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Viking Custom Yachts brings the Sanlorenzo 108 to the States.
by Kenny Wooton
photography by Shaw McCutcheon
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10/01/2007
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| Sanlorenzo 108 |  |
What happens if you tire of the beach your beach house sits on,
or the winter storms start creeping too close for comfort? You can’t pack the
house up and move it. But if your beach house is a Sanlorenzo 108, you always
have the option to weigh anchor and move down the coast or across the ocean.
 Two companies on two continents, Viking Custom Yachts of New
Gretna, New Jersey, and Sanlorenzo of Ameglia, Italy, each with decades of yachtbuilding tradition, have formed a partnership to bring the Sanlorenzo line
to the United States. The first product of that partnership, the Sanlorenzo 88,
debuted last fall at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The second
model to arrive in the States, the Sanlorenzo 108, had her coming out party at
the Miami Yacht and Brokerage Show in February. With some of her systems
modified for the U.S. market, and her interior fitted out and arranged in what
the companies hope will appeal to U.S. clients—as a sort of floating oceanfront
estate—the 108 displayed at the show is a worthy platform upon which the two
companies hope to accomplish their goals. (Click image to enlarge)
| Click on the Spec tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
Those goals, of course, focus on selling boats, and each half
of the pair brings something to the table. Viking, which specializes in building
sportfish boats up to 82 feet and production cruising yachts up to 95 feet
in partnership with England’s Princess Yachts International, was looking for
a larger cruising yacht for new and existing customers to move up to with
significant opportunities for customization. Sanlorenzo, which specializes
in "tailor-made" motor yachts, was looking for a turnkey entrée into the U.S.
market with a company that already had a firmly established, high-quality
service and support network.
The Sanlorenzo 108 has been marketed outside the United States
since 2004. The Italian shipyard recently opened a new division in Viareggio capable of building semi-displacement fiberglass yachts up to 122 feet and metal
yachts up to 173 feet.
Top: The full-beam master stateroom is well-appointed
with a his-and-hers bath. Bottom: The salon sofa is party-ready. (Click images to enlarge)
Since it uses a production hull, the Sanlorenzo 108 technically
is not a fully custom product, but the company will go to greater lengths than
many to configure the yacht to meet a customer’s needs, including moving bulkheads if required. With its first 108 import, Viking needed to give potential buyers a sense of the possibilities, but it also needed a boat that
was marketable on its own merits. Viking’s goal with its specs on the first
import was to capture the feel and spirit of a typical large beach house with
open social areas for entertaining. To lead the charge on the interior design and décor, Viking brought in Susan Kerns, founder of TDI Design, who
has worked exclusively with Viking for 30 years. Kerns collaborated closely with
Sanlorenzo’s interior designer Sandro Chiavetta to create the look and feel of
the U.S. version.
Nowhere on the yacht is the beach house ambiance better evoked
than in the expansive country kitchen on the main deck. The centerpiece of the
space is a rainforest-marble island with stools and a built-in cooktop. With
an energetic, entertaining chef, this feature could generate the
cooking-as-theater feel of the trendy dine-in kitchens in some of today’s
top eateries. A large marble-top dinette forward will accommodate larger
groups. The space is generously equipped with high-end appliances from Miele,
Sub-Zero and Viking (naturally). Vertical slide-out pantries along the aft bulkhead are just one part of the area’s substantial cruise-worthy stowage
space.
Top: A formal dining area is one of three eating spaces
on board. Bottom: The aft cockpit offers covered outdoor dining. (Click images to enlarge)
While owners might spend extensive time lounging and
entertaining in the kitchen, the rest of the boat is just as warm and inviting.
With few exceptions, the interior spaces throughout are appointed in rich,
deep-grain, satin-finished mahogany to create a clubby atmosphere without being
stuffy. Much attention was paid to bringing natural light into the interior. The
salon with its party-size angled leather sofa and the adjacent formal dining
area with its travertine floor are bathed in natural light from large
rectangular windows that run along the length of the space. Large vertical ports
illuminate the staterooms.
In keeping with current trends, Viking would have preferred a
main-deck master on this spec boat, but it had to compromise to allow for the
larger country kitchen. Still, the lower-deck amidships master is luxurious and
well-appointed. It has a full-beam his-and-hers bathroom with a pass-through
marble shower. All bathroom surfaces are a rich Afyon Turkish marble. The
starboard side has a spa bathtub. Above-counter glass sinks are an elegant
accent to the countertops. The master has a walk-in closet and an office with an
adjacent mini-reefer and coffee station (it is an Italian boat). An
intimate, two-person settee is positioned under the large ports for romantic
breakfasts. Blue LEDs beneath each port illuminate the ports and the water below
after dark.
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