Sirena Yachts 64 (2019-)

Brief Summary

Founded in 2006, Sirena Marine cut its teeth partnering with the Italian yacht manufacturer Azimut-Benetti Group. Now, Sirena has introduced a line of their own. The Sirena 64 was introduced to the U.S. market at Yachts Miami Beach in 2017 alongside her sister ship the Sirena 56. They are currently developing the Sirena 85. Sirena yachts are constructed at a 1.7-million-square-foot yard in Bursa, Turkey, where they employ 550 craftsmen, including 80 engineers. The Sirena 64 reflects the designers’ goals of creating a seaworthy yacht with lavish accommodations for six with exceptional fit-and-finish throughout.

Key Features

• Extended flybridge
• Convertible flybridge hardtop
• Low center of gravity due to the extensive use of Kevlar® in the superstructure and flybridge
• Wrap around windshield
• Crew quarters
• Upper and lower helm stations
• All staterooms feature en-suite heads
• Day head
• Wide side decks with overhead protection
• Opening side rails in the cockpit
• Large, hydraulically lowering, swim platform with integrated steps

Test Results

Specifications

Length Overall	68' 1'' 20.75 m
Beam	19' 3'' 5.86 m
Dry Weight	85,700 lbs. 38,873 kg
Tested Weight	93,023 lbs. 42,195 kg
Draft	4' 2" 1.27 m
Fuel Capacity	1,321 gal. 5,001 kg
Water Capacity	383 gal. 1,450 L
Total Weight	93,023 lbs. 42,195 kg

Acceleration Times & Conditions

Time to Plane	9.9 sec.
0 to 30	9.8 sec. (0to20)
Ratio	1.964:1
Props	860mm
Load	5 persons, 5/8 fuel, 2/5 water, 50 lbs. of gear
Climate	86 deg., 68 humid; wind: 15-20 mph; seas: 2

Engine Options

Tested Engine	2 x 1,000-hp CAT 12.9
Std. Power	2 x 850-hp CAT C12.9
Opt. Power	2 x 1,000-hp CAT C12.9

Contents of Report

• Mission

• Major Features

• Her Designers

• Features Inspection

• Swim Platform

• Aft Deck

• Forward

• Flybridge

• The Upper Helm

• Salon

• Galley

• Lower Helm

• Forward VIP Stateroom

• Master Stateroom

• Machinery Space

• Price

• Observations

Mission

The Sirena 64 was designed, engineered, and built for an owner/operator. She is a CE Class A cruiser, capable of making bluewater passages. Her 19’4” (5.89 m) beam, 101,412 lbs. (46,000 kg), fully laden displacement, her low CG, and her Seakeeper stabilizing gyro, help provide the most comfortable ride possible offshore. With three en-suite staterooms, a separate day head, a huge flybridge and entertaining venues all over the boat, the Sirena 64 can handle a crowd for cocktails or dining al fresco. For more formal dining inside, the galley and dining area are on the main deck, conveniently side-by-side. The well-placed large windows and wraparound windshield makes the Sirena 64’s interior a bright and airy space.

Major Features

• Extended Swim Platform. The teak swim platform can accommodate most tenders and hydraulically lowers with built-in, automatically deployed stairs.
• Extended Flybridge. The flybridge deck extends over the aft deck and side decks. The Sirena 64 flybridge is designed for entertaining and has a portside helm.
• Double Wide Cockpit to Salon Sliding Door. The aft salon bulkhead glass doors neatly slide to starboard to create an easy transition from the cockpit to the salon.
• Flexible Aft Deck Tables. The aft deck has two tables forward of the transom bench seating. They can convert to form a large table with deck chairs, providing the seating in front of the table.
• Forward Deck Social Area. The forward-facing, C-shaped seating surround a table. The opposing forward deck sun pads convert to chaise lounge seating.
• Upper and Lower Helm. With the dual helms, the operator can choose the wider version of the upper helm or the protected environment of the lower helm.

Her Designers

The hull, exterior styling, and concept of the Sirena 64 were all conceived by Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering. Led by German Frers, this design team, which is located in Buenos Aires, is one of the premier yacht designers in the world. His father started designing yachts in 1925, and son German took over the firm in 1970 after training under Olin and Rod Stephens in their New York office. He went on to design some of the most successful racing and cruising sailboats in the world, and has many megayachts to his name. Over the years under his guidance, his firm has created over 1,300 designs, most of which have been custom projects.

Frers’ analytical thinking and his knowledge of what makes a good sea boat, and a fast one, can be seen all over the Sirena 64. He is generally regarded as having one of the finest eyes for boat lines in the business.

Design Studio Spadolini was responsible for the interior décor of the Sirena 64. He has worked on over 200 yachts in his 30-year career, including Fortuna, the early fast motoryacht commissioned by the king of Spain many years ago.

Features Inspection

Swim Platform

The full-beam swim platform extends out 4’11” (1.50 m) from the transom and provides an ideal boarding area when secured to a floating dock. Stairs on both the port and starboard side lead up to the aft deck. This makes boarding from either side convenient.

There was no evidence of a re-boarding ladder. The America Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) rules call for all boats to have a re-boarding ladder that extends 22’’ (.56 m) into the water and is retrievable from someone who is in the water.

Aft Deck

At both quarters of the aft deck, built into the bulwarks are roller fairleads (yellow arrow), mooring bollards (green arrow) and a power winch (red arrows) for line handling. At the top of each stairway is a locking safety gate (purple arrow).

Deck chairs provide a flexible feature allowing more people to join the conversation at the table or arrange separately on the aft deck wherever desired.

Moving about on a boat while underway is often problematic. The Sirena 64’s wide, protected side decks add a measure of safety and comfort when attempting to move forward or back. They also give the boat the feel of a megayacht because of the high bulwarks.

Forward

Like the aft deck, the Sirena 64 has heavy-duty mooring line handling hardware. There are stainless-steel fairleads (yellow arrows) built into the toe rail and power winches nearby. Stainless-steel bollards secure even the heaviest dock lines. The foredeck is otherwise clear since the ground tackle is fed through the bow and the anchor is secure on a bow roller. The anchor is deployed and retrieved remotely.

The aft bulkhead of the anchor locker is watertight, providing a crash box that adds a measure of safety to the boat.

Sirena Marine seems to understand that storage space is a premium on a boat of this size and its long-range cruising mission.

Sirena Marine shows its understanding of how boaters actually use their boats. The forward deck is designed to provide a social gathering space that provides comfortable seating for a good-size crowd.

Flybridge

The egress to the flybridge is a challenge on any flybridge boat while operating in a seaway. This often leads to injury for those who are unprepared or unable to deal with the unsteadiness. Grab rails and the use of stabilizers reduce the risk. However, always use caution accessing the flybridge while underway.

Sirena Marine has incorporated the features that most owners can appreciate on an expansive flybridge with a place to prepare food and drinks along with plenty of space for large gatherings.

The large boat deck serves a number of purposes: an ideal place to stow the tender when underway, a sunning area, and a welcome platform for a cocktail party under a star-studded night sky.

The Upper Helm

The upper helm is the logical choice when docking or maneuvering in tight situations. Visibility astern is a challenge from the lower helm.

Joystick controls have become increasingly more popular and make yachts like the Sirena 64 able to be operated by a relatively inexperienced couple in lieu of needing a crew for support.

Salon

The 6” (.15 m) step up to the salon from the aft deck may present a tripping hazard for those that are not aware. Inside there is 6’8” (2.03 m) of headroom with opposing L-shaped sofa-style seating port and starboard.

The test boat offered soft-tones from the upholstery and oak veneers which are offset by attractive ebony accents and ebony trimmed overhead. Wide teak planking makes up the decking. Throughout the Sirena 64, the fit--inish is exceptional. Sirena Marine does all of the work in-house and they allow owners to choose from up to 20 different materials.

Galley

The galley is open and placed forward of the salon on the port side. This permits the person preparing food in the galley to stay engaged with the socializing in the salon. The large window with opening section gives natural light and a view for those in the galley. Note the overhead storage and there is additional storage in the counter.

In the test boat all the counters were Corian. Sirena would be glad to enclose the galley (see image above) for owners who want to keep the galley completely separated from the salon and dining area. By putting a two way glass – opaque or clear – European owners can keep staff separated from the guests for privacy. When just the family is aboard, touch the button for clear. Americans will probably select the open arrangement as seen on our test boat.

The dining area’s table base is fixed. However, the top has stainless-steel sliders mounted under the glass top. This permits people to easily access the starboard side bench seating and then slide the tabletop to an appropriate position. When not in use the tabletop can be slid all the way to starboard to provide more room for people to move forward and aft.

We like this arrangement, and it is relatively unusual in this size yacht. The dining table can be used for both formal and informal dining, and is separate from the salon. It is an excellent use of space, and adaptable to different needs.

The advantage of a pantograph door is that they are usually watertight and they swing outward and to the side lying nearly flush to the side when fully open. This lets the door be wider than the space available to open if it were on conventional hinges. As an example, the Sirena 64 has 21” (.53 m) wide side decks and the door width is approximately 36” (.91 m), making it too large to swing open in a traditional manner.

Lower Helm

Below the 17” multifunction displays are twin 7” Caterpillar displays for monitoring the engine functions. Below the center-mounted compass are the ignitions, engine start, stop and emergency stops. To the right of the leather wrapped steering wheel is another feature missing on the upper helm, the SeaKeeper gyro-stabilizer controls and the auto-trim control.

In addition to the ZF joystick, the lower helm also has a bow thruster joystick added to the armrest on the port side. On the far right of the lower helm is the system controls switch panel.

The companion helm seating allows people to join the operator while underway. There is a convenient, flip-up table mounted on the starboard side bulwark, which can be used as a navigation table, work station, or place for the off-watch captain to have lunch.

The bulkhead and upper storage behind the helm seat makes it nearly impossible for rear views. Rarely does a boat of this size have great views to the rear. In this case seeing what is coming up from behind or backing into a slip is not really possible. The operator would need to stand and look around the bulkhead and most likely be out of reach of the joystick. That’s why the upper helm has such great utility. Remote controls can also be added on the aft deck.

Forward VIP Stateroom

The forward berth measures 6’6” (1.98 m) long and 5’4” (1.63 m) across. The unusual feature is that it is only 17” (.43 m) above the deck, making getting onto the bed very easy – perhaps the most convenient we have ever seen in a bow cabin. Most forward, centerline island berths are much higher, requiring steps or a hop to get onto the bed.

Throughout the Sirena 64 is a plethora of automatic switches that turn lights on and off, including sensors on the sconce lights which are mounted on the forward bulkhead on the port and starboard sides of the berth. Simply wave a hand under the fixture and the light will turn on or off.

Forward VIP Head

Day Head

There is a dedicated day head, something unusual belowdecks in virtually any size boat. This is a terrific amenity and is perfect for guests who are aboard just for the day. By locating it below, it is “out of the way”, but still ensures the privacy of the three staterooms.

Each stateroom has its own en suit head with a separate walk-in shower. It provides needed comfort for owners and their guests without having to enter a private stateroom.

Guest Stateroom

The styling and quality fixtures in the Sirena 64 is consistent throughout the entire yacht, making all guests feel important to the owners.

Master Stateroom

Slightly to the port of center is the master berth, measuring 6’4” (1.93 m) long and 5’1” (1.55 m) across, and it is a comfortable 21” (.53 m) above the deck.

Both the port and starboard windows offer excellent line-of-sight views that keep the horizon always within view. However, neither have opening portlights.

Master Head

Natural light comes in through the hull-side windows on the port and starboard side of the head. Both have opening portlights.

Crew’s Quarters

Machinery Space

Sirena Marine has designed the machinery space on the Sirena 64 with as much care and detail as they did for the rest of the yacht. Everything is well organized and day check items are all easily accessible.

The use of dripless shaft seals has become widespread over the last decade or so. More manufacturers are replacing the traditional stuffing box. There are several manufacturers of dripless shaft seals. Most of the designs use a face seal, with flexible bellows attached to the stern tube (or stuffing box collar) that presses a fixed carbon/graphite flange against a rotating stainless-steel rotor. This spins with the prop shaft, creating a seal between the rotor and flange. These have become popular because they don't require adjustment after installation, and they continue to keep sea water out even if the drivetrain is out of alignment.

Although the dripless shaft seal has become more popular, they should not be ignored. Regular inspections should be made. The bellows should be replaced every six to eight years and when adjusting, most manufacturers recommend replacing the set screws in lieu of reusing the existing one.

Options to Consider

The Sirena 64 is essentially a custom-built yacht with owner specified equipment, options, and accessories.

Price

The base price for the Sirena 64 is around $2 million, depending on the equipment, engines, and the upgrades.

Observations

Being contracted to build yachts for the Azimut-Benetti Group for more than a decade, Sirena Marine seems to have learned a lot about quality and owner expectations. The technology and craftsmanship is impressive. There is a high level of luxury and comfort with large airy accommodations and storage that rivals much larger yachts.

Her exterior styling is a bit unusual to the American eye, but we are seeing more and more powerboats with plumb bows (which permit more useable space inside), vertical, rounded pilothouse windshields (which improve visibility and save space), and high freeboard (which makes the boat more seaworthy and provides added safety when on deck). German Frers and other European designers have been taking advantage of the plumb bow concept for some years now in their megayacht projects and these concepts are now filtering down to production boats. Americans should get used to it, because it is a trend that is very much here and now.

Good Ideas Abound. We are struck by the many practical aspects of this yacht, such as the island bed in the forward stateroom that does not require a ladder to enter. We like the versatile galley design that can be opened or closed, and the adjacent dining area which is separate from the salon that is large and full of comfortable seating. Then, there is the day head below, the only one we have seen on this size boat.

This boat should be easy for an owner operator to handle, and she is certainly functional.