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In fact, there's almost nothing traditional about the 92, and that's the way Lazzara conceived her. His two quad-IPS LSXs (the other being the 75) are iconoclasts, but the 92 makes the 75 look conservative. For starters, she sports the aggressive profile of a classic open boat (think Pershing or Mangusta) while having a practical flying bridge.
Then there's the fold-down balcony with Jacuzzi spa off a separate room in the master. Yeah, it's a gimmick but having sat there, I can tell you it's way cool. And it again showcases Lazzara's lamination expertise—another big hole he contended with. Or the Lazzara Beach Lounge, a garage-swim platform that morphs into an outdoor theater, complete with 42" LCD TV. Or the cockpit sunshade that extends from the hardtop. Or the sunroof over the lower station, which when you open it, manages not to create a roar. Tricks all, but ones that follow a singular theme: bringing the outside in.
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As you'd expect of a boat that benefits from every lamination trick imaginable (vacuum bagging, E glass, graphite-balsa coring, graphite reinforcement), the 92 is relatively light—half-load displacement is 136,000 pounds on this first hull. Lazzara expects to trim 2,500 pounds by the time the 92 sees production. Combine moderate displacement with an absence of strut, shaft, and rudder drag and the efficiency of forward-facing, counter-rotating props, and you've got a recipe for efficiency—relatively speaking. At 2000 rpm, the 92 burns 84 gph at better than 25 knots. The most similar boat we've tested may be the Pershing 88 we did in August 2001 ("Mega-Sport Import"). Powered by two 1,830-hp MTU 16V2000s and Arneson drives, she made 25.2 knots at 1800 rpm and burned 120 gph. Admittedly, it's risky to compare an eight-year-old boat with a new one, but still...
There's one final IPS benefit Lazzara has used to full advantage: The far-aft position engine placement and integral underwater exhaust system produce a boat that doesn't need thousands of pounds of acoustical insulation. At 2150 rpm, I took decibel readings in every habitable space, and not one hit exceeded 68 dB-A, just over the level of normal conversation. What sound I did measure was water impacting the hull.
As good as the 92 is, she won't please everyone. This is a big, flashy, open boat that'll be just a bit much for some. But while these boaters may not want the flash, they surely will want the performance, spaciousness, and fuel efficiency that the marriage of IPS and Dick Lazzara's brain yields. But what can they do? After all, no one makes the motoryacht version of the LSX 92.
At least not yet.
For more information on Lazzara Yachts, including contact information,click here.
SPOTLIGHT ON: Sea-water Strainers
Things can get a bit complicated in an engine room housing four big diesels. A designer has to remember that certain pieces of gear have to be accessible. Like these sea water strainers, which are mounted horizontally, instead of the traditional vertical orientation, to save space. Each engine's strainer is mounted directly in front of it, along with its duplex Racor 900 fuel-water separator, just steps from the main engine-room door. So it's easy to see and service both, although if you have to pull some eel grass from a strainer, you'll probably spill some sea water into the bilge when you open it. A small price to pay for such convenience.—R.T.
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This article originally appeared in the January 2009
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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