Class

Thirty knots is an easy canter for the Predator 57. I’m at the wheel, ensconced in the gentle embrace of the sumptuous diamond-quilted helm seat, the twin Volvo Penta D13-900’s combined 1,800hp quietly meting out a relentless pace as we cruise effortlessly along Dorset’s dramatic Jurassic coastline. With the saloon doors and sliding roof closed, providing a precisely climate-controlled ambience, it’s a great place to relax and consider one abiding question: exactly what is it that makes this particular model Sunseeker’s fastest-selling yacht?

Clearly performance is a given – it is a Sunseeker after all. But as the saying goes, performance is nothing without control, and the Predator has that in spades. On the day of my test drive, the aquatic topography – whipped by a brisk wind into a melee of confusing white-capped chop – is sliced and diced by the fine entry of the hull as we thunder impassively through. The crew is cosseted by the soft-planted ride, forcing spray out low and wide in dramatic white curtains that hang briefly in the air, framing my view before being lost forever in the wake.

However, that could be said for any Sunseeker in the range. No, there’s something else, and as I sweep the Predator into an easy, controlled turn I think I have it: it’s the ultimate fusion of Sunseeker’s phenomenal heritage combined with its current position as one of the world’s leading superyacht builders. Sunseeker has a back catalogue that’s the envy of any yacht builder. Incredible high-performance machines shine like diamonds in the company’s history. Take the Sunseeker XPS 34 of the mid-80s, first of the fabled ‘performance-plus’ range with a hull designed by legendary powerboat racer and naval architect Don Shead. It was built to take on the ultra-high-performance ‘cigarette’ boats built in the USA. Sunseeker expected to sell about 15, but the boat was so successful that production eventually ran to 150 Superhawks in various iterations. The performance banner was held high throughout the next two decades and Superhawks even enjoyed a major starring role in the late-90s 007 movie ‘The World Is Not Enough’.

Then there’s the running gear. Usually, customers are forced to accept whatever the manufacturer deems appropriate. Not here. Choose from Volvo Penta pod drive for the ultimate in joystick manoeuvrability, or select shaft drive for sheer simplicity (and a brace of engine choices). Or, should you have a real need for speed, you can even choose Arneson Surface Drives! Mated to a pair of 1,200hp MAN diesel engines, these raise the top speed to 45 knots – from superyacht to superboat at the tick of an option form.

High performance is in Sunseeker’s veins – it’s part of the DNA, the lifeblood – and it falls to boats such as the Predator 57 to carry that banner today. But combine that heritage with the marque’s present day superyacht credentials and you create something truly special. It starts (ironically) with the finish. Take a look at the three slim stainless-steel fillets beneath each deck cleat – there purely to stop lines chafing the highly polished gelcoat. Check out the carbon-fibre cup holders by the forward sunpad. It’s the same story inside – the woodwork is exquisite, while gaps between the ceiling panels are millimetre perfect.