Aicon 56, icon of Italian style and design

The Italian-built Aicon 56 is a creamily gelcoated, three-stateroom, three-head motoryacht well beyond contemporary thinking, he’s also incorporated a level of practicality that’s sure to give competitors a run for their money. Style-wise, this curvaceous, Italian-designed flying bridge motoryacht is a real trendsetter. The extra visibility afforded by the familiar double-eye-shape side windows on most modern Italianate motoryachts is a good example of great style with a smidgen of practicality. How did the designer Fulvio Di Simoni do it? He simply moved the steering station on the flying bridge astern a half-dozen feet or so, which admittedly cuts lounge space on the boat deck but also frees up enough space below to create standing headroom at the lower helm, as well as to allow the installation of unusually large windshield panels.

With 22.4 degrees of deadrise amidships and 16.8 degrees at the transom, the Aicon 56 is well suited for offshore service, and the boat delivers a soft, dry ride. The Aicon 56 is responsive to the throttle, accelerates evenly and is predictable in high-speed turns. Another aspect of the Aicon 56 design that’s worth mentioning is the headroom. Compliments of a full-bodied hull, di Simoni was able to lower the boat’s internal substructure, cabin sole and all. The Aicon 56’s construction follows European production yacht practice, with a solid bottom supported by a closely spaced network of transverse and longitudinal fiberglass stiffeners. The hull laminate is composed of alternating plies of woven roving and mat, and end-grain balsa coring is used to stiffen the topsides, superstructure and decks.

Styling and interior design are not taken lightly in Italy, and if your taste in yachts is not encumbered by tradition, you will find the Aicon 56 a comfortable fit. Her exterior lines are a familiar refinement of what American yachtsmen seem to favor in the breed. The Aicon 56 is thoughtfully fitted with an extension that positions the radar above the captain’s cap.

Her slight reverse sheer terminates in a reverse transom that borders an integral swim/tender platform. An impressive, polished, stainless-steel framed sliding glass door on the afterdeck leads to the main cabin. The split-level main cabin has a built-in curved seating area aft and an open galley area opposite a curved dinette forward. Almost all the stainless steel aboard the 56 is fabricated at the yard. Aicon also crafts its own interiors, and the 56’s high-gloss cherry joinery has the detail and luster Italian yacht builders are famous for.
The engineroom is accessible from the afterdeck and, unlike some enginerooms on European designs, is quite spacious and thoughtfully laid out. Machinery installations seem neat and tidy, and service points on the main engines and auxiliary systems appear to be within easy reach. Fuel is carried in two stainless-steel wing tanks that gravity feed a day tank on centerline. An 11kW generator with a sound shield is abaft the engines.

Extracts from: “Yachting Magazine” & “Power & Motor Yacht“