Tested By Capt. Bob Smith

Azure claims some of the largest amounts of seating for a boat in its class. The manufacturer claims that it has at least five percent more seating than her leading competitor. The Azure 211 has a 16 degree deadrise and a sharp bow entry of 37 degrees that delivers a smooth dry ride, even in the chop of an inland lake or bay like Tampa Bay. I found her to be sporty handling with easy turning radius and nimble backing into the slips at the Vinoy in St. Petersburg. Her shallow draft will make her popular when you slide up to a favorite beach or shore.

Construction

Divinicell is used in the flooring which decreases the noise, but more important, adds durability to the flooring. When you screw into the decking, or heaven forbid, cut or scratch into it, it will not absorb water and begin to deteriorate like balsa or other wood products will. Composite construction in the stern does the same thing. Stringers are foam filled fiberglass further strengthening the entire boat and again, reducing water logging. Electrical connectors are waterproofed to deter corrosion and give longer serviceability.

Seat bases use Kelron composites, not marine plywood and should never break down. Bennington is so confident in their construction that they have a five year hull warranty, one year gelcoat warranty and a three year stem to stern warranty on all parts – not a pass on to the manufacturer of the OEM part.

Layout

She carries a wrap-around bow with two adult size lounge seats or the area could be used as bench seats. The bow itself is a swim platform with a center swim ladder and anchor locker. Seats are finished very nicely and are plush with finished storage underneath, rather than just a rough version of the underside with paint. Each compartment drains into the bilges to keep them dry.

A large in-floor locker extends from the center walkthrough to the bow seating and can handle wakeboards and skis. The wraparound windshield protects the cockpit from the cold morning air. Two floor plans allow you to either have another lounge seat on the companion side (standard) that wraps around to the stern bench and one bucket seat or two bucket seats and a stern bench.

At the Helm

The helm seat is a suspension seat with open back for comfort and has a flip up bolster for visibility out of the hole. Helm instrumentation includes a standard digital depth gauge, power steering with tilt wheel, rocker switches and a nice wood grain panel. A CD player will provide hours of tunes for your enjoyment on the water. A 36-gallon carry-on collapsible cooler is also standard in the cockpit as well as a sink with a 5-gallon water can.

Moving Aft

The engine hatch is also a large sun pad for the stern, and there’s even more storage is in the walkthrough on the starboard stern area. A large integrated swim platform makes the fun from the back enjoyable, and a telescoping stern swim ladder will get you out of the water with ease.

Specs

The Azure 211 is 22’11” length overall with an 8’6” beam. She weighs 3900lbs and has a fuel capacity of 50 gallons. Although our test model had a 270-hp power plant, she can handle from 190-hp to 320hp I/Os. She requires 16” draft with the drive up and 33” with the outdrive down.

Performance and Ride

We tested the Azure 211 in the salt water of Tampa Bay with two people on board and a strong breeze with chop. Our test boat had a Volvo 270-hp Penta 5.0 GXi gasoline stern drive for power. She handled well both around the docks and underway. We found she was quick out of the hole with a 3.4 second time to plane and she was clocked doing thirty miles per hour in only 6.1 seconds. The 211 cruised most economically at 3500 rpms running 31.2mph. At cruise, she burned 7.5 gph for a total range of 188 miles on a full tank of fuel. She topped out at 5100 rpms traveling 49.8 mph and burning 21.4 gph for a range of 105 miles on a tank of fuel.

As you can see, the Azure 211 has many functional features and also delivers respectable performance. If you are looking for a true hybrid that has looks and performance, the Azure 211 needs to be high on your list of new boats to check out.

• Top speed for the Azure 211 is 49.8 mph (80.1 kph), burning 21.4 gallons per hour (gph) or 81 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Azure 211 is 31.2 mph (50.2 kph), and the boat gets 4.18 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.78 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 188 miles (302.56 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 270-hp Volvo Penta 5.0GXi.