Extensive carbon-fibre construction, a reworked four-deck layout, and hybrid technology give the new Azimut Grande 44m more room, more quiet, and a smarter way to live at sea
Living in space-constrained Singapore, we’re naturally drawn to anything that makes clever use of every square metre. So, when Azimut announced a new 44-metre flagship that uses extensive carbon-fibre construction to rethink the conventional superyacht layout—and, in the process, free up an entire deck for the owner—our ears perked up.
The Grande 44M is built around the idea that reducing weight can create room for more. With over half of the yacht constructed in carbon fibre, Azimut has been able to introduce a four-deck arrangement in which the wheelhouse is moved upwards, leaving the upper deck free of technical spaces and entirely dedicated to the owner.
Of course, “not enough space” is hardly the first complaint one expects to hear aboard a 44-metre superyacht. But space, as anyone in Singapore knows, is not simply about having more of it. It is about how well it is planned, what it allows you to do and whether any of it has been wasted on an awkward corridor.
Here, the structural rethink gives the owner something rather more appealing than a marginally larger suite: an entire deck to retreat to. Private terraces extend the space outdoors, while the forward section can be configured as a veranda dining area for 12, a media room or additional guest accommodation. Floor-to-ceiling windows open the interior towards a 180-degree view of the bow lounge, where guests can gather around a firepit and watch the horizon.
Making all of this possible is a considerable amount of engineering hidden beneath the polished surfaces. More than 1,000sqm of carbon fibre have been used across the yacht, removing eight tonnes from its uppermost areas and allowing Azimut to add volume without upsetting stability or efficiency. Even the Hull Vane—the submerged foil fitted at the stern to reduce drag, pitching and rolling—has been made from carbon fibre. Azimut says a steel version would have weighed 1,500kg; this one comes in at just 400kg.
The result is technology doing what it arguably does best: disappearing into the background while making life on board noticeably better. The lighter structure creates more space, while the Hull Vane and Dual Mode hull work below the waterline to improve efficiency and comfort across a range of speeds.
At the stern, the Grande 44M revisits one of the more distinctive ideas from the Grande Trideck. A Mezzanine Deck overlooks the Sea View Terrace and beach club below, creating a layered outdoor living area rather than one large, flat expanse. Between them sits a transparent plunge pool, whose see-through base maintains the view towards the water and casts rippling light across the space underneath.
The same thinking—technology in service of the experience rather than technology for its own sake—extends below the surface. Azimut has fitted the Grande 44M with a Mild Hybrid system developed with Asea Nautica. It uses two 50kW electric motors, configured as shaft generators, together with a 188kWh battery bank that can be expanded to 230kWh. At anchor, the batteries can support the yacht’s hotel functions with the generators switched off for three to four hours during the day and eight to 10 hours at night.
In practical terms, that means no generator noise, no vibration and no fumes drifting across the deck while everyone is trying to enjoy dinner. The batteries can be fully recharged in around two hours while the yacht travels at 15 knots, effectively using the journey between anchorages to prepare for another quiet evening on arrival.
