Azimut Grande 26M
| LOA | 26.36 m |
|---|---|
| Beam | 6.30 m |
| Guests | up to 10 in 5 cabins |
| Crew | 3 |
| Engines | 2 x MAN V12 1,650 hp or 2 x MTU V10 1,622 hp (pod drive) |
| Top speed | up to 27 knots |
| Range | 613 nm at 13.2 knots, 376 nm at 24 knots |
| Exterior design | Alberto Mancini, construction GRP and carbon fibre |
Where it sits in the Grande line
At just over 26 metres the 26M is the entry point to the Grande collection, the family that carries the yard's flagship ambition. It answers the owner who has grown out of a large flybridge and now wants genuine superyacht volume, a dedicated crew area and a beach club right at the waterline. Five cabins and space for ten guests put it firmly in charter-capable territory. The boat manages this without demanding the running costs or the permanent crew of a much larger yacht.
What sets the tone is the mix of scale and ease. The hull is built in GRP with carbon fibre worked into the upper structure, which keeps weight down high up and lets the boat carry big volumes without feeling heavy under way. Two interior signatures are offered, one by Achille Salvagni Architetti and one by the yard's own Yachtique studio, so the boat can read either as a gallery of warm materials or as a cooler contemporary space. Alberto Mancini's exterior brings the long window bands and low stance that mark out the newest Grande boats.
Lines and outdoor living
Alberto Mancini drew the exterior, and his hand shows in the long glazing and the fast, purposeful profile. The flybridge is generous for the size, with a helm, a bar and sunpads that turn it into the social heart of the boat at anchor. Down at the transom the garage opens to release the tender, and the space converts into a beach club that brings guests level with the sea. An optional hardtop shades the upper deck for long days in the sun. Every outdoor zone has been drawn to work as its own room.
The main deck flows out to a broad cockpit that connects to the saloon through full-height glass. Side terraces and a foredeck lounge give the boat several distinct outdoor areas, so a large group never feels crowded into one space. Tender and water toys stow out of sight, which keeps the aft deck clear for dining and lounging. The bathing platform sits low and wide for easy access to the water. For a family that lives outdoors, the 26M lays on the choices they will actually use.
Five suites and a waterline beach club on a 26-metre flagship that still handles like a smaller boat.
Inside the accommodation
The owner's suite sits full beam on the main deck forward, a layout usually reserved for larger yachts, and it comes with its own study area and a bathroom that spans the width of the hull. Four further cabins on the lower deck sleep guests in comfort, each with an en suite. The result is a boat that hosts two couples or a full family without any compromise on privacy. Hull windows draw daylight deep into the lower cabins so they never feel enclosed. The owner enjoys a genuine sense of separation from the rest of the accommodation.
Volume is the quiet luxury here. Ceiling heights, long sightlines through the glass and light-filled corridors make the interior feel a size larger than the length suggests. The materials in either interior scheme are chosen to age well and to feel warm underfoot and to the hand. Crew get their own quarters and galley access forward, so service runs without crossing guest paths. Living aboard for weeks at a time is exactly what the layout was drawn for.
Under way
Buyers choose between twin MAN V12s at 1,650 hp or MTU V10s at 1,622 hp, both driving pods. Top speed runs to around 27 knots, which is brisk for a five-cabin superyacht of this displacement. The pod installation also makes close-quarters handling far less daunting for an owner who likes to berth the boat themselves. Joystick control turns a stern-to mooring into a calm, single-handed job. Few boats of this volume are so approachable to drive.
Range reflects the dual character of the platform. At a relaxed 13 knots the 26M covers better than 600 nautical miles, and it still shows around 376 nautical miles when pushed to a fast 24-knot cruise. That spread suits an owner who wants to island-hop quickly one week and settle into longer passages the next. The hull holds an easy, level attitude through the mid-range so guests stay comfortable.
The owner it suits
This is the boat for the owner making the leap into superyacht ownership who wants the space and the beach club without a large permanent crew or a shipyard-scale running cost. It rewards hands-on owners with its pod handling and rewards entertainers with its flexible layout. A season in the Mediterranean or the Bahamas fits it perfectly. The 26M asks for a small professional crew and returns the comfort of a much bigger yacht.
It also holds appeal as a charter asset, since five en suite cabins and a professional galley meet the expectations of paying guests. For a family that cruises together and occasionally lets the boat earn its keep, the 26M covers both jobs with ease. The dual interior options let an owner set the tone before the first trip. Resale interest stays strong thanks to the desirable size and the marque.
What It Costs To Own One
Demand outran the press pricing almost immediately: Boat International reported 22 units sold in the first two months after the Grande 26M's September 2022 debut at Cannes, and that early rush shows up in the brokerage market. Two 2023-2024 hulls tracked on YachtBuyer's aggregated listings were asking 7.6 to 7.7 million US dollars in 2024-2025, above the original press price - most likely a mix of currency movement, added equipment and simple scarcity in the first two model years. A buyer comparing boats should treat the Motor Boat & Yachting figure as a floor, not a quote.
The nearest rivals by length are the Sanlorenzo SD90 and the Ferretti Infynito 90, both around 27 metres, with a scatter of Princess flybridge models near 85 feet also cited as cross-shops by YachtBuyer's own comparison tool. New boats go through Azimut's regional dealer network rather than a factory order desk, and nobody publishes lead times, crew costs or annual running costs specific to this hull - a buyer has to get those numbers from a dealer directly, not from any public source.
Engines and systems
| Engines | Standard 2x MAN V12-1550, 1,550 hp (1,140 kW) each; optional upgrade to 2x MAN V12-1650, 1,650 hp (1,213 kW) each. Confirmed by Azimut's own engine configurator, Motor Boat & Yachting and Power & Motoryacht sea trials. |
|---|---|
| Propulsion | ZF/Azimut Large POD 4600 azimuthing pod drives, the first application of this pod size, developed jointly by Azimut and ZF. No conventional shaft-and-strut driveline. Confirmed by Motor Boat & Yachting, Power & Motoryacht, Barche Magazine and Milnautica. |
| Generators | Reported as 2x 27kW gensets by one Italian trade source (nautica.it), not independently corroborated elsewhere - treat as indicative rather than confirmed. |
| Stabilisers and trim | Seakeeper gyroscopic stabiliser standard, fin stabilisers optional; Humphree interceptors standard for underway trim and roll control. Confirmed by Motor Boat & Yachting, Power & Motoryacht and Milnautica. |
| Thrusters | Joystick-controlled maneuvering standard, with an optional dedicated docking station. Specific thruster brand and kW rating are not published - ask an Azimut dealer. |
| Tankage | Fuel 8,500 litres (2,245 US gal); fresh water 1,500 litres (396 US gal). Corroborated across the Azimut/Milnautica spec sheet, Motor Boat & Yachting, Power & Motoryacht and Barche Magazine. |
| Hull and superstructure | GRP hull with a carbon-fibre superstructure, said to cut superstructure weight by roughly 30 per cent against a conventional layup. |
| Displacement | Reported both ways: about 49 tonnes light (Motor Boat & Yachting, Power & Motoryacht) and 84.4 tonnes full load (Azimut, Milnautica, Barche Magazine). No source states which basis it means, so treat the two figures as different measures rather than a contradiction. |
What owners and crew report
Sea trial handling and helm criticism
Praised the boat's turn-in and throttle response as more fun to drive than it should have been, while criticising the lower helm as a bit of an afterthought amid converging stairways, and calling aft visibility effectively non-existent without cameras.
Alan Harper, European Editor, Power & MotoryachtOwner's cabin and storage assessment
Called the main-deck owner's cabin design unbeaten for yachts under 30m, while separately criticising salon storage and calling the styling subjective, with carpet choices giving a budget boutique-hotel vibe.
Carl Richardson, reviewer, YachtBuyerThe design brief behind the model
Said the project was driven by the enthusiasm to create a compact superyacht, with five cabins, an enormous flybridge and a larger cockpit than usual for the category, extended to give the yacht a fully-fledged dining area overlooking the water.
Alberto Mancini, exterior designer of the Grande 26M
What is good, and what to watch
Strong points
- The Deck2Deck extending cockpitThe transom hatch raises horizontally and the aft railing hinges outward to extend the cockpit into a full dining terrace, called genuinely smart by Power & Motoryacht and singled out as an innovation by Motor Boat & Yachting.
- Driving dynamics from the new pod drivesFirst application of ZF's Large POD 4600. Power & Motoryacht: more fun to drive than it should have been, with excellent throttle and helm response; Motor Boat & Yachting independently praised strong handling and responsive steering.
- Main-deck owner's suiteFull-beam owner's cabin forward on the main deck with floor-to-ceiling glazing, called unbeaten for the sub-30m class by YachtBuyer's Carl Richardson.
- Five-cabin layout in an 85ft hullAn uncommonly high cabin count, 5 suites for 10 guests, for the size class, noted consistently by Boat International, Motor Boat & Yachting and YachtBuyer.
What to watch
- Confusing forward and lower-helm layoutTwo independent reviewers flagged this separately: Motor Boat & Yachting called the forward layout confusing, as if one designer started from the bow and one from the stern, with the lower helm poorly positioned; Power & Motoryacht called the same station a bit of an afterthought.
- Poor aft visibilityBoth Motor Boat & Yachting and Power & Motoryacht independently noted aft sightlines are bad enough to require the camera system when maneuvering.
- Limited salon storageCarl Richardson at YachtBuyer cited a lack of storage, attributing it to the open, glass-heavy salon aesthetic.
- Divisive interior stylingRichardson also called the styling subjective and noted a faint hint of a budget boutique-hotel vibe in some carpet choices.
Practical detail
| New-build price | Motor Boat & Yachting cited a starting price of roughly 5,750,000 euros ex VAT in 2023. Current configured-hull asking prices run about 5.3 to 6.5 million euros depending on engine and interior package. |
|---|---|
| Pre-owned asking prices | Two 2023-2024 hulls tracked on brokerage aggregators were asking 7.6 to 7.7 million US dollars in 2024-2025, above typical new-build press pricing - likely reflecting configuration, currency and strong initial demand (Boat International reported 22 units sold in the first two months after the 2022 launch). |
| Comparable models | Sanlorenzo SD90 and Ferretti Infynito 90 are named as the closest current rivals, with various Princess flybridge models around 85 feet also cited. |
| Buying process | No model-specific build-slot or lead-time figures are published. Azimut sells the Grande series through its regional dealer network. |
| What is not published | Azimut does not publish an official factory list price, and no independently published running-cost, crew-cost or build-lead-time figure exists for this model. Every price above is a press or brokerage figure, not a factory number. |
Questions owners ask
How big is the Azimut Azimut Grande 26M?
LOA: 26.36 m. Beam: 6.30 m.
Who is the Azimut Azimut Grande 26M for?
The owner stepping up to superyacht volume who wants a full-beam suite and beach club without the burden of a large crew.
What is the Azimut Azimut Grande 26M good at?
The Deck2Deck extending cockpit. The transom hatch raises horizontally and the aft railing hinges outward to extend the cockpit into a full dining terrace, called genuinely smart by Power & Motoryacht and singled out as an innovation by Motor Boat & Yachting.
What are the drawbacks of the Azimut Azimut Grande 26M?
Confusing forward and lower-helm layout. Two independent reviewers flagged this separately: Motor Boat & Yachting called the forward layout confusing, as if one designer started from the bow and one from the stern, with the lower helm poorly positioned; Power & Motoryacht called the same station a bit of an afterthought.
What do owners and crew report about the Azimut Azimut Grande 26M?
Praised the boat's turn-in and throttle response as more fun to drive than it should have been, while criticising the lower helm as a bit of an afterthought amid converging stairways, and calling aft visibility effectively non-existent without cameras. (Alan Harper, European Editor, Power & Motoryacht)
Who it is for: The owner stepping up to superyacht volume who wants a full-beam suite and beach club without the burden of a large crew.