Reporting from the 2023 Boot Düsseldorf Boat Show, MBY's Alex Smith takes us on a full tour of the Sargo 45, which was making its global debut...
Sargo’s new flagship, the Sargo 45 was a very major attraction at the 2023 Boot Dusseldorf show. Designed around a central pilothouse with symmetrical walkaround decks on top of a heavily built hull with a fine entry and a substantial bow flare, the Sargo 45 makes good sense in all kinds of ways.
Ahead of the big, heavily-fendered swim platform, for instance, the aft cockpit features a pair of deck hatches for easy access to the engines. There are also great storage solutions for bulky gear like boat fenders and cushions and the broad, single-level walkaround side decks provide safe movement fore and aft, even in big seas.
Proper offshore pilothouse boats often struggle to provide much in the way of outdoor entertaining space, but the Sargo 45 appears to do a good job of that too. Up at the forepeak, there’s a five-man dining station, which backs onto a pair of sunbeds built into the coach house roof.
And at the aft end, a large L-shaped seating unit with additional free-standing chairs helps supplement that with cockpit dining for eight. Inside the pilothouse, a long starboard galley sits opposite another eight-man dinette – this time with an electrically operated drop-down table that transforms it into an extra double berth.
There is also space for three forward-facing offshore seats to port of the skipper’s chair – and refinement should be strong too.
While Sargos are famously dry and soft-riding, the new sunroof is designed to be ultra-quiet underway and the double-glazed pilothouse windows will help insulate against noise and condensation, as well as heat and cold.
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In terms of the 45’s cruising credentials, a two or three-cabin layout, plus the additional pilothouse dinette, means you could easily sleep eight on board this boat.
And even then, nobody has to get in the way because the aft cabin is reached via the port helm seats rather than the dinette and access to the side decks and the cockpit remains entirely clear.
Prices start at €947,000 inc VAT and while the options can of course inflate that figure, a good UK-spec mid-range sterndrive package should come in at around €1.05m.
The new Sargo 45 will also be available as an Explorer variant, with a variety of trim solutions that make the boat feel more exciting and dynamic than the slightly classical standard package. But either way, if you’re in the market for a seriously capable four-season offshore cruiser, this is not a boat you should miss.
Sargo 45 specifications
LOA: 49ft 10in (14.6m)
Beam: 13ft 9in (4.25m)
Engines: Twin 440hp sterndrive / Twin Volvo Penta IPS650
Top speed: 37 knots
Starting price: €947,000 (inc. VAT)
