The Sanlorenzo SL86A Is the 88-Footer That Turned a Side Deck Into a Living Room

There is a moment, standing in the main saloon of the Sanlorenzo SL86A, when you realize the boat does not feel like 88 feet. It feels larger. The floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows wrap the space in water and sky, the galley opens into the dining area without a wall between them, and the port side — where most yachts have a narrow walkway going nowhere interesting — is simply interior.

That is the asymmetric idea in practice. Sanlorenzo debuted it years ago on larger platforms and refined it progressively toward the SL86A, which premiered at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2024 and made its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in 2025. At 26.6 meters, it is the most accessible expression of the concept yet — and one of the more convincing arguments that 90 feet is a genuine sweet spot for serious private yacht ownership.

Who the SL86A Is For

The buyer Sanlorenzo had in mind here is experienced. This is not a first yacht. The SL86A suits an owner who has spent time on conventional flybridge motoryachts in the 70–90-foot range, understands what they want from a boat, and is ready for something that takes a deliberate architectural position rather than simply checking every box.

It works well owner-operated or with a small crew of two to three. The four-cabin layout accommodates eight guests comfortably, making it viable for family use or light charter. Its 30-32 knot capability gives it range flexibility — fast enough to cover ground purposefully, efficient enough in the low-20s for extended passages.

If you are considering anything from the Azimut Grande range to the Ferretti 860 or the Riva 110, the SL86A belongs on the same shortlist, though it occupies a distinctly different architectural position from all of them.

Design and Layout

The asymmetric concept is simple in principle and complex in execution. On a conventional yacht, two external walkways — port and starboard — allow crew and guests to move between bow and stern. Sanlorenzo eliminated the port-side deck on the SL86A entirely. The starboard walkway remains for access. The port side becomes structure and glass, giving the main saloon roughly 30 percent more volume than a symmetrical boat of the same length would typically offer.

The result is a main deck social space that operates more like a well-designed apartment than a boat interior. The dining table sits alongside the galley in an open "country kitchen" arrangement — no closed-off prep area, no separation between the person cooking and everyone else. Forward of that, the lounge faces panoramic windows. The whole sequence runs fore to aft without interruption.

Below deck, the owner's cabin sits aft — full-beam, with an en-suite bathroom, walk-in wardrobe, and dressing table. Three additional guest cabins forward each have dedicated en-suite heads. Crew quarters accommodate three to four and are properly separated from guest areas. Day-to-day, this is a layout that actually functions.

On the exterior, the aft deck beach club is accessed via a concealed staircase that stays hidden behind a transparent panel until deployed — a detail that keeps the stern clean when underway and useful when at anchor. The foredeck is generous, the flybridge maintains an open, connected feel. From the bridge you can look aft and down into the saloon, which prevents the boat from reading as a series of disconnected compartments.

Interior materials throughout lean toward quiet luxury: warm wood tones, stone accents, pale joinery, and soft fabrics in light tones. Studio Zuccon International Project handled both exterior lines and the first-unit interior, and the restraint in the palette is deliberate — the view is the focal point in every space.

Performance and Handling

The SL86A is powered by twin MAN V12 diesels producing approximately 2,000 horsepower each — 4,000 horsepower total through shaft drives. Top speed lands between 30 and 32 knots depending on load and conditions. Fast cruise sits at 25-27 knots; the more economical passage-making range is in the low 20s, where fuel burn drops significantly against the 2,113-gallon fuel capacity.

At 75-80 tonnes displacement, the hull is not light, but the beam at 20 feet 8 inches and the shaft-drive configuration give it a measured, settled character underway. Sanlorenzo's hull engineering on the SL-series has consistently prioritized seakeeping comfort over outright top-speed numbers, and the SL86A is consistent with that — it is a yacht that rewards longer passages and open-water crossings rather than short sprints.

The 6-foot-2 draft is manageable for most Mediterranean and Caribbean anchorages. Docking single-handed or with one crew member is realistic; the asymmetric layout does not complicate handling at the helm.

The Ownership Experience

Marcus and his wife had been chartering in the Bahamas for six years when they decided it was time to own. They had chartered 80-footers before and knew what they liked: space, natural light, a galley their chef could work in without disappearing into it. They put the SL86A through three sea trials before committing.

What they did not expect was how the asymmetric layout changed the daily rhythm on board. The first morning anchored off Norman Cay, their daughter made coffee at the galley counter while Marcus read at the table two feet away. No one was behind a door. The water was visible from both seats. That evening they hosted four guests for dinner without the boat feeling crowded.

The lesson, as Marcus put it: volume is not about length. It is about what you do with the space you have.

Budgeting for a yacht in this class — annual operating costs typically running 10-15 percent of purchase price — buys not just the time on the water but the architecture of how that time is spent. An SL86A that gets used 60 days per year is a different proposition than one that sits at the dock. The layout is designed for use: easy to open up, easy to close down, manageable crew requirements.

For owners who plan extended cruising seasons or regular passage-making, the 2,113-gallon fuel capacity provides meaningful range at economical speeds. The 370-gallon water capacity serves a crew of eight adequately without requiring daily marina stops.

The Bottom Line

The Sanlorenzo SL86A is a yacht with a specific point of view, and that is exactly what makes it worth considering. Most 90-footers are excellent. Few of them take an architectural position this clear and execute it this well. The asymmetric layout is not a gimmick — it is a structural decision that changes how guests experience every hour on board.

It suits the experienced buyer who knows what they want from private ownership, values indoor-outdoor connection over conventional deck plan symmetry, and is ready to move past the familiar flybridge format into something that justifies the step up in a more interesting way.

For full specifications, pricing guidance, and buying options, visit YachtSpecsDirect.com.

To explore the full Sanlorenzo lineup available through Minted Yachts, visit mintedyachts.com/sanlorenzo.