New Sunseeker 64-ft Predator

For the last 20 years we
have stood in awe of the rapidity with which Sunseeker Yachts in Poole, England
has introduced exciting new models and taken much of the world by storm. The company’s
founders started life as boat dealers in the 1970s and were quick to get the message
that those stogie, hide-bound British yachtsmen were ready for a little excitement
in their lives. Once started, they
never looked back, each year introducing still
larger models culminating a couple of years ago with the 120’ beauty that is the
production queen at boat shows around the world.

Sunseeker’s latest addition is unquestionably the most stylish and sexy express cruiser built in the U.K.

Sunseeker’s hulls come from the drawing board of the highly-respected Don Shead,
one of the world’s early pioneers in high-speed hull shapes for the modern era.
This 65’11” LOA design has a 16’3” beam and weighs 63,000 lbs. (29,000 kg). She
is powered by twin 1100-hp MAN diesels. Her exterior lines speak for themselves,
so now let’s take a look at the interior of this new yacht…

The Predator 64’s saloon doubles as a dining area as the table rises and lowers. Or, try al fresco dining on the aft deck. Note the hardwood sole inside and teak deck outside. Of special note is the sliding SS glass door that goes completely across the back of the saloon. This opens up the inside of the boat to the outside – and it is rarely done.

We like the separate helm seat for the skipper and the large companion bench seat for two next to the helm to help in navigation and keep lookout. But speaking of lookout, why make it harder than it has to be? We’d lower the electronics and instrument dash boards to improve visibility. Note the “loft” treatment on the port side to the galley down the companionway.

The galley down has a full stand-up frig/freezer, which we like, and a dishwasher. Because the galley is below, guests in all three staterooms have easy access for a midnight snack or to the chilled white burgundy.

This is the master stateroom with en suite head. Note the large portlight to starboard and the sofa below which is larger than on most boats this size. Sunseeker has thoughtfully clipped the corners of the bed port and starboard to ease movement and to keep guests from banging their legs into a square, pointy bruise-maker.

Dual use can be made of the desk/vanity on the starboard side of the master. We think every yacht should have desk somewhere. The stool is a practical solution and we like it.

Virtually all boats this size put the VIP in the bow, but if you will look closely you’ll see that Sunseeker has not crammed the queen bed into the forepeak to get more room aft. Rather, they have moved the bed aft so that its head can be as wide as its foot and be a true queen, not merely something that looks nice at boat shows. The step up to the bedside is higher than most but there is good room port and starboard.

This is the 3rd stateroom and like the other two has its own en suite head. We are fans of the over-and-under “L” shape layout of the 3rd cabin. It is a good use of space, and in fact, creates space under the bunk that would otherwise go to waste. The cabin has ample sole area for dressing and for two people to move around each other. Getting 3 staterooms, 3 full heads, and a galley down in a boat with a 48’ LWL is no easy trick, but Sunseeker has done it without sacrificing the bed in the forward stateroom or the full width master.

This is just one of the boat’s three heads. They all look pretty much the same. Note the separate shower which avoids the “beam-me-up-Scotty” tube that many boats in this class use and in which many people can’t bend over in to pick up the soap. Note the joinery work, and backsplash. This looks like a head that will be easy to keep clean.

If you are interested in know more about this yacht --

See Times BoatTEST's video
review of the new Predator 64 --