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In July 2026, Azimut Yachts launched the Grande 44M in Viareggio — the largest yacht the Italian builder has ever produced, and the new flagship of both the Grande collection and the wider Azimut brand. At roughly 44 meters (about 143 feet), the Grande 44M is more than a size record. It represents Azimut’s most ambitious attempt yet to fuse superyacht-scale volume with genuinely lower emissions and a layout unlike anything else in its class — and it caps a development process that began more than two years earlier, when the project was first revealed to the public.
From Reveal to Launch
The Grande 44M was first unveiled at the Palm Beach International Boat Show in early 2024, presented as the ultimate expression of Azimut’s mission to combine technological innovation, visionary design, and environmental sustainability. Confidence in the project was evident well before construction was finished: five hulls had already been sold to existing Azimut owners ahead of the boat’s official debut, according to Azimut CEO Marco Valle. Molds for the 499 GT vessel began taking shape in Viareggio through 2024 and 2025, with the shipyard targeting a launch ahead of the autumn 2026 boat show season — a timeline it ultimately met with the July 2026 launch ceremony.
The yacht carries personal as well as commercial weight. Its first owner has taken delivery of eight Azimut yachts since 2012 — from an Atlantis 50 through a 70 Fly, an 80 Fly, a 27M, a 30M, a Tri-Deck, and a 35M — before arriving at the Grande 44M. At the launch, Giovanna Vitelli, President of the Azimut|Benetti Group, called it a moment of pride, noting Azimut had never before built a boat of this scale. Demand has kept building since the reveal: by mid-2026 the shipyard had multiple hulls in build or on order, including one due in 2027 with a revised interior volume of 430 GT — evidence the model is already a production series rather than a one-off flagship.
Four Decks, Not Three
The Grande 44M’s most distinctive feature is architectural rather than mechanical: it is built across four decks instead of the conventional three found on yachts of similar length. That extra deck is made possible by relocating the helm station up to the fourth level, which frees the entire upper deck for guest and owner use — a layout decision that reorganizes the yacht’s hierarchy of space rather than simply adding square footage.
The result is what Azimut calls an Owner’s Deck: a roughly 50-square-meter, fully glazed private domain with direct access from the master suite and barrier-free sea views both forward and aft. In its default configuration this space houses the master suite and a private terrace — a proposition normally reserved for yachts considerably larger than 44 meters. It can also be configured as a panoramic dining room or media lounge instead, reflecting a flexible, livability-first approach that runs through the whole design.
The main deck carries its own signature feature: a forward-facing, glass-enclosed space that takes full advantage of the yacht’s generous 8.65-meter beam, usable as a dining enclave or additional lounge. Nearby, an infinity pool sits adjacent to the main-deck dining area, creating what the shipyard calls a “sea-through” dining experience where the pool’s edge appears to merge visually with the ocean beyond. Sliding glass doors throughout the main deck let interior and exterior spaces merge almost completely, a theme that continues up through the Owner’s Deck above.
Concept and exterior styling come from designer Alberto Mancini, whose portfolio spans well over 150 superyachts, while the interiors were created by m²atelier, a Milan- and New York-based studio working with Azimut for the first time. Partner Marco Bonelli has described the design language as “refined,” built around pure themes that capture the essence of flowing water — a motif that recurs throughout the interior, from material choices to the layout of transitional spaces. Floor-to-ceiling glazing is used extensively across the main deck, flooding the interior with light and reinforcing the connection to the sea.
Engineering for Lower Emissions
As the flagship of Azimut’s Low Emission Yachts family, the Grande 44M is engineered to cut CO2 emissions by 20 to 30 percent compared with a traditional yacht of similar size, through three technologies working together:
• Dual Mode hull, Hull Vane foil technology and Mild Hybrid Plus Zero Emission Hotel Mode
Carbon fiber plays a central structural role too. Azimut used more than 1,000 square meters of the material in the superstructure, lightening it by roughly eight metric tons — up to 30 percent less than conventional construction. That saved weight is reinvested as usable interior volume rather than simply banked, which is precisely what makes a four-deck, 499 GT layout possible on a hull of this length without compromising stability or efficiency.
Performance and Specifications
The Grande 44M measures approximately 43.85 meters in length overall, with an 8.65-meter beam and a gross tonnage of 499 GT — figures that place her firmly in genuine superyacht territory, even before accounting for the four-deck layout that makes that volume feel larger still. Built with a GRP hull, carbon-fiber superstructure, and teak decking, she is powered by twin MAN diesel engines and capable of a top speed around 17 knots, cruising comfortably at roughly 15 knots on her semi-displacement hull.
Accommodation spans five guest cabins sleeping up to ten guests, with separate crew quarters for around five — a ratio suited to extended owner use with full-time professional crew rather than charter. Later hulls have already shown some variation on the base specification, including one with a slightly different draft and a reduced interior volume of 430 GT, showing how Azimut is using the Grande 44M platform as a flexible basis for semi-custom builds rather than a single fixed design.
A Step Change for Azimut
Taken together, the Grande 44M represents a genuine step change for Azimut — not simply a larger version of an existing model, but a new architecture built around a different idea of how a superyacht’s volume, structure, and propulsion can work together. Moving the helm forward and up to free an entire deck for the owner is the kind of layout rethink more commonly associated with custom projects costing many times more than a production Azimut.
For a shipyard built on sleek, fast express cruisers and flybridge motor yachts, the Grande 44M shows just how far Azimut’s ambitions — and its largest yachts — have grown. With five or more hulls sold before the first boat even launched, and further units already in build, it looks less like a singular flagship statement and more like the opening chapter of a new, larger tier for the brand.
