In terms of influence, superyacht styling has come to have a disproportionate effect on the world of production yachts. We have all seen the new generation of jewel-like runabouts, particularly from European builders. Those boats may be small, but they look like—and sometimes actually are—a million bucks.

Now squeezed on style from above and below in terms of length overall, production yacht builders such as Sirena Marine in Turkey are responding. This yard, which has ambitions to build superyachts, recently launched a new 88 that might be interpreted as a trial run. Few yachts of this length have so much interior volume, or a layout that emulates that of a superyacht so successfully.

Sirena, established in 2006, started as a contract builder for European shipyards including Azimut-Benetti before setting up its own sailboat brands. It now offers motoryachts at 58 and 64 feet length overall, with the 88 being the power flagship. It has naval architecture and styling from the Buenos Aires studio of Germán Frers, and an interior by the Dutch designer Cor D. Rover.

The 88 is a raised-pilothouse design—the sheer height of the superstructure sort of gives that away—with a full-beam master stateroom forward on the main deck with private access to the foredeck. Underneath, the tall bow allows for a double-berth stateroom forward on the lower deck. Moving aft, there are a pair of twin-berth staterooms and then a full-beam VIP amidships.

Height is augmented by beam. There is not just plenty of headroom belowdecks—6 feet, 6 inches and more down below, and 6 feet, 8 inches on the main deck—but also plenty of floor area. The fit-out, too, aspires to superyacht standards, with leather-lined bulkheads, hardwood soles, thick marble and chrome-plated hardware.

On the main deck, the full-height windows and opening side doors help show off the yacht’s beam. Even the dark, hardwood sole and the half-bulkheads that delineate the dining area cannot disguise the fact that this is one seriously big space. It comes with the option of a foldout balcony, and the cockpit and upper deck provide yet more entertaining space. At the bow are three sun lounges and a glass-front dipping pool.

With its semi-displacement hull and 1,550-horsepower MAN diesels, the 88 we got aboard reached a top speed of almost 23 knots with a nearly full load. At 1,800 rpm with the turbos engaged, we established a quiet, steady and comfortable fast cruise between 15 and 16 knots. At a quieter 1,250 rpm and 11.5 knots, the yacht delivers a cruising range of more than 1,000 nautical miles with the standard fuel tanks, according to the builder. At 1,000 rpm and a speed of just over 9 knots, that distance nearly doubles while the engines become virtually inaudible.

That’s right: Sirena also paid attention to sound insulation, mounting the interior on anti-vibration floating floors. It’s just one more touch that makes the 88 a superyacht-inspired flagship. 

Sirena 88 Specifications

LOA 88ft. (26.81m)

BEAM 23ft. 2in. (7.1m)

DRAFT (full load) 6ft. (1.84m)

CONSTRUCTION GRP and carbon fiber

GROSS TONNAGE 165

SPEED (max./cruise) 22.6/11.5 knots

RANGE 1,074nm at 11.5 knots

NAVAL ARCHITECTURE Germán Frers

EXTERIOR STYLING Germán Frers

INTERIOR DESIGN Cor D. Rover

BUILDER Sirena Marine

For more information: sirenayachts.com

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Yachts International.