Gray sky, wind, chopped sea. It’s the best situation for most boaters to…stay safe in the harbor. But we’re here for a sea trial, so we have to take Absolute 58 Fly for a spin. And it’s worth it.

The hull is responsive

and well powered.

Absolute 58 Fly is the

perfect cruising buddy

The test model is powered by the 600 HP Volvo Penta IPS 800, good enough to be the only alternative. So it comes to not surprise that the boat is immediately responsive and puts the driver at ease. The sea conditions do not recommend violent maneuvers, but even facing the waves in all directions the hull is always ready, with some loud thud only in the more complex crosses. The sturdiness of the entire structure makes her feel solid and well built, but it doesn’t limit performance: 30 knots of maximum speed are a good result indeed. Perhaps the turn is quite wide considering that the IPS are used to rather narrow rays, but it is no big deal, as the sea conditions are bad, and in the end with these transmissions electronics can be tuned according to the manufacturer’s need.

Let’s talk about fuel consumption. Beside the top speed figure, at the pace that we reckon to be the perfect cruise for Absolute 58 Fly, which is 20 to 25 knots, the numbers give a good response: 154 to 185 liters per hour, with the better at 21, although the longest range seems to be at 30 knots with 229 nautical miles, which means 0,14 nm per liter. The minimum planing speed is 12 knots at 1900 revs, with the engines burning 100 lph (or 0,12 nm per liter). So in the end it’s good to speed up a bit.

A perfect match between performance and luxury

Our test was run during the world premiere organized by the shipyard in Trieste, northern Italy. A big event indeed, considering the number of journalists coming from allover Europe.

Every time I get on board an Absolute I wonder: “how is it that, at the very first glance, all their boats give this feeling of warmth and luxury?” And I don’t mean lavish luxury, but smart and practical solutions, built with care and flair.

Absolute 58 Fly in a nutshell

For an accurate description of the boat’s interiors and main features, check our previous article.
Here I just want to add some peculiar facts.

• First of all, the galley which is located just at the entrance of the salon, by the cockpit. As the flybridge overhang is quite long above the cockpit itself, the whole area can be enjoyed even in unfair weather. The sliding door opens in an instant and creates a unique space.

• The control panel is not hidden at all, on the contrary it’s handy and even good to look under a protective glass. The dashboard finally drops any round gauges and sports only digital screens. The side door is great for getting in and out and will be perfect when mooring, as it makes so quick to reach the cockpit maneuvering joystick.

• The lower deck features the same attention to quality, design and finishing of the materials. The three cabins are bright and rational, with the master stateroom amidships, the VIP to bow and a third one with twin beds in between.

• Full marks also for the exterior spaces: solarium and a sofa on the foredeck, and a large flybridge with traditional layout on top.

The measures

Here’s all the main numbers, in centimeters (inches):

Deck

• Cockpit dinette 290×120 (114×47)
• Aft solarium 130/170×250 (51/66×98)
• Side decks 34 (13)
• Fore solarium 210×190 (82×74)
• Fore couch, width 310 (122)

Flybridge

• Dinette 270×180 (106×70)
• Dashboard width 130 (51)
• solarium 260×200 (102×78)
• dinette 270×180 (106×70)
• Cockpit free space 340×170 (133×67)

Main deck

• Salon headroom 200 (78)
• Galley 160×150 (63×59) excluding refrigerator
• Salon dinette 210×100 (82×39)
• living 260×155 (102×61)
• Dashboard width 140 (55)

Lower deck

• Stateroom bed 200×165 h 200 (78×65), h 78
• Bathroom 155×100 (61×39), shower cabinet 70×110 (27×43)
• VIP cabin bed 190×140 (74×55) h 195 (76)
• Bathroom 170×120 (67×47), shower cabinet 70×110 (27×43)
• Third cabin beds 260×165 (102×65) h 210 (82)
• Bathroom 165×100 (65×39), shower cabinet 80×90 (31×35)

Absolute 58 Fly in numbers

• Length overall              17.24 m (56ft 6in)
• Beam                              4.80 m (15ft 9in)
• Draft                               1.06 m (3ft 6in)
• Engines                          Volvo Penta IPS800 2×600 HP
• Fuel reserve                  2000 l (528 US gal)
• Fresh water reserve     600 l (158 US gal)
• Cabins                            3
• Crew cabin                     1
• Berths                            6+1
• Passengers                    14
• CE design category     B

Performance

             rpm            knots       mph         lph        nm/l          range*         dB**

• 600             3,8           4,4            6           0,63              1013             59
• 1000            5,7           6,6            14          0,41               651            61
• 1500            9,1            10,5          45         0,20               324            61
• 2000           13,0          15,0         107         0,12                194            63
• 2250           17,0          19,6        130          0,13               209             64
• 2500           21,0          24,2        154         0,13               218              66
• 2750            25,0          28,8       185         0,13               216              68
• 2900           30,0         34,5        210          0,14               229              72
• *(20% reserve) **saloon, doors closed

Test conditions

• Moderate to choppy sea, clean hull, fuel 1600 l (422 US gal), water 180 l (47 US gal), 10 passengers

Indicative price (VAT not included)

• With Volvo Penta IPS800 2×600 HP                € 990,000