You can feel the difference before you leave the dock. Step aboard an Azimut S and there is no tower of boat above you — just a low carbon profile, a saloon that opens wide to the cockpit, and three throttles at the helm. The S series is Azimut's line for the owner who would rather drive than host, and once you understand the Sport Deck, the whole lineup makes sense.
What is a Sport Deck, exactly?
A Sport Deck is an open upper helm on a low-profile deck — not a full flybridge. You still get the open-air driving position and a place for two or three people to ride up top, but without the full second living level that a flybridge yacht carries. Less structure up high means less weight, less windage, and a lower center of gravity, which is exactly what a sport hull wants.
Compare that with Azimut's Fly series, where the flybridge is a complete second deck — helm, galley module, sunpads, optional rigid hardtop. The Fly maximizes entertaining space; the Sport Deck keeps the silhouette low and the boat honest about what it is.
Why triple engines?
Both reviewed S models run triple Volvo Penta IPS pod drives — the S7 with three IPS 1050s, the S8 with three IPS 1350s. Three pods deliver the speed the sport profile promises, plus redundancy if one goes down and joystick maneuverability that makes an 80-footer docile in a tight marina.
The honest trade-off: three of everything at service time. Scheduled maintenance runs higher than a comparable twin installation, and you should budget for that going in. Owners who drive their boats hard consider it money well spent; owners who mostly entertain at the dock should be looking at a Fly anyway.
Carbon where it counts
Azimut builds the S series superstructures in carbon fiber. The point is not a spec-sheet brag — it is physics. Taking weight out of the top of the boat lowers the center of gravity, which lets the designers draw a faster hull without giving up stability. It is the same reason performance sailboats put carbon in the rig, applied to a 70-plus-foot motor yacht.
S7 or S8?
The S7 at 71 feet is the owner-driver sweet spot — sized so you can genuinely run it yourself, with the pace to make a Bahamas run feel short. The S8 at 80 feet adds a deck's worth of volume and presence, and starts making sense with help aboard. Verified specifications for both are on their review pages, and we arrange sea trials out of Fort Lauderdale so you can feel the difference at the helm — which, with this series, is the only place the decision actually gets made.
Where the S series fits
Think of the Azimut range as a set of answers to how you actually spend a day on the water. Hosting ten people for a floating lunch: Fly series. Family days a step from the water: Seadeck. Crewed program: Grande. But if the honest answer is you, one friend, and open water in front of you — the S series is the best-looking way to do it.
Ready to compare the S7 and S8 in person? Contact TS@MintedYachts.com or +1 (404) 805-9819, and we will get you aboard both.