You are at anchor. It is early. You come down to the beach area at the back of the boat, seventy square metres of it, the pool already warm, the tenders and toys stowed somewhere out of sight. Later you will climb four decks to watch the light go, with nothing above you and the horizon running the whole way round. That is the Sanlorenzo SX120, and it is not a bigger SX100. It is a different proposition.
Who it's for
You want the freedom of a crossover without compromising on volume or layout. A traditional flybridge yacht that lives like a hotel does not appeal; you want direct access to the water, several distinct outdoor zones, and the ability to move between decks without losing your connection to where you are.
This is a boat for someone who spends real time aboard — weeks rather than weekends. Sanlorenzo lists six crew, so it expects a full professional team. If you are looking at a few weeks a year, charter something and save yourself the running costs.
Design and layout: four decks that earn their place
Sanlorenzo describes the SX120 as a synthesis between the classic motoryacht with a flying bridge and the explorer range, and calls it the largest SX. The yard's own figures for the headline spaces: a 70 square metre beach area with a retractable pool, and 360-degree panoramic views from the upper deck.
Interiors are described as calm brightness and essential elegance — light, refined materials and fluid layouts, with the boundary between inside and sea deliberately dissolved. It is a restrained interior on a boat that already has plenty going on architecturally, and that is the right instinct.
The upper deck is the piece that separates the 120 from the rest of the range. On a crossover, a genuine top deck with a clear 360-degree view is not a given, and it changes how the boat is used in the evening.
Performance: what Sanlorenzo publishes
Volvo Penta D13-IPS 2700 IMO III, four engines at 1,000 CV each. Maximum speed 24 knots. Fuel 20,100 litres — 5,310 US gallons. Fresh water 2,200 litres. Ten guests, six crew. Length overall 36.58 metres, which converts to 120 feet 0 inches almost exactly.
Sanlorenzo's own claim for the IPS Professional Platform is superior performance, fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. That is the yard's language and it is worth taking seriously — but it is a platform-level claim about the propulsion system, not a measured result on this hull. Sanlorenzo publishes no cruise speed, no range, no draft and no displacement, so any percentage or decibel figure you see attached to the SX120 came from somewhere else.
If quiet running and efficiency are the reason you are buying this boat, that is a good reason. Just make the sea trial prove it, on this hull, at the speeds you will actually use.
Ownership: the questions worth asking
The SX120 is a full-crew boat, and the honest way to budget it is from documents rather than percentages.
Ask for the sea trial report: observed speed and observed fuel burn at each rpm step. That single document replaces every range and consumption claim you will read anywhere else. Ask for the build specification for draft, weights and tank arrangements. Ask for the service history on all four drives, and whether engine hours are balanced.
Because this is the first Sanlorenzo on the IPS Professional Platform, ask one more: what is the service network for it where you intend to keep the boat, and who has worked on one before. New systems are usually fine. Finding out who fixes them at three in the afternoon in August is still worth doing in advance.
Where to start
The SX120 is the most complete boat in the SX range. The beach area is genuinely large, the upper deck is a first for the line, and the propulsion platform is a real piece of engineering rather than a badge. Walk the 100 first if you can — the progression tells you whether you need the extra volume or just want it.
Talk it through with Tony Smith — TS@MintedYachts.com or +1 (404) 805-9819 — or send the form on this page and we will come back with the yard's own documents.