Sanlorenzo SX88

About the Sanlorenzo SX88

Sanlorenzo introduced the SX88 at the 2017 Cannes Yachting Festival as the first of its SX 'crossover' range — a deliberate blend of a conventional motor yacht and a small expedition vessel, pitched at a younger generation of owners. The exterior lines are by Officina Italiana Design, the studio of Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta; Milanese architect Piero Lissoni shaped the interior in his first collaboration with the shipyard. The defining decision is simple: there is no wheelhouse on the main deck — the driving position moved up top — which turned the heart of the boat into one open, glass-walled living space.

A week on board revolves around two spaces. The main deck is a single lounge and dining room with floor-to-ceiling glass down both sides, flowing straight out to the stern. That stern is the party trick: once the 4.5-metre tender and jet ski are craned off at anchor, it becomes a teak beach area of roughly 30 square metres, with a hydraulic platform that lowers to the water. Guests sleep below in four cabins — a full-width owner's suite in the centre of the boat with a walk-in wardrobe, a VIP cabin in the bow and two further doubles or twins — looked after by a crew of three.

The SX88 sold on conviction: eleven were ordered, at upwards of €5 million each, before the first boat touched water, and more than 60 have been built since, with the model still in production — buyers can choose a five-cabin layout in place of the standard four. Its natural rivals are similar-sized yachts such as the Princess X90, Sunseeker 86 and Azimut Grande 26M. The reason to pick the Sanlorenzo is the combination none of them matches: the loft-like main deck, the stern that becomes a private beach, and a hull built for efficient long-range cruising — about 1,000 nautical miles at 10 knots — yet capable of 23 knots.

The SX88 suits owners and charter groups who spend their days in the water rather than looking at it — families and younger parties who value one big social space and a private beach over formal saloons and outright speed.