SACS has spent three decades building boats that behave like sports cars on the water. With the Hyper 5S, it wants to build one that also lives like a yacht.
The Italian shipyard, based in Roncello outside Milan and trading since 1989, has built its reputation on the maxi-RIB, the inflatable-collared performance boat that blurs the line between tender and sports cruiser. Its Strider and Rebel ranges, running from six to seventeen metres, are well known across the Mediterranean charter and performance-boat scene, even if the brand has kept a low profile in this part of the world. The Hyper 5S changes what SACS is trying to be. Rather than a new size within an existing range, it's the first model in an entirely new line, and the shipyard is explicit that it marks its move into the luxury yacht segment proper. SACS describes thirty years spent chasing the thrill of driving, and says the Hyper 5S carries that heritage into a more architectural realm, calling the model the pioneer of a new range.
At 14.6 metres long with a 4.6-metre beam, the Hyper 5S is drawn by Italian designer Christian Grande, who has reworked SACS's usual sharp-edged styling into something more architectural. The signature feature is a flush, uninterrupted main deck, extended by fold-down side terraces that turn the boat's flanks into usable platforms at anchor. Deck space grows from 25 square metres to 32 when the terraces are open. A walkaround bow gives uninterrupted movement forward even underway, and amidships there's a wet bar opening onto a saloon built around a U-shaped sofa. Aft, owners choose between a conventional sunbed-and-tender-garage layout or two independent sunbathing islands that can be pushed together or split apart. The helm sits under a hardtop that can be fully enclosed with glass side panels for longer runs or cooler weather.
Below deck, the boat carries a forward owner's cabin and a separate-shower bathroom, with a multifunctional salon space that converts into a second sleeping area, enough for four guests to sleep aboard and up to eighteen to be carried on board. German boating title BOOTE Magazin reports the Hyper 5S is CE Category B certified, rating it for coastal use.
SACS built the Hyper 5S around four completely different engine configurations from the outset, rather than offering one drivetrain with options bolted on. Buyers can choose twin 850 HP MAN engines on surface drives for outright performance, four Mercury outboards in either 600 HP V12 or 425 HP V10 form, three 480 HP Volvo Penta sterndrives, or twin 600 HP Volvo Penta IPS pod drives. It's a wide spread for one hull, letting an owner shape the character of their Hyper 5S around how they actually intend to use it.
The Hyper 5S is SACS's familiar formula pushed in a different direction. The performance DNA remains, but this time it sits alongside the space, comfort and onboard functionality expected of a luxury yacht.
The Hyper 5S will get its first public showings at SACS's own Destination events through the northern summer, before its full international debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival, running 8 to 13 September. Cannes is the moment SACS finds out whether the rest of the yachting world is ready to stop calling it a RIB builder.
Find more details about the Hyper 5S from SACS Marine.
