and Azimut referring everything back to them is nothing new. WorldCat doesn't to my knowledge have those issues, although after 5 months I'd get very insistent. Anything documented over five months ago should be fixed by now.

The Perfect Storm.

You say mechanical issues? Are you referring to the engines in your boat or something else? What parts have you been waiting for?

Jumping on the point you're making, mvernon is blasting Azimut and probably for good reasons but has shared nothing as to what type of problems he's encountered. So, if he's here just to blast them, that's fine, but if he's seeking any help, it will need more information from him. Parts for what? What's the problem? Why is it hauled out?

The part that is currently a 5 week lead time is a cylinder head, which I understand is Cummins, but during this same repair period that is now at 6 weeks, MarineMax told me that the AC Pump they needed would also take 5 weeks. I found it for them and had it there next day. Not until after that happened did I find out that they also now need the cylinder head. The air conditioning on the boat does not work. There are numerous electrical issues in the cabin. The engines overheat. Last season the boat was out of the water for 3 months waiting for new props. Again, MarineMax gave a ridiculous lead time for those and I found the quickest solution. I should not have to do their job for them.

It sounds like your issue is more with Marinemax than Azimut. Cylinder head should be warrantied out by Cummins and not Azimut. Cummins is usually pretty good and fast about warrantying out items from what I understand. Have you contacted Azimut of North America (located in Fort Lauderdale, FL.) and spoken to them about your situation? While I have in the past had them take care of stuff quickly under warranty they also tried to deny some cosmetic stuff at the same time till I ut my foot down. Have you tried a different MarineMax dealership as well? Why did you need props, was the boat run aground?

It sounds like you had bad luck with the Cummins head. Bad luck of the draw. Your electrical problems are likely related to poor shore power. Your boat did not come with an isolation boosting transformer as standard equipment. Without it, your sensitive electronics, motors, refrigerators and air conditioning systems are vulnerable to damage. You will mitigate most of those issues with an isoboost transformer. The head problem is a rare case, likely a manufacturing defect. It is difficult to damage a head without getting alarms, a shut down, or some other component failure.

The problem isn't with the boat as it is with the us service network. Most servicing companies are not familiar with Italian equipment and or even Italian builds for that matter. I find that 99 percent out of 100 of issues don't stem from azimut as much as it stemmed from the person servicing the azimut. I have to disagree with Capt j, A lot of the defects azimuts are plagued with come from lack of correct knowledgeable service. This mostly comes before the boat was sold and was sitting in the dealers inventory in the United States. A perfect example of this is hydraulic swim platforms that most of the flys come equipped with. For example a common issue with these is corrosion on the hydraulic rams around the fittings causing the fittings to leak oil. This happens because of the dealer not knowing that the platform have separate zincs that must be changed on the platform itself as the platform isn't bonded with the rest of the boat. Just my thoughts

Well, Azimut and the service network are tied together tightly though as they've given that entire responsibility in this area to Marine Max. So, whether the problem is Azimut or Marine Max, it creates issues. And while I think some of the issues are with the build, if the service provider was good, then those would be mitigated. Once out of warranty, it may well make sense to find a quality boatyard outside their service network, meaning in this area, other than Marine Max.

No, the problem is design. The Rams should be so that the shaft of them and seal is not underneath the water line when they are sitting in the water. They should also have a locking system like Sunseeker, Neptunus and many others do that takes the weight off of the rams, so if you have a leak the lift doesn't fall. Barnacles grow on the shaft and cut the seal. I've never seen anyone not keep up with the zincs on them, but I could see that happen with unknowledgable owners.

The other issue stems with HOW they're built. Azimut sub-contracts all of the joinery work, plumbing, and electrical. 6-10 different companies finish them off, none of them follow the plans, wiring diagrams or even parts list. I managed 2 different 2001 68' plus that were 2 hull numbers apart. None of the wiring was routed the same, none of the same electrica parts, even all of the exterior lights were different. So everything you go to fix is a can of worms that you have to figure out how to open. Add that to MarineMax's very poor after the sale support, and lack of anyone inventorying most of the parts here in the U.S. and you get a mess. The differences in fixing Italian or American isn't all that different. Parts are part, a pump is a pump, etc.

Surfside in NY used to stock A LOT of parts for them. A parts guy named Rob worked there for years really knew them and their parts. I'd order parts from them all of the time and ship them to FL, just to avoid dealing with Marinemax, Then Marinemax bought them out, their inventory all disappeared, and so did Rob.

The way I've seen Azimut do stuff sometimes is completely mind boggling. I once ran one, where the black water tank, Y valve, macerator pump, and seacock were all in a 10' area of the boat, but these idiots ran the hose clear across an entire stateroom fore/aft and looped it up behind the aft wall and back to the pump, so macerator pumps burned out often. It had a check valve on the seacock so there was no need to plumb the macerator system with 50' of hose, when it could've been done with 10'. I see this type of stuff over and over.

I've managed/maintained 6 different Azimuts over the years, put over 10,000 NMs on one. And have run at least 10 others.

While I won't disagree with you on some of those points, I would like to point out that all opacmare systems have locking arms incorporated into the platform that locks the arms in place after the platform has been full retracted. The leak never develops at the ram piston themselves as much as the fittings on the rams.

Yes there use of sub contractors for wiring and other systems can cause annoyances, however most competent techs can figure it out. This is usually found on the smaller models 70 and under. All the bigger models have schematics and pipe runs that are accurate to the vessels hull. I have a lot of experience with the azimut range and worked on, delivered and qc almost all their current models.

The problems usually are always bad service and bad part availablity in us.

It is also of note that at the time of sale azimut offers various packages that supply all the relevant spare parts and electrical components. However most customers are never aware of this option because the dealer doesn't want to hold this sort of package in inventory just because of monitary reasons and the shear number of models. Also most brokers are not aware of this because they don't take the time to familiarize themselves with the product they sell.

In reference to this particular Azimut owner, mvernon, and their complaints about service, it would appear that some of the issues are self inflicted. Waiting a long time for props, may suggest that the boat was run aground. Why would one need new props? If the boat was run aground, it would not be unexpected that an engine would overheat from poor maintenance or damage from running aground, necessitating replacing a head on an otherwise proven engine. Connecting such a technologically advanced vessel to the poor shore power we have here in the Boston area and not monitoring your voltage without an isobooster to protect you will cause an electrical component to fail. I would say that an Azimut is not a beginner boat and a lot of things can go wrong without having the basic knowledge of an experienced captain. Without that knowledge, unless you are paying someone to monitor and maintain your boat weekly or even run it on every trip, you should expect problems. It is not a Camry. I would be reluctant to blame this kind of stuff on service or sales.

But all of this points to bad supervision from Azimut. They should supervise their dealers, train their dealers, and respond to warranty issues with their dealer network, rather than brushing them off. Azimut USA has a decently sized warehouse here in Fort Lauderdale, they stock lots of shafts and props and such, but hardly any of their wear items. Why not stock everything and sell it, and make a profit on it. None of this has gotten better or changed in over 20 years of Azimut selling yachts in the U.S. It's not like Azimut sells 5 yachts a year in the U.S., heck they're everywhere.....you can't go to any 100 slip marina and not trip over at least 1 Azimut.

Hatteras addressed their dealership network and got rid of bad dealers and brought a lot of it in house where they can monitor the quality of it. They didn't want to deal with parts, so they assigned most of that to Sam's marine, who they supply lists of parts used and where to get them so Sam's does a great job of servicing Hatteras owners parts needs.