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Sunseeker Predator 64 (2009-) Captain's Report
Located in Poole, England, and with roots that go back 40 years, the last 10 years or so Sunseeker has rocketed to such world-wide prominence and success that it has left mere mortal boat builders shaking their heads in awe and disbelief. It was, in fact, a brand with enormous global strength until the recent economic meltdown humbled even the mightiest boat builders. The company claims, and we concur, that a large part of its success lies in the commitment to constantly introducing new and ever larger boats with styling so sleek and perfectly proportioned as to nearly take one’s breath away. And Sunseeker interior décor was as trendy as the latest issue of the Italian Vogue.
The new Sunseeker Predator 64 has bunny pads both fore and aft with plenty of room for the good life in between.
Awesome R Us
Here, a company in stodgy old England, in one of the country’s most antiquated industries, and among a race of people not known for marketing savvy of anything except roadside pubs, managed to capture the imagination of oligarchs, Saudi Princes, European industrialists, hedge fund titans, sports stars, and nouveau riche from one end of the earth to the other -- and then sell them something that they did not need, in many cases could not even operate, and in virtually every instance cost much more than the competition. As we said, Sunseeker has had an awesome run.
Back in the early days of Sunseeker, it was strictly “No sex please, we’re British.”
Getting There is the Fun
On its website Sunseeker explains the secret of its success with this telling story: “One day, when exhibiting their first 17 and 23 footers at a Boat Show, a man who was a boat dealer in the south of France commented, ‘if you can make them all in white, and put a full width sun bed across the stern, I’ll buy them’. The fact that they did so, and that the boats sold well exemplified a set of attitudes that has characterized Sunseeker to this day: listen to what customers want and give it to them; don’t be afraid to try something totally new; always explore new markets.”
Sunseeker in the early days hit the offshore powerboat racing circuit and learned how to keep their boats together while pounding the hell out of the English Channel at 60 knots. It also learned a thing or two about propulsion systems and quickly adapted the Arneson surface piercing drives and water jets. Sunseeker became associated with speed and the company has never given up that heritage.
A Different World
Sunseekers are all about the imagination. The imagination of their designers, their buyers, the wannabe owners, and even the imaginations of the kind souls walking along the dock gawking at how the lucky .5% live. See a Sunseeker and immediately images of what it must be like to own one, or cruise on one, or just to visit one congers up rich fantasies in the minds of all but the most jaded. The company helps along this important mind game by draping lovely women seductively around its boats, alternating them with men in black who are custodians of the rope line.
The message is not how seaworthy this boat is, or how comfortable, or how far it can cruise, or how easy it is to anchor, or how many it can sleep – no, the message is something else altogether: here is something so special, so elegant, so expensive, that only a few can be lucky enough to have it. Are you one of the few, or one of the many?
Yachts With Attitude
Sunseekers are not for everyone, and certainly not everyone who could afford one would choose a Sunseeker. They are designed for the Med. That means they are large day boats able to shoot quickly from the Italian coast over to Porto Cervo on Sardinia, or from Monaco to Nice with lunch anchored off Cap Ferrat. They are not intended for cruising the Labrador coast or the Irish Sea. They are for cruising the great marinas and harbors of the world such as the one at Antibes, or to anchor off Portofino.
Sunseekers are boats with a very specific purpose in mind and it has very little to do with traditional yachting. You won’t find them on the moorings in front of the New York Yacht Club in Newport, but you will find them at the Rio Yacht Club and at the Club de Yates in Acapulco. After all, they are seeking the sun.
Let’s take a look at the new Predator 64--
The saloon of the Predator 64 is not quite as big as it looks in this wide-angle photo. But it’s all about the details: look at the sliding, wide stainless steel door that extends the glass from one side of the saloon to the other like no boat you have ever seen. The concept is to make the saloon part of the cockpit and whole outdoors, like a shade-covered veranda on the Amalfi Coast. One venue blends into the next. Note what appears to be elegant hard wood on the saloon sole, the nautical soft teak in the cockpit, the Moroccan throw pillows on the lounge seats in the cockpit. Incedently, that’s a bottle Dom Perignon chilling in and the ice bucket. To the right a vase holds birds of paradise flowers, which fit right in.
The helm is a place of instruments, screens, dials and switches, all mysteriously complex and cool. Halogen spotlights surround the skipper’s domain and bath it in soft white light. Moon light filters through windows in the sunroof. Is that a blue and white jersey on the companion seat, or just a throw? And where did the companion go?
The Sunseeker Predator 64 has a galley down arrangement. Its modern simplicity speaks for itself.
The VIP stateroom in the bow with port and starboard reading lights over the platform queen bed with thick mattress and elegant, modern décor is hard to resist.
The guest cabin is snug but ideal for nannies, or storage, or blow the whole thing out and put in the optional lower settee opposite the galley down.
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