SD132: Sanlorenzo's semi-deplacement line crowns a new queen

It arrives at a moment when shipyards are leaning hard into that 40-metre sweet spot. Big enough to impress, small enough to manage, it’s a sought-after market. New models are landing fast, many selling off-plan, as owners chase big-boat benefits without the complexities of a much larger yacht. But while others look to make their mark with fresh designs, Sanlorenzo stays its course: evolution, not reinvention.

At 420GT, the SD132 carries more internal volume than many of its closest semi-custom rivals, a gain achieved, in part, through the yard’s signature use of asymmetry. The concept made its debut on the SL102 Le Gypsy in 2018 with a widebody design to one side and a single side deck to the other – a layout that unlocked serious interior volume but prompted questions around circulation and mooring.

Zuccon, together with the shipyard, laid those doubts to rest, creating an arrangement that worked practically as well as spatially, preserving service routes without traditional symmetry.

The SD132 is guided by that same philosophy, only here the asymmetry is split. On the main deck, the saloon absorbs the starboard walkway, expanding to full beam and leaving a single side deck to port. Above, the balance is restored – the starboard side deck returns and asymmetry shifts to port. “It’s the most asymmetric yacht in the Sanlorenzo fleet – not just within the SD line,” says Zuccon.

From the outside you would hardly know. At Quai Louis II in Port Hercule, the yacht sits alone, free from neighbouring hulls. Whether by design or luck, its mooring offers a clear view of both flanks, and the asymmetry is almost imperceptible. A band of smoky glass conceals the variation from the outside, softening the transition and keeping the profile balanced. It’s a subtle sleight of hand, but key to how the SD132 finds extra space without adding bulk.

Light spills through oversized windows, and catches on the saloon’s forward bulkhead, which is wrapped in a sculptural panel of cement and resin by Italian artist Alice Corbetta. It has a time-worn quality – more artefact than artwork – that invites touch. The effect is deliberate. “If you want to appreciate the soul of the interior design, you have to close your eyes and touch the boat,” says Zuccon. “Colour is not the main actor. Every part must be rough, raw, able to transfer something – even with your eyes closed.”

The tactile philosophy plays out across the interior. Woven leather ottomans, linen upholstery and honeycomb carpets create depth without excess. Bathroom sinks are carved in serpeggiante avorio marble – their top surfaces smoothed to a matte finish, the outer edge is left raw and irregular. Even the guest en suites on the lower deck have fluted glass partitions that slide into place. “The materials are simple. The palette is earthy, natural and light. I didn’t want sexiness or opulence. I wanted something comfortable, fresh and simple.”

Zuccon’s approach isn’t just aesthetic, it’s practical. Crinkled linens lend a casual, lived-in elegance. There’s a distinct absence of high-polish finishes; no mirrored walls or reflective surfaces to chase with a chamois. Even the door handles are fingerprint proof in satin-finished brass.

Hull No 1, Andiamo, belongs to a three-time Sanlorenzo owner stepping up from an SD118. For just four extra metres, he gains 40 per cent more volume. That room opens up new possibilities. This particular hull was designed with charter in mind, which prompted several layout revisions. A gym, for instance, wasn’t part of the original plan – it replaced what would have been a much larger office.

“The palette is earthy, natural and light. I didn't want sexiness or opulence. I wanted something comfortable, fresh and simple”

A 55-square metre owners’ suite occupies the forward portion of the main deck, flanked by large windows that pivot open from the top, awning-style, at the touch of a button. But the layout is highly customisable. On Andiamo, the en suite is positioned forward with a separate walk-in wardrobe. But owners can flip the layout – turning the bed to face aft, placing the wardrobe behind the headboard in an open configuration and relocating the en suite to the walk-in space. “All units sold so far are different,” says Tommaso Vincenzi, managing director of Sanlorenzo. Other owners have opted for a sixth cabin.

“When you increase in size, you have more oxygen to express yourself in terms of design,” says Zuccon. “But that doesn’t always make it easier as expectations grow with volume.” A larger platform invites features traditionally reserved for the 50-metre class – and that, says Vincenzi, includes a beach club. “At this size, it becomes mandatory.” It’s here that the SD132 makes its most significant structural leap. Where earlier models stopped at a garage, Andiamo delivers a full beach club, complete with fold-down terraces on three sides.

On most yachts, the size of the terraces is limited by the ceiling height of the beach club – anything taller won’t fold away cleanly. But here the shell doors extend all the way to the cap rail of the main deck. The added height means a wider terrace when deployed and the result is an expansive 70 square metres of sea-level space. A glass panel fills the gap left in the bulwark between the main deck and the rail.

With the stern now dedicated to lounging, the guest tender finds a new home just forward of the beach club. It’s stowed transversely across the beam and launched via a shell door. For longer excursions, Andiamo cruises in tandem with a Technohull Explorer 40 chase boat. Additional toys and the rescue tender are stored up front in the bow. The garage, importantly, is fully integrated into the structure of the hull, not bolted on but built in to ensure strength, watertight integrity and ease of operation.

At this size, many yachts would switch to aluminium or steel. But Sanlorenzo doubled down on composite. It’s a choice that demands both conviction and investment. “To build in composite, you need moulds,” explains Vincenzi. “And a mould can cost four to five times the price of the bare hull.” The risk is built in – the bet has to pay off. In this case, it already has. Five hulls were signed before the first hull touched the water. And by the time I arrive home a private preview in Monaco another contract has been confirmed.

“More than half of the buyers are returning clients,” says Vincenzi. For existing Sanlorenzo clients, it’s a natural step up but it’s also pulling in fresh interest from those outside the fold – evidence of the yard’s quiet assurance. Its early success sets the stage for something larger.

Where many see composite as a stepping stone to metal, Sanlorenzo believes it can hold its own in the mid-market size range. “Owners want volume and flexibility, and we want to offer them the option of choosing between metal and composite boats. In the next two years, we’ll have three models between 40 and 50 metres in composites,” he adds. It’s a signal of where the yard’s confidence lies.

That same quiet confidence is felt on board. From the sundeck, I already feel Monaco’s distance as we ease out of the port. We’re half a kilometre offshore, but indistinct chatter still drifts from the beach, along with the whoosh of water at the bow. Only the swirl of water folding off the stern hints at the fact that we’re moving at all. It’s a reminder that luxury isn’t always loud – sometimes it’s the absence of noise that defines it.