SANLORENZO SL96 ASYMMETRIC
LOA 95ft 4in (29.06m) BEAM 22ft 2in (6.76m) ENGINES MTU 2000 V12/V16 1,947hp/2,216hp TOP SPEED 28 knots PRICE o/a CONTACT www.sanlorenzoyacht.com
The first time you hear the term ‘asymmetric yacht’ you might struggle with the very concept. After all, the laws of physics require a certain symmetry to the hull, and the laws of aesthetics have long decreed that when designing conveyances, they ought to look the same from either side. So perhaps the cleverest aspect of Sanlorenzo’s recent enthusiasm for building asymmetric craft is that unless you look very closely, you can’t really tell.
The shipyard embarked upon its asymmetrical adventure with the recent SL102, and the new SL96 is a slightly miniaturised version. The concept is best understood if you stand among the excellent furnishings on the foredeck: look aft, and to port you’ll see steps disappearing down to the main deck, while to starboard a set of steps leading up to a teak-laid walkway takes you direct to the flybridge. It’s elegant, practical, clever, and virtually invisible from anywhere else.
But the new model is not just a mini 102, it’s a mini superyacht, with layout features more often seen on bigger boats. The flybridge, extending all the way aft, seems the size of a tennis court. On the main deck, the absence of a side deck makes for an unusually broad saloon, which has huge picture windows, a glass-encased companionway and a dining table over to port. Continue forward past the day head, and you find yourself in the palatial owner’s suite, which also benefits from the extra width and some picture windows of its own.
On the starboard side, past the steps up to the raised wheelhouse, you find a substantial galley with its own side door and crew accommodation down forward. Taken together, it feels a lot bigger than a 96.
Offered in standard form as a four-cabin yacht, the 96’s lower guest accommodation has room to breathe: an excellent midships VIP across the full beam, complete with dressing room, and a matching pair of twin ensuites. Of course if you need more than eight berths, the VIP can be fitted out as two cabins. Superyacht designer Laura Sessa styled the interior of the Düsseldorf show boat – stripes seem to be the thing for 2020, lots of them – while the SL96’S sleek exterior was pencilled by Zuccon.
The biggest engine options of 4,400hp should be good for 28 knots – an impressive pace for an outstanding piece of yacht design.