There is a founding paradox at the heart of the new Seadeck 9, flagship of Azimut‘s Seadeck Series: the most open vessel the yard has ever conceived — the one that, more than any other, seeks to dissolve the boundary between deck and water — is built in Avigliana, at the foot of the Piedmontese Alps. She is the largest yacht ever built at the Turin-area facility, the fruit of a €50 million investment programme, and it is precisely this mountain provenance that reveals the project’s ambition: a design that pushed the group’s technical and engineering capabilities to the limit in order to deliver, as the series’ claim has it, the time we choose to live.
Twenty-six metres in length, exterior lines by Alberto Mancini, interiors by Matteo Thun & Antonio Rodriguez: the formula is the proven one of the Seadeck Series, unveiled at Cannes in 2023, here taken to its fullest expression. The first unit touched the water at the end of January and will make her public debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, with delivery scheduled for the summer.
From the Fun Island to the 180° Pool Deck
The real design news lies aft. The Fun Island, the concept that defined the series’ identity — an open platform at the water’s edge — evolves on the Seadeck 9 into a 180-degree Pool Deck arranged across three tiered terraces. A staircase divides into twin symmetrical flights, with a declared echo of a Mediterranean villa, guiding the descent (or the climb) through a single continuous space that flows from the sunlit deck into the main saloon.
The architecture is conceived for life at anchor: the amphitheatre-shaped lounge directs the gaze past the pool’s transparent glass straight to the horizon; the central table converts effortlessly for dining; the lateral wings unfold to expand the usable surface; and the 7-square-metre transformer becomes a true beach on the water, with Jet Ski, Seabobs and paddleboards at the ready. The freely movable sunbeds reveal the flush-deck pool. Mancini has also fully concealed the anchor, preserving a clean, sculptural profile against the horizon.
“Touch with the eyes. See with the hands”
Inside, the Main Deck acts as a natural architectural extension of the terraces: full-height windows and a completely disappearing glass door prolong the sense of outdoor freedom, while the generous ceiling height opens up the spaces. Thun & Rodriguez bring on board a philosophy honed over decades of international architecture, founded on longevity of design, empathy for human needs and responsibility.
The manifesto of this approach greets guests right at the entrance: a bamboo chair by Bonacina, selected by the Milan-based duo to bridge indoors and outdoors, tactile warmth and minimalism. Two interior palettes are available: a warmer option with a light walnut grain, and a brighter alternative in pale oak, both faithful to the same stylistic codes.
On the lower deck, the Master Cabin is conceived as a private retreat inspired by eco-resort philosophy: the integrated washbasins become part of the stateroom’s aesthetic rather than being concealed from view, while a writing desk built into the bookcase confirms the Seadeck 9’s vocation as a yacht made for meaningful time on board. A VIP and two guest cabins complete the deck, with discreet crew circulation guaranteeing privacy and independence for everyone on board.
Engineering the perfect moment
Beneath the lifestyle surface, the Seadeck 9 remains a true cruising yacht. She belongs to Azimut’s Low Emission Yacht family and features a hull developed specifically for the series in partnership with Names, one of the most efficient planing hulls the yard has ever designed: the boat planes early, extending the range of speeds at which she achieves peak fuel efficiency. Combined with carbon-fibre construction — used in 40% of the yacht to reduce weight — and a triple Volvo Penta IPS installation compatible with hybrid electric technology, fuel consumption and emissions fall by up to 30% in an average year of use compared with vessels of comparable size fitted with a traditional hull and shaft-line propulsion.
At anchor, the Hotel Mode takes centre stage: a dedicated 60 kWh lithium battery pack allows the yacht to operate in complete silence with the generators switched off — up to 4 hours by day and 8 at night — with stabilisers, air conditioning, 220V sockets and the entertainment systems fully operational. A full recharge takes 5 hours from shore power or 4 via the generator, with a declared lifespan of over 3,500 cycles, equivalent to some ten years of service.
Born in the mountains, built for a transformative life on the sea: the Seadeck 9 is the distillation of fifty years spent, as the yard likes to say, making the unthinkable possible.
