Azimut’s Magellano 27M Is a Mini-Explorer Made for Big Adventures

This week in Cannes, Azimut’s popular Magellano series is being updated and upgraded for a new cohort of yacht owners. In 2009, the original Magellano 74 pioneered the crossover between adventure and sophistication in what was a very traditional trawler market. In 2020, the concept was redesigned and elongated in the form of the Magellano 25 Metri, with a tender garage and more stylish exterior. Four years later, the new Magellano 30M elevated the series to superyacht standards.

A Gen-3 Magellano? The Magellano 27M, unveiled at a special dinner hosted by Azimut-Benetti Chair Giovanna Vitelli, incorporates the speed and intrepid style of the previous series. But this new 86-footer, stripped of its predecessors’ bling, is more of a spartan, minimalist explorer, with transatlantic potential.

Vitelli described the new 27M as “a regeneration of Magellano’s DNA”—which was largely achieved by combining the previous generations’ selling points with a more contemporary look. While the vessel retains Magellano’s long-range ethos, it’s more future-forward and voluminous than its predecessors. The overarching design holds onto the go-anywhere design. Yet the latest iteration also imagines life at anchor with an indoor-outdoor relationship across two capacious exterior decks, plus a retractable swim platform at the rear.

The Magellano’s Dual Mode Hull, a signature feature that has been on the vessels since the series started, is a semi-planing hull with a vertical bow. At low speeds, the wide upper chines deliver stability and good fuel performance. Running at higher RPM levels, the hydrodynamics shift for lower resistance and faster speeds. Azimut has yet to release anticipated performance figures. Federico Lantero, Azimut’s head of product design, hopes for a 20- to 30-percent reduction in fuel burn when the first sea trials take place next year.

Lantero described his new baby in one word: “Freedom. The 27M isn’t just for sailing to Porto Cervo,” he said, referring to Sardinia’s beachy superyacht hub. “Even if the waves are above six feet, you can circumnavigate the entire island to find your own beach.” Or cruise Norway’s fjords with ease. Or run from South Florida to the Bahamas. In other words, Azimut expects the Magellano 27M to attract a global following.

For the exterior, Azimut made an unexpected pivot with Finnish designer Jarkko Jämsén, who has been prolific over the last three decades. He has designed the entire wildly successful Axopar powerboat line to Baltic’s sleek sailing superyachts Ravenger and Raven, to Feadship Pi and the even more radical 818, and most recently the Nautor Swan Arrow motorlaunch.

Jämsén has encircled the new Magellano 27M with what he calls a “loop,” a single architectural line that aptly describes the industrial heft of the next-gen series. “We cleaned up everything,” Jämsén told Robb Report. “Because we know that the bare shape will have a super-nice reflection from the sky, from all the water reflections.” Curvaceous yet dominant lines showcase the vessel’s sturdy width, blunt hull, and an unpretentious attitude to exploring. This “strong understandable form” is assuredly not a fast white yacht—such frivolity wouldn’t survive Finland’s frozen winter, an attitude seared in Jämsén’s mindset.

Floor-to-ceiling windows, continues Jämsén, “get the maximum impact from outside” to connect with interiors designed by AMDL CIRCLE and Michele De Lucchi in Milan. The main deck was conceived as a loggia, or roofed terrace, on the sea. Architectural touches filter light and frame the views. Jämsén sees this series as being about gazing at the water, rather than being glued to a large screen or cocktail bar inside.

The five cabins, including the full-beam master suite, make the most of the monochromatic color palette. Murano glass, Indonesian rattan and Japanese kimono fabrics “create an interior that embodies the spirit of travel,” says Davide Angeli, deputy managing director of AMDL CIRCLE. That description is a bit vague though gives a sense of the simplicity of the interior.

Even though the reveal took place just days before this year’s Cannes, where both Azimut and sister brand Benetti have a sizable presence, Magellano fans will have to wait for next year’s show to see the 27M at the docks. It’s a clear sign that a new generation will be here.