2022 Azimut Verve 42

Overview

In motorcycle parlance, a cafe racer is a bike tricked out to look like a competition version but only flits from the pub to the bistro.

While the new Azimut Verve 42 might look like a waterborne cafe racer for jaunts from Cannes to St. Tropez carrying champers and revelers, this boat is no poseur. We discovered this while smashing through and leaping off rough seas in the Gulf Stream, which tested its construction of vinylester resin (for blister protection), plus carbon fiber in the deck and hardtop (for strength). Built to Euro classification CE Category A (winds to 45 mph, seas to 13 feet), the Verve 42 gave off nary a creak.

Testing in angry seas also proved Michael Peters’ stepped-V ventilated hull. It landed softly on its deep-V and tracked arrow-straight.

A smaller version of Azimut’s Verve 47, the 42 could take you from Miami to Bimini (or Newport to Nantucket) for lunch and back at 50 mph, thanks to triple 450 hp Mercury Racing outboards. But who would?

Interior and Accessories

This is no spartan day cruiser, but a full-fledged yacht with a private owner’s cabin (queen-size berth), a head with a full shower stall, and a forward berth. Fully air-conditioned courtesy of the 11 kW Onan genset, there is a galley hidden behind lacquered locker doors.

You can serve your meals either in the cabin on the table that converts into a double berth, or in the cockpit on the cool table that rises electrically from flush in the sole. For water fun, the port hullside unfolds to create a beach with a swim ladder. Because the engines are aft, there is immense stowage under the cockpit.

The skipper and two friends get high-back, electrically adjustable helm seats behind a sweeping dash with twin Raymarine 15-inch monitors. The Verve 42 surprises with a cockpit-level walkway forward to the bow seating.

Thinking of the Verve 42 as just an overnighter misses the point—this boat is for long weekends (or weeks) aboard without feeling like you are roughing it. The Italians have merged a center-console (with a limited cabin) and an express cruiser (without forward seating) to create a great choice for buyers.

High Points

• Wraparound bowrider seating is a delight, with a sun pad, a dining table, and easy access via a walkway to port.
• Full stand-up shower with glass doors and a seat helps make it a true cruiser.
• Privacy door for the owner’s cabin is special, plus there’s storage in the headboard and space to dress properly.
• Good service access to systems and batteries via the cockpit floor hatches.

Low Points

• Given the speed potential, more handgrips (round rather than square) in the cockpit would be appreciated.
• Considering the long-weekender capabilities, a single-burner Kenyon induction cooktop seems stingy—no boeuf bourguignon for this crew.
• Overhead buttons for various systems (lighting, windlass, wipers, etc.) look cool and aircrafty, but are a stretch for seated skippers.

Toughest Competitor

Cruisers 42 Cantius ($880,480) has IPS drives and two full cabins, with two full heads en suite. However, the forward seating is small, without a cockpit-level walkway.

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

How We Tested

• Engines: Triple 450 hp Mercury Racing outboards
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/Revolution 4 XP 4-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.60:1 Fuel Load: 200 gal. Crew Weight: 1,000 lb.

Pricing and Specs

Azimut Yachts – azimutyachts.com