Text by boattest.com – Capt Steve
ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE
Recently arrived in New Zealand, the Italian designed and built, Absolute Navetta 58 has the expedition look combined for with all the right credentials for long-range cruising.
The Absolute Navetta 58 is an expedition yacht designed for an owner-operator. Her open layout lends itself well to cruising with the family and her crew quarters add flexibility in the form of accommodations for crew when the captain isn’t the type to want to do their own maintenance or for unexpected guests.
Absolute Yachts designed the Navetta 58 to be a long-range expedition yacht. Her flying bridge is large and has a spacious boat deck with the capacity for a tender. The main decks laid out for the galley to serve the aft cockpit and salon with equal efficiency and below decks she sleeps six.
OUTDOOR SPACES
Stairs to port in the cockpit lead up to the Navetta 58’s flying bridge. Just ahead, the bar has an ice maker, an Isotherm refrigerator, a drop-in cooler and a grill under a fiberglass hatch. To starboard, a J-shaped seat wraps outboard around a fixed height table. Aft, the boat deck has space for a tender or free-standing furniture can be set out.
Overhead, the forward half of the flying bridge is protected by a moulded hardtop that has an opening centre section. Lounges extend forward on each side of the centrally-positioned helm. A single bucket seat with a foldup bolster is in line with the steering wheel, abaft a manually-adjustable windscreen. On each side are vertical electronics flats that can accommodate up to 12” multifunction displays.
Below to the left of the tilt wheel is a Volvo Penta engine-monitoring screen with the VHF radio microphone alongside. Working outboard from the steering wheel to the right are the bow thruster joystick, the trim tab buttons with built-in position indicators, the Volvo Penta digital controls, the IPS joystick and the Fusion stereo.
From the flying bridge, we could look forward over the bow, which has a forward-facing sofa-style lounge on the front of the pilothouse. Outboard on each side are deep drop-in lockers that could be good for fenders. There’s a walkway between it and the sunpad on the foredeck. All three backrests for this sunpad can be raised to one of three angled positions to create chaise-lounge-style seating.
Working our way aft down the side decks, the bulwarks at the bow are 55.88 cm tall and with the additional height of the rails provide a safe passageway. We also like that the side decks are fully protected overhead. The side decks exit at the aft cockpit, which has a lounge across the stern and a fixed table. The flying bridge extends aft above the area, offering protection from the elements and 1.85 m of headroom. A shade can be lowered from the trailing edge of the flying bridge to fill in between two posts to provide privacy or protection from the sun.
Passageways on each side that lead to the swim platform close with stainless-steel-framed acrylic gates. To starboard is a pull-out rain-water style shower head.
The swim platform lowers into the water hydraulically to create a private beach or launch a tender. A centrally-positioned door opens to access the crew quarters.
INVITING INTERIOR
Light material colours and large windows create an open, spacious feeling in the saloon.
Double sliding stainless-steel-framed doors and a window that retracts into the aft galley counter link the aft cockpit with the galley and dinette area. The latter is to starboard and the U-shaped lounge wraps around a high-gloss table on a fixed pedestal. Outboard, the large saloon window extends below the backrest for the lounge, creating nearly panoramic views. Headroom in this area is 2.0m.
The galley is to port. Aft, just inside the entryway is a full-size refrigerator/freezer housed in a cabinet that matches the interior wood. There’s ample food-preparation space in the Corian countertops, plus a two-burner stove and microwave-convection oven. Above and below the counters are a variety of cabinets.
With the push of a button, a glass partition extends inboard from the port bulwark to separate the galley from the forward saloon lounge. It is two steps up from the galley/dinette area to the forward saloon/helm deck but Absolute retains the same headroom in this area as in the galley.
To port, another lounge wraps around a freestanding table that can be moved. Across to starboard is an entertainment cabinet into which a 50” (127 cm) TV retracts on an electric lift.
Forward to starboard, the lower helm has a soft-touch upholstered top, and the 17” Garmin multifunction displays and Seakeeper control pad were set in vertical carbonfibre panels. The Volvo Penta EVC screen is to starboard with accessory switches flanking the non-tilt steering wheel. To the left of the wheel are the engine start-stop buttons and trim-tab buttons while the digital engine controls are just to the right. Outboard of these are the Volvo Penta joystick and the bow thruster toggle.
Our test boat had a single leather high-backed bucket seat that slides fore and aft and has a flip-up bolster. A noteworthy highlight of the helm is the watertight door immediately outboard to starboard. The inset hinged window is the first of its type that we’ve seen. The captain can open the door and step out with a hand on the joystick for the drives or joystick and see the whole starboard side of the boat.
THREE CABINS
Centrally positioned stairs forward of the helm lead to the Navetta 58’s accommodations deck. A companionway leads aft to the master stateroom, which has the same headroom as in the salon, 2.0 m). Large hullside windows let in lots of natural light. There’s storage on each side with a compartmentalized vanity to port and a hanging locker to starboard. Across from the foot of the berth to port is the entry to the master head that has a vessel sink, large mirror and a separate shower.
Exit the master and the companionway leads to the VIP cabin in the bow. Absolute defied convention by positioning the berth to starboard instead of the usual location on the centerline. The overhead deck hatch has a screen and a shade, but the amount of light it lets in is limited by the foredeck sunpad behind just inches above. That’s fine because the hullside windows bathe the area in natural light. There’s a mirrored hatch for the hanging locker and the en suite head is finished similarly to the master.
In the companionway abaft the VIP stateroom to port is a cabinet with a combination washer-dryer unit. To starboard is the guest cabin with two berths that can slide together and there’s private entry to the day head.
Two more guests or crewmembers can enter the aft quarters from the swim platform. Inside, there are two berths on each side of the head. Entry to the engine compartment is via a watertight hatch in the crew head or a day hatch in the cockpit.
Circumstances beyond our control kept us from testing the Navetta 58, but Absolute provided numbers from its sea trial. The twin D8-IPS 800s maxed out at 3071 rpm and hit 27.7 knots. Best cruise came at 2300 rpm where Absolute recorded 15.1 knots and 142 lph. Do the math and that’s a range of 230 nautical miles with 10 percent of the boat’s 2,400 litre fuel capacity in reserve.
Observations
With her expedition yacht looks and extra-solid construction, the Navetta 58 feels every bit like the long-range cruiser she’s designed to be. The quality of her build is reflected in her creak- and rattle-free ride when underway. With the IPS joystick and bow thruster, she handles well around the docks. She also has multiple gathering areas where family and friends can spread out during an extended cruise. When underway and while entertaining a crowd, the Navetta 58 feels bigger than her actual size.
Specification
- Boat Design Name: Absolute Navetta 58
- Year Launched: 2022
- Builder: Absolute Yachts
- LOA: 17.42m
- Beam: 5.04m
- Draft: 1.4m
- Displacement (dry): 33190kg
- Max Speed: 27.7 knots
- Construction: GRP
- Fuel Capacity: 2400 litres
- Water Capacity: 650 litres
- Engines Make/HP: Volvo Penta IPS 800
- Drive Train: IPS
- Gyro: (Optional) Seakeeper
- Anchor Winch: Quick
- Engine Controls: Volvo Penta
- MFD: Garmin
- Base Price of Boat: POA
