VIDEO: Absolute 58 Fly review

Against stiff competition, the Absolute 58 Fly is riding high, supported by clever design, punchy IPS and sheer class

The Absolute 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 of around 28 knots. Between 13 and 17 knots, as the boat gets over the hump, there is a dip in economy but interestingly, range isn’t significantly lower at full speed than it is at 11 knots.

Read the full report in the February 2018 issue of MBY.