On board Sanlorenzo’s new jet-powered SP110 sports yacht

Deciding to break into this market was an interesting move for Sanlorenzo, as Perotti admits, not just because it was a new endeavour for the yard but also because this yachting segment has seen a downturn. “After 2008, the open boat market collapsed,” Perotti says. “Before 2008, the open boat market was around 20 per cent of all motor yachts. Now it’s down to five per cent, or even less… a lot of factors are working against it, from fuel consumption to carbon output.” 

Even the most die-hard performance builders have added displacement yachts and explorer vessels to their lineups. Perotti and his team saw an opportunity to offer something different. “There was a real lack of new concepts in open boats,” he says. “We understood it was not a huge market, but we thought it could be an interesting niche because even though there’s an interest in SUV cars, people will still always want to drive Porsches and Ferraris.” 

Perotti is also the new series’ first client. “I decided to buy the first one myself because I wanted the boat to be exactly like this, with the Lissoni interior,” he says. 

The new line is off to a strong start, with four hulls already sold as of this writing. Some of this success could be attributed to Perotti’s decision to call on yachting industry icon Tilli Antonelli to help with the project. Antonelli’s name should be familiar to those well-versed in yachting – he founded the performance yacht builder Pershing in 1985 (now part of the Ferretti Group), which is known for its 50-knot-plus speedsters. After Pershing, he founded Wider Yachts in 2010, which broke new ground with innovative layouts and opening side hulls that seem to have become ubiquitous since then. At Sanlorenzo, he has served as supervisor of the SP line. 

The lower deck lounge is a cosy space with a TV area. A companionway leads from this snug to four cabins. The overnight spaces are on the darker side, with smaller portholes setting the mood for relaxation. The owner’s suite notably is not full beam, yet it includes a good-sized en suite and a walk-in wardrobe. “We were focusing more on the daily use of the yacht,” Zuccon says. “Cabins are for sleeping – you don’t really need so much space.” A great benefit of the layout, as he points out, is that if owners and guests want to wake up and go for a swim, all they have to do is walk through the lower deck lounge straight onto the open aft deck and dive in. 

The interior decor, blending teak, resin and lava stone, is simple and elegant. Details include metal, steel, mirrored surfaces and plenty of glass. Furnishings include contemporary pieces mixed with collectibles and custom-made items. “In the case of the SP110, maybe the most important interior constraint was the need for lightness, given that she is a very fast boat,” Lissoni says. “Everything revolves around this, and we chose materials that wouldn’t add too much weight. Resin for the walls as if in a house, wood parquet for the floors, and a slatted ceiling that also serves to conceal lights, speakers and air vents.”

Saving weight was also a priority for the naval architects. “Weight reduction is a must for this type of yacht; we reached it by working on several items,” Antonelli says. 

Toward this goal, Sanlorenzo worked with a glass subcontractor to cut the weight of the glass used on board by five per cent compared to regular glass. Carbon fibre and epoxy resin give strength to the superstructure while reducing weight. The builder also used a special sound-insulation material that is lighter and thinner than average but remains a very efficient sound barrier. “It’s more expensive in terms of time and money, but we were very happy with the end result,” Antonelli says. 

The SP110’s exterior belies her performance capabilities. You might never guess she tops out at 40 knots. But as Antonelli says, “smart performance” is not just about speed. “The idea was for it to be fast, but also comfortable and safe,” he says. “It’s not a 60-knot boat, which is extreme. We are talking about a top speed of 40 knots and cruising at 33 knots.” The biggest hurdle, Antonelli says, was to get a speedy yet smooth performance out of this relatively beamy boat. 

“The challenge was to get a pretty wide body on the deck [eight metres] and a ‘slick’ beam on the floating line [6.5 metres], so with a double-stepped hull we have achieved this,” he says. The deep-V hull has two spray rails in front and a wide step at the chine. Great attention has been given to the spray rail positioning to prevent air bubbles from tracking into the waterjet intake. A nearly 17-degree deadrise gives a comfortable ride, while a draught of only 1.3 metres means she can easily navigate the shallow waters of the Bahamas. 

This is handy as the Florida owner of hull No 3, launching in June 2023, could make the run to the Bahamas in no time at all. Hull No 2 launches in February for a Mexican owner. 

The feedback from Sanlorenzo owners has been positive, says Perotti. “We thought this was a niche market and would only need to build five to six per year, but now after seeing the response, we are going to increase production to 10 to 12 per year by 2024,” he says, speaking of the entire SP line, which will soon also include the SP90 and the SP130. 

Sanlorenzo’s Smart Performance line might be an unorthodox offering in an already niche market, but the SP110 is turning heads. Say what you want about the yacht’s unusual design, but you certainly can’t call her boring.