You are ready for superyacht living, but you are not ready to stop driving. That tension has a boat: the Azimut Grande 26M, which packs five staterooms and MAN V12 pod power into 86 manageable feet — the opening move of Azimut's superyacht series, drawn for the owner who still wants the helm.
Who This Boat Is For
Buy the Grande 26M if your guest list has outgrown four staterooms and you want superyacht accommodation in a yacht that still handles like something you could run. It is the bridge between Azimut's big flybridge cruisers and true superyachts: five staterooms and crew where the Fly 82 carries four, on barely four more feet of dock.
The Design
The Grande 26M measures 85'7" overall on a 20'8" beam, displacing 186,068 lbs at full load, in GRP and carbon fiber. Alberto Mancini drew the exterior; the interior is by Achille Salvagni Architetti with Yachtique, aimed at superyacht-grade sophistication with a deck plan drawn for privacy — separate zones for guests who want company and guests who don't.
Like the Fly 82 below it, the 26M carries the Deck2Deck terrace: the transom transforms and the cockpit expands into a terrace over the waves. Five cabins and six heads serve the owner's party, with two crew cabins behind the scenes — a stateroom count the Fly series never reaches.
Performance
Power is twin MAN V12s on pod drives, 1,550 hp standard or 1,650 hp optional, for published maximums of 26 and 28 knots respectively and cruise figures of 23-24 knots, from 2,245 gallons of fuel. The pod installation is the point: joystick handling on an 86-footer, and a large part of why this is the Grande a hands-on owner can still genuinely enjoy driving.
Superyacht scale deserves superyacht diligence — have observed consumption documented at sea trial across the speeds you intend to use, and put the results in the file.
Within the Range
Above it, the Grande series steps to the 105-foot 32M with a third crew cabin, tender garage and beach club. Below, the Fly 82 keeps most of the lifestyle at a simpler operating scale. The Grande 27M, two feet up, trades this boat's flybridge emphasis for a main-deck owner's suite.
Where to Start
Take the helm on the sea trial and dock it yourself on the joystick. The 26M's case is that superyacht living and hands-on ownership are not opposites, and that case is proven at the wheel, not in the brochure. Then walk the five staterooms with your real guest list in mind.