The 2020 Miami Yacht Show was the launch party for many worthy and notable yachts, however, one in particular seemed to garner the most dock talk. That boat was the Azimut Verve 47, equal parts machismo and sexiness with quadruple 450 hp Mercury 450Rs standing like well-armed sentries at her stern. The Verve might not have exactly stolen the show, but she did borrow it without asking and neglected to mention when she’d give it back.
The Verve Collection first came to the United States in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2017 with the Verve 40. The 47 carries on her sistership’s lineage but in a 47-foot-7-inch package. The larger boat was designed with Americans in mind, and she does play effectively as an Old World-style center-console. Those monster outboards provide an Azimut-recorded top speed of 53.1 knots. Sarasota-based designer Michael Peters, known for fast powerboats, drew the Verve 47′s twin-stepped hull, which slices and dices the seas like a freshly sharpened chef’s knife.
I can say that last part with confidence because I recently ran the Verve 47 on a luxuriously cool and breezy day on Miami’s Biscayne Bay. The boat was loaded with 12 people, including two prospective buyers. As we shoved off from land, the buyers took turns at the helm, and I got to experience the Verve as a guest might. I migrated forward to the bow, where three sun pads accompany a lounge with U-shaped seating. I sat in roomy comfort with two Azimut employees. I was impressed with how little bow rise the boat had as it got onto plane. Even up front where I would feel it most, everything remained nearly flat as the boat sprang to her nifty 37-knot cruise speed.
During my turn at the wheel, I felt more like I was handling a PWC than a boat. I slalomed the Verve 47 through the calm waters at cruise speed, carving clean and true S-turns. Tracking was excellent, and the boat left a ruler-straight contrail in our wake. With those big engines behind me, I had no choice but to drop the hammer. The speedometer hit 50 knots, slightly shy of Azimut’s top reported speed but still bracingly fast and bucket loads of fun. When it was time to turn around, I pulled the Verve 47 back to 30 knots. She still turned in about a boat length. (That’s NFL-running-back agility.)
One of the design elements I appreciated at the helm was the low window placement to port and starboard. The windows made the space feel even more open than it already is, and offered an unusual and fun vantage point to watch the water rushing past the hull as the boat flew along.
Another interesting design detail was in the cockpit, beneath the Esthec sole. A square portion of the sole raises hydraulically to become a dining settee, matched with L-shaped seating to starboard. (There is a cover for the table, of course, so guests aren’t eating off the ground.) I appreciated this smart use of space and cannot recall seeing a design element quite like it before.
Though the Verve 47 may seem like a dayboat at first glance, she does have an accommodations level that allows her to be an able weekender. The cabin has a portside L-shaped dinette that can convert into a berth. The dinette is opposite a flat-screen TV that doubles as a mirror. The master is in the bow and has a queen-size berth with stowage beneath it, as well as hullside windows that provide natural light. Abaft the master, at amidships, is a guest stateroom with twin berths and a filler cushion that, when deployed, makes the berth bigger than the one in the master.
Versatility is a key attribute of the Azimut Verve 47. She can function equally well as a primary boat, tender, runabout or cruiser. That adaptability, combined with sizzlingly fun performance and forward-thinking design details, makes the Verve 47 a great ride whether you’re the skipper or one of the guests.
Take the next step: azimutyachts.com
