Quality of the details, ample spaces, smart layout, classy furnishing. Absolute 50 Fly can conquer while moored already. Ad to this a good behavior in navigation, and there you have your ticket for a long cruise.
Absolute 50 Fly: the deck
On board Absolute 50 Fly it’s immediately evident the effort that designers put into the project in order to create several opportunities to entertain guests. The cockpit is well protected by the flybridge overhang, which make it the best place to dine around a table with the galley right inside the sliding door. An optional grill can be placed by the swim platform, just under the small sun pad: so you can have nice bbq’s without annoying guests with smoke.
Two large passageways lead to the foredeck, where a solarium is complemented by a front-facing sofa to host even more people.
Move up to the sun deck and maybe you’ll find the rigid top a bit overwhelming: sure it hinders the look, but the gain for the livability of the bridge is evident. Still, we would have preferred a larger opening part to let sunlight in. Nothing to say tough about the layout: the aft dinette is equipped with a complete grill, while the dashboard (whose only limit is the budget you place for electronics) is served by two bucket seats. To port and bow stretches a comfy solarium, with a further small sofa to sit and chat with the driver.
Absolute 50 Fly: interiors
From the galley to port the main salon opens into a dinette with U-shaped couch and, just in front of it, another double seat. The helm station is neat and functional, with most of the information about engines and navigation entrusted to two large screens. Rarely seen on this size of yachts, a side door is very useful while moving on board but also when maneuvering, although the Volvo Ips joystick makes it quite easy.
Belowdecks the owner’s room takes the full beam, amidships, with a luxurious en-suite. Another two cabins share the second bathroom, the VIP to bow and the third to starboard (the latter featuring two single berths). The outstanding factor downstairs, beside the aforementioned quality of the finishing, is the amount of natural light that gets in from the side portholes. The walnut joinery has a proper nautical touch in the smooth edges of the details, so to avoid any harmful contact during navigation. Last surprise, from the swim platform a waterproof hatch gives access to a crew cabin with its own heads, a remarkable use of space on a 50-feeter.
Absolute 50 Fly: the test
The manufacturer does not provide the displacement figure for Absolute 50 Fly, but we reckon it’s not properly a featherweight. I thus expect performance to be on the lazy side but in the end the two Volvo Ips 600 do a good job in pushing the boat to a top speed of 28 knots (a bit short of the official 30 they declare), with fuel consumption in the average. The minimum plane speed is 15 knots at 2700 rpm, the engines burning one hundred liters per hour, it seems then worth speeding up to the cruise pace (23 knots), revving just over 3,000 rpm and using 142 lph.
Veering is not like a sport affair, with a wide radius considering the Ips transmissions: we know though it’s a matter of electronic setup. For the rest she shows a good feedback at the helm, an aspect that is far more important in daily cruising. The sea outside Cannes Sea is pretty demanding, with so many waves created by the wakes of other test boats (it’s Cannes Yachting Festival) and at fast pace the crossing is a bit sharp. Beside this, the feeling is of total safety, and the final judgment is by far positive.
Still thinking a 15-meter Absolute is good for you, but want even more space? Here’s a test you may like
The numbers of Absolute 50 Fly
- Length overall 15.20 m (49ft 10in)
- Beam 4.43 m (14ft 6in)
- Engines Volvo Penta IPS 600 2×435 HP
- Fuel reserve 1600 l (422 US gal)
- Fresh water reserve 450 l (118 US gal)
- Cabins 3
- Passengers 14
- CE design category B
Performance
rpm knots mph lph nm/l range* dB**
- 1000 5,5 6,3 6 0,92 1173 56
- 1500 7,6 8,7 21 0,36 463 57
- 2000 9,7 11,2 47 0,21 264 63
- 2500 12,0 13,8 88 0,14 175 64
- 3000 19,0 21,9 120 0,16 203 67
- 3400 28,0 32,2 169 0,17 212 70
- *(20% reserve) **salon, closed doors
Test conditions
- Moderate sea, temperature 32°C (90° F), celan hull, fuel 1100 l (290 US gal), water 50 l (13 US gal), 8 passengers
Indicative price (VAT not included)
- Volvo Penta IPS 600 2×435 HP € 670,000
