Used Azimut in Hong Kong: Grande 120 vs 55 vs 43

Short answer: Sun Yachts currently has three used Azimut yachts in stock, and they fall into three entirely different size classes — the 2013 Grande 120 SL (116 ft, HK$42,800,000) is a superyacht-class boat that needs a full-time crew; the 2008 Azimut 55 (55.1 ft, HK$3,200,000) is a mid-size flybridge you can stay overnight on; and the 2010 Azimut 43 Fly (41.79 ft, HK$2,500,000) is an entry-level flybridge that an experienced owner can handle on their own. The most expensive is about 17 times the price of the cheapest, yet the 55 and the 43 Fly are actually close on price per foot (about HK$58,000 vs HK$60,000). Choosing between them mostly comes down to how many cabins you need, whether you will hire a crew, and whether you can accept higher engine hours. Below we first cover the Azimut brand's background, then compare the three boats on specs, work out price per foot and hours per year, break down running costs, and finally list what to ask about at the survey.

To be clear up front: Sun Yachts is an independent brokerage for used yachts, not an official Azimut Yachts dealer or distributor. The brand information and factory specifications below come from the Azimut website and third-party model databases (each item sourced individually); the in-stock boat data comes from Sun Yachts listings data — the two should be read separately. If you want a new Azimut, go directly to an authorised dealer.

Azimut did not start as a boatyard but as a charter business: founder Paolo Vitelli, still a university student in 1969, started Azimut and at first ran a leisure boat rental business. After graduating in 1970 he took the company to the Genoa boat show and began distributing foreign brands, and only later built boats under his own name. In 1985 the company acquired the long-established Viareggio yard Benetti, and the group became Azimut|Benetti — producing series-built yachts on one side and bespoke superyachts on the other.

Note that all three boats in stock are older, discontinued models, which you will not see on the current website. The Grande 120 SL is an older model from Azimut's large-yacht line (built 2010–2016); the 55 and the 43 Fly are both previous-generation models, not the same design generation as the current Fly series. So if you take the specifications of a new boat from the website and compare them with a used boat, expect gaps in design and layout — every comparison below is based on the actual boats in stock.

The specifications and asking prices below are checked against Sun Yachts listings data; all are real boats currently available.

(The 43 Fly appears in the listing as "2010 Azimut 43", while the model field in the specifications reads "43 Fly"; both refer to the same boat.)

Looking at total price alone, the three boats cannot be compared. Divide the asking price by the length, and the engine hours by the boat's age, and the real differences show. The two columns below are calculated directly from the figures above (age counted to 2026):

This comparison leads to a conclusion that is not very intuitive: the 43 Fly and the 55 are HK$700,000 apart in total price, but almost identical in price per foot — the extra HK$700,000 buys 13 more feet of hull and one more cabin; the trade-off is that the 55's engine hours (1,730) are two and a half times the 43 Fly's (675). Why do hours matter so much? See the "choosing your first boat" checklist in What Kind of Yacht Can You Buy Under HK$500,000? — how heavily a boat has been used often says more about its real wear than its year of manufacture.

Azimut Grande 120 SL — Superyacht Class, a Boat Run by a Crew Team

The 2013 Grande 120 SL is 116 ft long with three MTU 16V 2000 diesels of 2,600hp each, and is the highest-priced boat in the whole Sun Yachts stock. The third-party model database YachtBuyer records this model as built 2010–2016, with only 3 built in total, and a factory layout of 4 guest cabins and up to 5 crew (YachtBuyer — Azimut Grande 120SL). In other words, this is not a boat you "drive out to Sai Kung Bay yourself", but an asset that needs a captain and crew team to look after it, suited to buyers who want corporate entertaining, large family gatherings, or a long-term floating clubhouse at a berth.

Azimut 55 — Three-Cabin Mid-Size Flybridge, the Middle Ground for Overnighting Without a Full-Time Crew

The 2008 Azimut 55 has twin Caterpillar 705hp diesels and a capacity of 20 people. By year, it belongs to the 2002–2012 generation of the 55 (which YachtBuyer calls the 55 Evo), with a factory layout of 3 cabins and up to 6 people overnight, and the master cabin amidships (YachtBuyer — Azimut 55 Evo). It suits a family or two or three couples going out to Cheung Chau or Lamma, or even overnight to Tung Ping Chau; handling a 55-foot twin-engine flybridge takes a fair amount of experience, and owners without enough can consider hiring a part-time boatboy or skipper to help. At 1,730 hours it has the highest hours of the three, so the survey needs to be the most thorough (see Section 6).

Azimut 43 Fly — Entry-Level Flybridge, the Lowest Hours of the Three

The 2010 Azimut 43 Fly is the smallest and cheapest of the three, but also has the lowest engine hours (675). YachtBuyer records the first-generation 43 as built 2007–2012, with a factory layout of 2 cabins and up to 6 people overnight, and standard engines of twin Cummins QSB5.9 (YachtBuyer — Azimut 43 Gen 1). At around 42 feet, it is a boat an experienced owner can handle on their own, and it is the most practical choice for a buyer stepping up from a smaller boat and trying a flybridge layout for the first time.

Putting the in-stock data side by side with the published factory specifications, most figures match, but there are a few points the buyer should re-check at the viewing:

(Factory figures sourced from YachtBuyer: Grande 120SL, 55 Evo, 43 Gen 1.)

The last row is the one most people misunderstand: "capacity 21 people" does not mean 21 people can sleep aboard. Buyers who want to stay overnight should look at the number of cabins and berths — both the 43 Fly and the 55 are 6 people overnight at the factory.

For a full breakdown of annual running costs, see How Much Does It Really Cost to Own a Yacht in Hong Kong Per Year? — the price-band summary table there already uses the 43 Fly as its example of the "HK$1–3M class" and the Grande 120 SL as its example of the "HK$20M+ superyacht". Below we pull out just the three items that most separate the three boats:

How the figures are calculated and where they come from: mooring fees are from the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club mooring fee schedule (Monthly Mooring Fees, effective 1 August 2026); tank capacities are from the three YachtBuyer model pages above (the 55's 666 gallons and the 43's 291 gallons converted from US gallons to litres); the captain's monthly salary from $25,000 and deckhands' monthly salary of $12,000–$20,000 are from the VTC Occupation Dictionary — Yacht Captain (private-sector pay). Diesel prices fluctuate, so what it costs to fill a tank depends on the quote on the day you refuel. If you want to find a berth in Sai Kung (including the route of buying a used boat that comes with a berth), see Sai Kung Berthing Reality: Marina Cove and Hong Kong's Berth Shortage. The tank figures are only an illustration of "filling one tank", not an annual fuel bill — actual consumption depends on how often you go out and at what speed.

In one sentence: the 43 Fly and the 55 still have the cost structure of a "private owner", while the Grande 120 SL already has the cost structure of "running a team". Stepping up from the 55 to the 120 is not just a bigger bill — it is an entirely different way of owning a boat.

Below are general survey points for mid-to-large twin- and triple-diesel yachts, narrowed down to what matters most given the specs of the three boats in stock:

Survey cost and duration sources: One Blue Anchor, MSES — Pre-Purchase Surveys. For title checks and transfer after the survey (Marine Department MD 513, government fee HK$355), see the full process in The Complete Guide to Buying a Second-Hand Yacht in Hong Kong.