Captain's Report

Hyperbolic marketing-speak aside; the Predators are, in fact, well-endowed under the hood. The Predator 84 is available either with conventional twin-shaft props or with twin Arneson surface drives. According to the company, the standard prop version will do up to 35 knots. With the Arnesons and the manliest engines, the 84 will do up to 42 knots. That’s not bad for a boat that weighs over 131,000 lbs. (59,700 kg.)

Going 42 knots in a boat this size is more fun than the average person should have, but as the marketers say, it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s also not for those who are terribly concerned about running costs. The specs Sunseeker publishes list fuel capacity as 1,981 gallons. Cruising speed with the Arnesons is listed as “up to 30 knots,” and range “up to 300 nautical miles.” That works out to something like 5.9 gallons per mile, which gives you some idea of how much power it takes to rule the waves in the Predator 84.Did we say that this Sunseeker is not for everybody? Sunseekers are well-constructed, meticulously finished and yes; they are sexy as hell. It has been a winning combination for the Poole, England boat builder.

The 84 will accommodate up to eight guests in four cabins each with an en suite head, as they should be in this class of vessel. She also ships a crew of three – captain, mate and stew, would be our choice. As with any yacht this size, owners have plenty of input into décor, but you’d never see the Predator 84 done up teak.

Part of the appeal of a yacht like the Predator 84 is having fun in the sun. The boat has plenty of outdoor space to lounge and bake. The aft deck has a dining/cocktails table and the foredeck has a settee and additional deck space, but at 40 knots, you might want to leave the drinks behind. If you’re the kind of guy who, like they say, has “drive, stamina and a thinly disguised sense of power,” you’d feel right at home with this power palace afloat.

The Predator 84 has all the flash of an Italian sport yacht, with all the elegance of, well, an Italian sport yacht. Temper all of that panache with a strong dose of John Bull reliability and you have a winning combination.

We like the accommodations layout of the Predator 84. Note that the master stateroom has a walk-in closet with a side for his and her, with drawers in between. This is a good use of space instead of a full beam bath. Note on the main deck the formal dining table seats eight and there is still a huge area of the cocktail table and conversation pit. Crew quarters and the galley is accessed by the stairs in the aft part of the saloon by the concave stainless steel sliding doors opening to the aft deck. This arrangement can be modified any way you want; as you will notice in the pictures, there is an optional layout.

So, what does all of this elegance, speed and anthurium cost? It all depends on which engines, drive systems and other options you put on the boat. As we have noted, when you are moving this much weight around you need lots of horses. Further, Arneson drives do not come cheap. The MSRP price of a new Sunseeker Predator 84 can run anywhere from $4.6 to $5.6 million. But once you have one, you’ll never look back.

Standard and Optional Features