Our first view of the Absolute 58 Fly is of its side. We are at Portopiccolo, just a few kilometres from Trieste. While waiting to set out to sea, I have all the time I need to look at it at my leisure.
by Niccolò Volpati
From the side it is the windows that strike me, because they are “full”, in the sense that there are no portholes that can be opened. In the owner’s cabin and in the VIP cabin in the stern, the portholes are actually located at the side of the windows.
It is a very pleasant feeling even when I saw it from inside because it gives a very nice view. The other feature that attracts my attention from the quay is the bow, which is very vertical. It is not just an aesthetic element, but really looks like a pronounced “V”, which can really cut through the waves.
We will find out soon, because the sea that awaits us outside the harbour isn’t exactly as smooth as glass.
On board, the Absolute 58 Fly confirms my personal feeling about Absolute boats. The fittings look for comfort and practicability, but at the same time it is elegant and there is great attention to detail. I quickly sense this in the cockpit, where the electrically-operated awning makes the whole area private. Which is perfect for when you are moored in harbour.
Confirmation also comes from the large door to the dinette, which opens nearly completely and means you can have a single space with the cockpit. And also from the window, which is also electronically operated, which raises to separate the galley area from the rest of the saloon. There is also the optimisation of the spaces and the fittings.
The interior layout has three cabins and three bathrooms. To the stern there is the VIP cabin, with the bunk located diagonally so as to always allow easy movement around the bed.
The owner’s cabin is amidships, and full beam, so takes full advantage of the available space. In the stern there is a guest cabin with twin beds, and this too has enough space to be more than comfortable.
The three bathrooms are also very large, with each of them equipped with a separate shower cabinet. Above, on deck the fittings are traditional, with a sofa in the cockpit, which converts into a single or triple sun-lounger, according to requirements. Another sun lounger and another sofa can be found in the bow area. The flybridge stretches out to the stern.
There are basically two advantages to come from this: more space available above, and a more protected cockpit below. And now the time for the test has arrived!
I leave port together with Gimmy Valente, Absolute dealer for North-East Italy and Croatia. The sea isn’t particularly rough, but neither is it calm. The waves, which at first looked to be around half a metre, are perhaps actually a bit higher.
I try to open the throttle right up and take it as it is, in a way that shouldn’t really be done: on the starboard bow.
The Absolute 58 Fly behaves exceptionally, not just because it doesn’t flit around too much, but also because the deck, even in the bow, is completely dry. And that is despite the fact that head on, the wind is at least ten knots.
This is thanks to the hull, but also the prow, which has a low V which then spreads out to give much-appreciated space to the VIP cabin.
It behaves a bit like an ice-breaker. The prow of the Absolute 58, when it comes down on a wave, cuts through it and goes through it naturally, cutting through the water without difficulty.
Elsewhere there is the handling that you would expect, driven by the Volvo Penta IPS system.
The boat turns well, not too tight, but – considering the size of the flybridge – it is better if the boat doesn’t tip too much, so as to not give a feeling of instability to whoever is driving. In the engine room there are new IPS 800 systems with two engines that give 441 kW to the driveshaft. Volvo presented them just a few months back, and the performance is notable.
The Absolute 58 Fly speed is more than respectable, because we reached a top speed of 31 knots. What really strikes us is the acceleration, given that you just need eight and a half seconds to start planing. And, as usual, one of the best areas of the performance is in fuel consumption.
From the minimum to start planing, which we reach at the engine’s rotational speed of 1900/min and 13 knots, up to the 24-knot cruising speed at 2750/min, the performance for both engines is between 100 and 170 litres.
That really isn’t very much, especially considering the fact that we are on board a boat that has an overall length of over 17 metres.
The easy handling – even in rough seas – performance, the low consumption figures and the manoeuvrability ensured by IPS, are the right counterpart to the level of comfort that can be found below and above deck.
It is a boat which could suit both an expert owner and a first timer. Indeed there is a crew cabin in the stern, with direct access from the platform. And two people are more than enough to man it without any worries.
ABSOLUTE
Via Petrarca 4
I-29027 Podenzano (PC)
Tel. +39 0523.354011
www.absoluteyachts.com
Absolute 58 Fly
Project: Shipyard technical department
Hull: LOA 17.24m • Maximum beam 4.80m • Draft 1.06mFull load displacement 30,03 t • Water tank volume 600 l • Fuel tank volume 2000 l
Main propulsion: 2 Volvo D8 engines with IPS800 • 4 stroke • 6 cylinders in line • Outlet mechanical power, each engine 441 kW • Bore and stroke 110mm x135mm- Compression ratio 16.5:1 • Maximal rotational speed 3000/min • Weight 840 kg
EC Certification: CAT B for 14 people
Price: 990’000 €, Exclusive VAT, as standard
(Absolute 58 Fly, easy boating – Barchemagazine.com – October 2017)
