March 31, 2026
The Sanlorenzo SX88: The Boat That Started the Crossover
Sanlorenzo calls the SX88 the original crossover, and the main deck is why: one loft-like run from stern to bow, with triple Volvo IPS pods …
Read the articleThe Sanlorenzo SX Series
The crossover original
If you want the sociable decks of a flybridge yacht and the water access of an explorer, the SX line is where Sanlorenzo stopped asking you to choose. The yard's own description is a revolutionary concept that blends the comfort of a flybridge yacht with the rugged, open-air spirit of an explorer — and calls the SX88 the original crossover, because it was.
The mechanism is pod propulsion. Volvo Penta IPS drives sit lower and further aft than a conventional shaft installation, which frees the back of the boat for the terraced decks, opening side platforms and beach areas that define the range. Every SX on this page runs pods: three on the SX88, four on the SX100, and Volvo's IPS Professional Platform on the SX120.
Sanlorenzo builds four SX models — the SX76, SX88, SX100 and SX120. We have reviewed three of them, from 87 to 120 feet.
The SX Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Sanlorenzo SX model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Sanlorenzo.
The original crossover: an 87'7" hull with a loft-style main deck running stern to bow, three Volvo Penta IPS3 1050 pods at 800 HP each, and a published 23 knots.
Terraced decks and opening side platforms on a 100'1" hull, driven by four Volvo Penta IPS3 1050 pods — 15,800 litres of fuel, 23 knots, eight guests and five crew.
The largest SX: 120 feet, Volvo Penta's IPS Professional platform at 4 x 1,000 CV, a 70 square metre beach area with a retractable pool, and a published 24 knots.
Don't see the SX model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the SX Series
SX88 — 87'7", 23 knots, 8 guests / 3 crew. Three Volvo IPS3 1050 pods and the loft-style main deck that started the category. The smallest crew count in the range.
SX100 — 100'1", 23 knots, 8 guests / 5 crew. Four pods, 15,800 litres of fuel, and a layout Bernardo Zuccon describes as a blank canvas for owners to interpret.
SX120 — 120'0", 24 knots, 10 guests / 6 crew. The largest SX, the first on Volvo's IPS Professional Platform, with a 70 square metre beach area and a retractable pool.
The step that costs you most is the last one. Between the SX100 and the SX120 you gain twenty feet, two guests, a crew berth and a genuine fourth deck — and you move from a boat you can be involved in running to one that expects a full professional team.
Our Take
The SX line is the most quietly influential thing Sanlorenzo has done. Ten years ago a hundred-footer meant a formal salon on the main deck and the good space three storeys up. The SX moved it to the waterline and everyone else has been catching up since.
My advice on choosing within the range is to ignore the length for a moment and look at the crew number. The SX88 lists three crew, the SX100 five, the SX120 six. That single figure tells you more about what owning each one feels like than any dimension does. Then check the real lengths against your berth — the SX88 is 87'7", not 88 feet, and Sanlorenzo's names are not its measurements.
One thing that applies across the whole line, and across the whole yard: Sanlorenzo publishes no cruise speed and no range for any of these boats. Every efficiency claim you have read about IPS on an SX came from Volvo's platform material or from somebody's estimate. Get the sea trial sheet for the hull you are considering and the numbers become yours instead of somebody's.
— Tony Smith, Founder, Minted Yachts
Sanlorenzo SX Articles & Guides
Watch Our Sanlorenzo SX Reviews
Official Sanlorenzo Premieres
Videos courtesy of Sanlorenzo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Sanlorenzo SX models are reviewed here?
Three of the four Sanlorenzo builds: the SX88 at 87 feet 7 inches, the SX100 at 100 feet 1 inch, and the SX120 at 120 feet. The fourth, the SX76, is not yet written up. All three reviewed models use Volvo Penta IPS pod drives — three pods on the SX88, four on the SX100, and Volvo's IPS Professional Platform on the SX120 — which is the engineering that frees the aft end of the boat for the terraced decks and beach areas the range is known for.
Why does the SX line use pod drives instead of shafts?
Pod drives sit lower and further aft than a conventional shaft installation, so the engine room can be placed where the designer wants rather than where a shaft line dictates. On the SX line that freed the aft section of the boat, which is what became the terraced decks, opening side platforms and beach areas that define the range. Pods also give joystick manoeuvring and drivetrain redundancy. The trade is that there are more sets of running gear to service — four on the SX100.
Which SX Fits Your Life?
Tell us how you plan to use the boat — guests, range, crew or no crew — and we'll give you the straight story on where in the SX series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Sanlorenzo ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819