Motor Boat & Yachting — February 2018

A

bsolute’s newest flybridge
model, the 58 Fly, is
having quite the show
season and there’s no
sign of it abating any
time soon. After a global
launch in Cannes, it was
on to its home show in Genoa where we
caught up with it, then a couple of days after
our test it was shipped across the Atlantic
to make its US debut at the Fort Lauderdale
International Boat Show.
It’s a hectic schedule, but Absolute knows
the hard yards are necessary as this boat

wades into battle with the likes of the

Sunseeker Manhattan 52, Azimut 60 and

Princess’s new 55. It’s a sector brimming

with talented competition and the 58 Fly

needs to make its presence felt.

We edge out of the show to blue skies

and calm seas, heading west to Varazze

with a gentle swell ensuring the boat doesn’t

have it all its own way. The only engine

option is Volvo Penta’s IPS800s, the D8

800s delivering 600hp per side. It’s relatively

modest power for a boat of this size but

Absolute’s understanding and application

of IPS is second to none. We manage a top

speed of 32.1 knots and find a 22-knot

cruising speed, where the engines are

spinning over at a lazy 2,500rpm and

consuming around 170lph, a real sweet

spot for long cruises. The combined

1,200hp whips the 58 on to the plane

without fuss, though admittedly we had

no cruising stores and only 30% fuel so

performance may not be quite as sprightly

with a full complement of cruising gear on

board and some fouling clinging to the hull.

From around 20 knots, the fuel curve

flattens off to the extent that there is no

penalty in travelling at a fast cruising speed

Boat report

mby.com/a58

See the VIDeO