Absolute 52 Cruiser vs Trawler

[ShaneAtSea]

Hi Guys,

Im looking for buy a 50ft yacht for a liveaboard for about a year to do the ICW, Florida Loop and maybe the Caribbean before heading off to the Mediterranean next summer.

I really like the Absolute range and im currently interested in the 52 FLY and the Navetta 52 which both have the same interiors, cabins, heads and the same engines. The windows are different.

Im a little older now so not really looking to tear around like in Miami vice etc

I know one has a planing hull and one has a semi-displacement hull but what are the major differences?

Why would Absolute make two boats that are virtually the same bu with slightly different hulls? Is it purely aesthetics?

 

[Portofino]

Hulls are vastly different underwater .Ok the external dims might be similar from a berth / dock pov .
They are astutely tapping into the “ trawler “ market .
There stands at Cannes + Genoa always packed as are Cranchi .

Merc + BMW do it ....basic marketing the wider the range of modals available the more units you sell.

Ferretti are a little more discrete hanging on to separate brands , but the Itama s what few they sell are made , squeezed in to the Pershing production line in Forli .Same guys make both brands under the same roof .Justs sells more units adds more cash into the business , keeps the wolf from the door .

 

[Bouba]

Now I’m upset. The Navetta 52 is the boat I most lust after. The wife says I can have the 52 Fly only. Which is her idea of a joke because she won’t let me have either ????‍
But Absolute are good people (they’ve just invited me to Cannes but the wife says I can’t go). I’ve been on the Navetta and it’s of epic size and finish, even the wine glasses can’t spill because they are magnetized to the table. She towers over most boats in the marina but her styling is a love it or leave it, whereas the 52 Fly is so elegant everyone loves it.

 

[Portofino]

There’s a dealer in La Napoule and at around 15 m + x % he used a lot of berths near me so I know them well .
He was busy shifting stuff no doubt about that .
Back to the OP ...IPS is that a wise move considering your proposed use ?
Thinking forward exposed props inland , a land full of trees + fishing line + other entanglement debris .
Then finding guys to change the mayo in the drives .

How technically minded are you Shane ?

 

[MapisM]

I know one has a planing hull and one has a semi-displacement hull but what are the major differences?

There are many differences, but there's also one major technical solution that both those boats share, and it's called IPS.
That's a system Absolute fell for, hook line and sinker, from the very beginning.
Which is a shame, because other than that they do build good boats.

But when the largest and most successful boatbuilder of the planet decided to jump into the pseudo trawlers/navettas bandwagon (well before Absolute did, by the way), they went for Cummins engines on shafts instead.
You can trust that they did for good reasons.
At that size, you can do worse than considering the Magellano 53, and save yourself the disaster waiting to happen named Volvo Penta IPS.

 

[ShaneAtSea]

Ive watched hundreds of hours of boat tours on YouTubes like Aquaholic, BoatTest and The Boat Show

I want the IPS engines because i want all the options that come with them like the Joystick, DPS, docking, trims, glass cockpit etc As an in- experienced skipper i want all the bells and whistles to make my life easier.

My heart is set on the Navetta 52 because i like the Trawler style as i my first learners boat before moving up to a 60ft..........really excited to see the Navetta 64

I also like the Galeon 640 Fly, Pearl 62

I'll have suba gear onboard so if i snag any ropes i can get in the water. Gonna install some cutters too

 

[Bajansailor]

Shane, if you really want to make your boating life easier, take heed of what Mapis is telling you.
Joysticks, DPS and IPS drives are all complicated things that can (and probably will at some stage) go wrong.
You will have a much easier life if you settle for a 'simple' boat with a bow thruster and shaft drives.
Also, it might be prudent to start off by hanging your 'L' plates on a smaller, even simpler boat than a 52' Navetta?
At least go and do a boating course or two on smaller boats first, to learn the basics.

 

[Bouba]

Personally I would have pods with joystick, but if ever Portofino and MapisM agree on something it’s like a cosmic sign

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Some IPS problems have been resolved, like the clutches. Saying this, they are not easy to fix as shafts, and you are always in Volvo's tech hands, whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on the tech.

The Navetta's are more seaworthy then the standard Absolute 52 Fly, and offers more home style creature comforts. Basic accommodation is the same, both have three cabins and a crew quarters.
Saying all this looking at a Magellano 53 for this kind of boat want hurt, and is a more seaworthy proposition.
Azimut does a lot of R&D with Volvo (the most of any builder and since 2009), and when you see that in some models they use it and in others they don't I am sure there is a valid reason.

Hate them or like them no one does RandD on a new model as much as Azimut, and that is a fact.

 

[Portofino]

Eyes wide open we have seen the same thing and are only reporting Bouba .

How ever how about this one ?
Think back to me being surrounded by Absolute demos esp in August with Cannes around the corner .
It starts like this a farther + teenage son ( 17/19 he cleans them btw ) take out the “couple “.
As usual they approach the boat , lad jumps on and starts pepping it .
Mr a kinda marine version of “ Swiss Toni “ starts waxing lyrical , gives them a tour , about 1/2 hr later all 4 up on the fly , start up and Dad helms , lad does the lines .Then lad takes over , while Mr never shuts up .Boats leaves the narrow aisle .
Off they go .
Couple look dumbfounded.....you can tell they are inexperienced.
On the return the Bloke ( punter ) is bringing it in the marina , lads on the stern for the lines .
But get this .....the ultimate clincher ( Swiss Toni has got them where he wants them after 1/2 hr round the bay of Cannes )
As the come down the aisle he gets the Mrs , yes the woman to take over .
Perhaps it’s his aftershave ?
Yup you guessed it the woman parks the boat .

A couple of weeks later they are new owners .

They usually are given the berth for a short while ( Swiss toni has 3 ) .....
When they leave .....so the cycle restarts .


What the owners don’t see is the various VP agents turning up ( in there absence) , what I see is the engine hatch open and little blue boxed on the jetty , or at 8.30 ( yes the French can work if prodded ) a trolley of little blue boxes turning up spending all day by there boat , various engine starts. Etc etc and bubbles being created etc etc .
What they don’t see is the nearby yard with pod boats out with dropped pods laying on there side in the engine shed .
What they don’t see is the VP .Fr Cote d Azurs HQ ......10 min drive away with ^^^ ditto .

 

[MapisM]

Some IPS problems have been resolved, like the clutches.
Saying this, they are not easy to fix as shafts, and you are always in Volvo's tech hands, whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on the tech.

With clutches, VP should be very grateful to the fact that nowhere in Europe class actions are as easy to organize and as likely to be effective as they are in the US. Otherwise, by now they would have been forced to make a 100% recall and replacement FoC, on a huge number of installations.

But the crux of the matter is what you are saying about becoming hostage of VP's dealer network (and of their extortionate price lists for parts).
I also agree that to some extent the competence of the specific tech can make a difference, but I can add another first hand experience to those already reported by PF:
A VP tech with his notebook not only running the diagnostic, but also made remotely accessible to some top engineer at VP HQs.
And receiving instructions along the lines of trial and error, like detach this, re-attach that, replace this board, switch it with that, and so on - for hours.
Eventually, a boat whose original problem was that the f/b station couldn't take control (hence requiring to helm from downstair) became impossible to helm at all, because also the lower controls packed.
And the tech needing to come back the following day, replacing yet some other bits and pieces.

It would have been hilarious, if it weren't that the boat owner is a friend of mine, who already had his holiday ruined for three years in a row.

 

[MapisM]

As an in- experienced skipper i want all the bells and whistles to make my life easier.

Bells and whistles, that's exactly what you do NOT want in a boat, to make your life easier.

 

[ShaneAtSea]

Thanks for responses guys.

I spent months earlier this year taking my RYA skipper courses and was just looking to buy my first boat in the UK and then the pandemic hit the planet. Since the UK lockdown has ended i have just completed my RYA Coastal skipper course.

My original aim was to buy a smaller boat like a Beneteau Swift Trawler 30/41 and spend the summer in the UK to gain experience and get my hours up onboard.

However, with summer rapidly coming to an end my plan is to buy a boat in the USA and then spend the winter on the East coast instead. I thought the ICW would be a great start.

The Beneteau Swift Trawler 30/41 is just too small for what i need for friends and family and i dont want to be lumbered with a £500,000 asset in 6 months time during an uncertain economic downturn that i cant sell.

The Navetta 52 has everything i need for a first live-aboard boat and it is equipped with all the technology i would need for the next 6-8 months to gain experience and confidence i need before moving up to a new factory 60 foot boat.

The aim eventually is to move up to a sub 80 foot so the Navetta 52 is my learner boat.

What i plan to do is hire a skipper in the USA, put him/her in the VIP cabin and spend a month sailing from Charleston. SC to Key West and then back up to Miami.

That should give me enough experience and confidence to then do the same ICW journey with my partner who is currently taking her day skipper course.

Im sure that the 60 foot and the 80 foot will probably have MAN or Cummings shaft drives but for me the IPS is a great tool with the joystick for people who haven't had a lot of experience on smaller boats.

My thought are that its easier to learn to drive in an automatic car than it is in a manual

 

[Bouba]

Check the lowest bridge on the Loop, (19.7 feet according to google) but finding the air draft of the Navetta isn’t so easy. You might need to call Absolute

 

[ShaneAtSea]

Check the lowest bridge on the Loop, (19.7 feet according to google) but finding the air draft of the Navetta isn’t so easy. You might need to call Absolute

The Navetta 52 draft is 3ft 10in and height/bridge clearance is maximum 23ft 7in

From my research the lowest bridge on the The Great Loop is 19.7ft which is in Chicago. I dont think id got that far up anyway.

Im going to attempt the mini loops first

 

[mcanderson]

Shane, you sound like you have both a plan and the the funds to back it. Go for it. Plenty here will tell you why what you plan is madness, it sounds great.

If you are buying new then you can use the warranties to their full if required.

Buying used, then buyer beware!

I keep floating (get it) the idea of doing the loop when I retire to my wife. However, as we boat on the Côte d’Azur she wants to cruise to Sicily and back.

 

[Portofino]

Some IPS problems have been resolved, like the clutches. Saying this, they are not easy to fix as shafts, and you are always in Volvo's tech hands, whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on the tech.

The Navetta's are more seaworthy then the standard Absolute 52 Fly, and offers more home style creature comforts. Basic accommodation is the same, both have three cabins and a crew quarters.
Saying all this looking at a Magellano 53 for this kind of boat want hurt, and is a more seaworthy proposition.
Azimut does a lot of R&D with Volvo (the most of any builder and since 2009), and when you see that in some models they use it and in others they don't I am sure there is a valid reason.

Hate them or like them no one does RandD on a new model as much as Azimut, and that is a fact.

Love your new avitar PYB

Any one else noticed ?

 

[TwoHooter]

Shane,

I can't see a direct answer to your question: I know one has a planing hull and one has a semi-displacement hull but what are the major differences?

In almost every case a planing hull is designed to be faster than a semi-displacement. And usually it will carry less fuel, and burn more, and therefore have a much shorter range. Neither hull type will have the range you would get from a full displacement hull. Generally you have to trade speed for range. You can't have both unless you buy a superyacht and have a bottomless purse for fuel. The Absolute website carries sparse information about their boats but I see that the 52Fly has 20% less fuel capacity than the Navetta 52. Neither speed nor range are mentioned.

I suspect that like most people who ask for advice about what boat to buy you have already made up your mind.

However, just in case you are still open-minded I would like to say a bit more.

The Absolute website has a scary piece of data for someone who is thinking of cruising the Caribbean. Both these ships are CE type-approved category B. That makes both of them unsuitable for your mission IMHO. You really need category A for serious motoryact cruising in the Caribbean. I've seen what the seas can be like there, even in the "quiet" months.

And as others have hinted, the IPS system is a recipe for misery on the ICW where you will probably touch bottom occasionally because the charts are so variable (whatever you do, don't follow the magenta line on autopilot). If you are even slightly unlucky someone will have dumped a concrete block or a piece of steel where you touch. Now you are sitting in a yard, paying high yard storage fees, probably living in a hotel, waiting for the Volvo tech to come and tell you that you've got a really big repair bill coming your way and a lengthy delay in your cruise. By the way, I'd like to know how you lift the pods out if that becomes necessary. Do you have to cut a hole in the boat?

There is plenty of good advice on this forum, but we are Europe-based and you need a vessel that will fulfil your requirements on t'other side of the pond. You won't see a lot of boats like the Absolute on the ICW. You'll see them in Florida, but not in the Chesapeake. There may be some in some parts of the Caribbean such as the Bahamas, but I've never seen one. Would you consider taking professional advice from American sources who will know their waters and the boats that are suited to them? One of the problems when buying a first boat is that newbies very often have ideas based on what they imagine boating life is like. Please believe me, the reality is not like the dream. It really is worth taking advice. I make 3 suggestions of advisers. None of these people will give you free advice, but each of them would be willing to act as your impartial adviser for a fee.

Jeff Merrill is a highly regarded honest broker but he will also act as a professional adviser. He is adept at asking the right questions to get to the bottom of what a prospective motoryacht owner really needs to achieve their goals.

Bernie Francis is one of the world's most experienced professional skippers of luxury motor yachts and trainers of new owners. He also acts as an adviser. I have read numerous testimonials to his abilities on the Owner's Group for the type of boat we own.

Steve D'Antonio is a very experienced surveyor and adviser in the world of expensive motor yachts. People pay to fly him round the world business class to inspect the construction of new boats at key stages and to carry out post-launch commissioning checks, as well as inspecting brokerage boats.

All 3 of these people are very, very good at what they do (no, I'm not getting a referral fee!)

Hoping that's helpful.

 

[Portofino]

Answering the “ drop pod Q “ ^^^
They drop down from underneath.Remove the internal bolts inside around the rubber skirt + exhaust and drive jack shaft and steering mechanism .
Pod fits on a cradle ( at authorised workshops ) and is wheeled away .
Once in side it’s laid down and dismantled.

Suppose in a hill billy back country yard on the 2 nd day of the loop , they may have a fork lift to support them ?

But as said ( irrespective of being blinded in the headlights by the joystick ) I,ll ask again .....Shane are you sure you want forward facing props in tree lined rivers .
Perhaps another hint ....freak weather = flash floods = debris +++ !

 

[ShaneAtSea]

Shane,

I can't see a direct answer to your question: I know one has a planing hull and one has a semi-displacement hull but what are the major differences?

In almost every case a planing hull is designed to be faster than a semi-displacement. And usually it will carry less fuel, and burn more, and therefore have a much shorter range. Neither hull type will have the range you would get from a full displacement hull. Generally you have to trade speed for range. You can't have both unless you buy a superyacht and have a bottomless purse for fuel. The Absolute website carries sparse information about their boats but I see that the 52Fly has 20% less fuel capacity than the Navetta 52. Neither speed nor range are mentioned.

I suspect that like most people who ask for advice about what boat to buy you have already made up your mind.

However, just in case you are still open-minded I would like to say a bit more.

The Absolute website has a scary piece of data for someone who is thinking of cruising the Caribbean. Both these ships are CE type-approved category B. That makes both of them unsuitable for your mission IMHO. You really need category A for serious motoryact cruising in the Caribbean. I've seen what the seas can be like there, even in the "quiet" months.

And as others have hinted, the IPS system is a recipe for misery on the ICW where you will probably touch bottom occasionally because the charts are so variable (whatever you do, don't follow the magenta line on autopilot). If you are even slightly unlucky someone will have dumped a concrete block or a piece of steel where you touch. Now you are sitting in a yard, paying high yard storage fees, probably living in a hotel, waiting for the Volvo tech to come and tell you that you've got a really big repair bill coming your way and a lengthy delay in your cruise. By the way, I'd like to know how you lift the pods out if that becomes necessary. Do you have to cut a hole in the boat?

There is plenty of good advice on this forum, but we are Europe-based and you need a vessel that will fulfil your requirements on t'other side of the pond. You won't see a lot of boats like the Absolute on the ICW. You'll see them in Florida, but not in the Chesapeake. There may be some in some parts of the Caribbean such as the Bahamas, but I've never seen one. Would you consider taking professional advice from American sources who will know their waters and the boats that are suited to them? One of the problems when buying a first boat is that newbies very often have ideas based on what they imagine boating life is like. Please believe me, the reality is not like the dream. It really is worth taking advice. I make 3 suggestions of advisers. None of these people will give you free advice, but each of them would be willing to act as your impartial adviser for a fee.

Jeff Merrill is a highly regarded honest broker but he will also act as a professional adviser. He is adept at asking the right questions to get to the bottom of what a prospective motoryacht owner really needs to achieve their goals.

Bernie Francis is one of the world's most experienced professional skippers of luxury motor yachts and trainers of new owners. He also acts as an adviser. I have read numerous testimonials to his abilities on the Owner's Group for the type of boat we own.

Steve D'Antonio is a very experienced surveyor and adviser in the world of expensive motor yachts. People pay to fly him round the world business class to inspect the construction of new boats at key stages and to carry out post-launch commissioning checks, as well as inspecting brokerage boats.

All 3 of these people are very, very good at what they do (no, I'm not getting a referral fee!)

Hoping that's helpful.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

Youa re right i do have my heart set on the Navetta 52 for a few reasons that i guess are personal choices....

The helm station design and forward positioning
Helm station door
Volvo penta joystick
3 x cabins with 2 x heads with separate showers
large one piece windscreen
crew cabin that im having converted to a utility room
No seating on flybridge aft
BBQ on the swim platform

I think its suits all my needs for my first boat so after your guys advice about the collision risk to the IPS pots i think i'll look at sticking to the larger southern routes on the ICW and im only looking to do around 50-80 miles a day or every other day anyway.

Im not in any hurry to go anywhere.