The shape looks like a displacement boat, but thanks to two IPS 600 by Volvo Penta it reaches a top speed of 25 knots burning 165 liters of diesel per hour
LOW CONSUMPTION, PLENTY OF ROOM, EASY CRUISING AND, ABOVE ALL, PERFORMANCE. The yard has no doubt about the features: it a loyalist of the IPS Volvo. When you are developing a new model the advantage is that it is a safe bet. So you can focus on the deck layout and interiors.
We tested the boat in Varazze, on one of those Summer days when there is neither the slightest breeze nor a wave. In such conditions every kind of boat can navigate well, but we think that Navetta 52 by Absolute can do it even in the most demanding conditions.
To test the hull, we sought out the wakes of several ships, and the result is a smooth and comfortable crossing. The V-shaped bow is distinctive, you note it from the harbour-side. It goes deep and so copes well with choppy waves, but above the waterline the vessel’s volume increases to prevent a powerful bow from sacrificing cabin space. The lines that the yard have knowingly designed have both the benefits of habitability volume and quality cruising comfort.
Harbour manoeuvres are simple, also thanks to Volvo’s joystick, supplied as standard. If you so desire, even if you are not very experienced, you can make do without your captain for a while, whose cabin is nonetheless accessible from both the engine room and the stern platform.
Other than manoeuvrability, the most surprising fact about this ship is its balance between consumption and speed. It defines itself a motor yacht, but it’s certainly a planing hull. It isn’t a displacement boat, because it reaches the top speed of 25 knots and at a bit more then 15 knots it planes. The ideal speed is between 16 and 18 knots, when it burns a bit more then 100 liters per hour for both the engines.
Unlike its older sister, the Navetta 58, this has a pair of IPS 600 with two engines of 435 hp each. Low power means low consumption, but it has performances more and more similar to those of a motor yacht. The engines give enough thrust and the Volvo drive allows it to turn smoothly. Rounding out the philosophy of easy cruising is optimal visibility both from the fly and interior helm station. This is all thanks to the many large-paned frameless windows that allow unobstructed 360° visibility.
In terms of deck fittings and interiors, the 52 offers everything you’d expect from Absolute. There’s plenty of space, but no wastage. The surface area at bow, in the cockpit and on the fly allow the total space to be divided up for different functions. There’s a dining table and seats in the cockpit, a sundeck and sofa at bow and a comfortable lounge area on the fly. Having made use of every given centimetre, the only flaw is to have only used 31 for the side exterior passageways. That’s a bit tight. If they’d allowed only four or five more, it would have been a easier to go forward to bow.
However, many details are spot-on and deserving a mention is the grill and sink cabinet on the transom, which directly faces onto the swim platform. This type of motor-yacht is all the rage right now. And this is confirmed by the Absolute’s sales figures, both for the 58 introduced a year ago and this craft of an overall length of 16 metres. It’s not hard to guess why. Motor yachts have all the features you want on a cruise: comfort, ease of handling and fuel economy. All the features bar one. A displacement hull, normally, won’t get up to any great speeds. And it’s precisely here that the Absolute, together with the Volvo Inboard Performance System, makes a real difference, as they’ve created a range that boasts a particularly high cruising speed. And this goes to making cruising ever easier.
Measurements
Dinette headroom 200cm • Dinette width access 157cm • L shape galley 140×95 cm • Dinette table 144×74 cm • U shape sofa 118x249x140 cm • Dinette linear sofa 150cm • Sleeping area width access 63 cm • Master cabin headroom 192 cm • Berth 200×160 cm • High above the berth 93 cm • Master cabin linear sofa 132 cm • Master ensuite headroom 198 cm • Vip cabin headroom 194 cm • Berth 195×140 cm • High above the berth 132 cm • Vip ensuite headroom 194 cm • Double berths cabin headroom 194 cm • Berth 185×62 cm (each) • High above the berths 98 cm • Cockpit table 120×80 cm • Cockpit linear sofa 230 cm • Forward walkways width 31 cm • Linear sofa at bow 210 cm • Bow sunpad 189×210 cm • Fly width access 57 cm • Fly table 145x70cm • U shape sofa in the fly 110x230x172 cm • Chaise longue 200 cm (each) • L shape sofa in the fly 110×200 cm.
Performances and details
Absolute
Via Petrarca 4
29027 Podenzano (PC)
T. +39 0523.354011
[email protected]
www.absoluteyachts.com
Project Shipyard technical department
Hull LOA 16.m • Max beam 4.65m • Draft 1.12m • Water tank capacity 550 l • Fuel tank capacity 2,000 l
Engines Twin Volvo • IPS600 • 4 stroke • 6 cylinders in line • 2×435 hp (2×320kW) • Borexstroke 103mm x110mm • Compression ratio 17.5:1 • Max torque 3500 rpm • Dry weight 699kg
EC Certification CAT B 14 people
(Absolute Navetta 52, full steam ahead – Barchemagazine.com – December 2015)
