
Twenty-five years ago, Sanlorenzo built its first all-fiberglass yacht, previously specializing in wood. Now comes another first: the 44 Steel.
As the name suggests, the steel-hulled megayacht measures 44 meters, or about 144 feet. Typical of steel yachts, she’s a displacement design, in contrast to the mostly semi-displacement aluminum and fiberglass yachts that Sanlorenzo builds. Preliminary sea trials reveal a top speed of 17 knots thanks to twin Caterpillar 3512Bs. Cruising speed is around 15 knots; scaled back to 12 knots, she should see a 4,000-nautical-mile range.
Even though the construction material is different, the 44 Steel does share some styling similarities to other Sanlorenzo models. The SD92 and SD122, both semi-displacement fiberglass yachts, reflect what many Italian yards call a navetta style: classic, even a bit shippy. The idea is to convey that a comfortable journey is equally important as, if not sometimes more important than, the speed at which you arrive. The 44 Steel combines some of those navetta-like lines with modern ones, notably through the inclusion of the hardtop (which is better seen in the image below) and the rounded lower aft sections.

Of course, Sanlorenzo does grace the trideck 44 Steel with individual elements. The transom houses a gym, a spa, and a convenient head – all part of what’s called the Beach Club, with darkened glass providing views out to the anchorage of the day. It’s accessible via a cockpit stairway and a saloon stairway. The Beach Club thankfully doesn’t preclude the inclusion of a tender garage. Take a close look at the first image above, and you will see a starboard-side launching door just forward of here. Sanlorenzo intends it to accommodate upwards of a 20-foot tender. As for the interior layout, owners of each Sanlorenzo can arrange it to their liking, though the first hull features accommodations for 10 in the owner’s party. There’s the customary main-deck owner’s suite and four staterooms (two doubles, two twins) below decks.
Speaking of below decks, here’s where you’ll find a particularly noteworthy technical element: a central tunnel. It’s actually beneath the lower deck, running the full length of the 44 Steel. Even better, it provides stand-up headroom. The idea is to allow the crew to access everything from the thruster forward to the engines aft, without having to enter guest areas. Several other yards’ offerings in this size range put equipment access beneath furnishings in guest staterooms, for example. The tunnel additionally houses the laundry area and extra refrigerator and freezer stores. While I have seen similar tunnel arrangements on superyachts, they have been strictly on ones measuring 50 meters (164 feet) or more.
Sanlorenzo has not yet released interior images, but I anticipate getting a good look at the first 44 Steel – christened Lammouche – later this year.
Leave a Reply