Sunseeker Yacht 86 - Model Overview
First launched in early 2008, the Sunseeker 86 yacht introduces more of the new larger yacht thinking to this line of design. The ship's ancillary equipment and management systems are configured to rigorous standards for the latest practical operational and regulatory purposes. That means innovation with peace of mind.
With its progressive exterior design, immense presence on the water and flawless interiors, the 86 yacht epitomises Sunseeker’s class and charisma. This Yacht’s impressive performance is complemented by the scope for customisation throughout. You have the option to add luxurious extras such as a hot tub on the flybridge, and a choice of layouts depending whether the boat is for charter or personal use.
Sunseeker Yacht 86 - Range Overview
Designed and built to the highest modern shipbuilding standards with unmistakeable Sunseeker pedigree.
sunseeker’s largest motoryachts represent a triumph of design, styling and engineering, placing the brand firmly in the international ship-building league.If the ultimate status symbol is a yacht, then the ultimate style statement is a Sunseeker Yacht. Setting standards of refinement and luxury that have become the benchmarks in their class for others to follow, these imposing craft nonetheless continue the Sunseeker tradition of high performance and technical excellence.
As ocean-going vessels they are confident offshore mile-eaters, with the flagship 46 Metre Yacht designed to be capable of meeting full MCA compliance and RINA classification standards.
Sunseeker Yacht 86 - Brochure Foreword
SPIRIT OF SUNSEEKER
THE SPIRIT OF SUNSEEKER IS THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE, MATCHED WITH THE COURAGE TO CONSTANTLY BREAK NEW BARRIERS
Few brands can confidently claim to rank amongst the world's finest. Sunseeker is one of them. A brand with enormous global strength, part of its success lies in the commitment to constantly set new standards and benchmarks. A belief in the power of innovation, in the tireless pursuit of excellence, means never settling for second best.
It's this spirit of excellence that has driven Sunseeker to its pre-eminent position in the marine market - a spirit of adventure that began more than forty years ago. Since then, the range has expanded, with each new addition adding something rather special to a highly competitive market.
Today, the extensive dealer network spans the globe, bringing world-class service to a world-class brand - a brand driven by the pursuit of perfection, and one that is appreciated by individuals who share the same dream.
DESIGN ETHOS
CREATING YACHTS WITH FILM STAR APPEAL AND THE ABILITY TO TURN HEADS, BOTH UNDER WAY AND AT REST, BEGINS ON THE VIRTUAL DRAWING BOARD
Through computer aided design to manufacture (CAD/CAM), lines on screen and paper become reality via high technology and advanced engineering, not to mention a great deal of help from traditional boat-building skill, using hand, eye, spokeshave and smoothing plane.
CAD allows designers and naval architects to juggle at will with sheer lines and flybridge profiles, configure spaces until the ergonomics are right, play with the quality of light, and even experiment with the texture of the soft furnishings.
Building a Sunseeker may well start with hi-tech vacuum infusion moulding, whereby resin is injected in precisely controlled conditions, but it will invariably finish with classic cabinetmaking and polishing techniques.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) allows the designers to experiment with variations of hull shape, length, beam and deadrise angle before a single mould is made or five-axis milling machine programmed. They can then assess sea-keeping, fuel economy, and ride quality, try different drive systems and powering options many months before construction begins.
The design stage is crucial, leaving nothing to chance. Keeping weight to design parameters ensures every Sunseeker performs as predicted, taking heavy seas in its stride and without intrusive vibration. Noise attenuation has long been a goal at Sunseeker. Every generation is quieter and smoother than the last, and the search for ever-better efficiency is ongoing.
THE STORY OF SUNSEEKER
FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS IN A SHED, A SHOWROOM AND A SLIPWAY TO A WORK FORCE OF 2,500 MODERN SHIPYARDS AND A WORLD BEATING TECHNOLOGY CENTRE
Originally importers and distributors of boats from Scandinavia and the USA, Poole Power Boats (as Sunseeker was then known) started moulding and fitting out their own boats in the early 1970s. 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 sunbed 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 characterised 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.
This dictum lead to some notable events and milestones, not only for the company but also for the boat building industry as a whole. Firstly, the collaboration with Don Shead to develop the race-derived deep-V hulls that have become a Sunseeker trademark, allowing owners to enjoy sporting performance as well as comfort and freedom.
Bold and luxurious interior designs set Sunseeker apart as style innovators, assisted by the appointment of naval architect and stylist Ken Freivokh, renowned for his imaginative use of space on megayachts. The modern curvaceous styling since emulated by so many other yacht builders was first developed by Sunseeker in the nineteen eighties, in parallel with styling changes in the motor industry.
Few manufacturers have pioneered as many drive and propulsion systems in leisure craft. The early Offshore 28 It was a revolutionary craft, the first in Europe with a lightweight hull specifically designed to carry stern-drive diesel engines powering twin outdrives.
Duoprops, where two propellers rotate in opposing directions for improved efficiency, were first seen on the subsequent Offshore 31.
A few years later the Superhawk 50 became the first production boat to have stern-driven race-bred Arneson surface drives, with five-bladed surface-piercing propellers carried on extended shafts. Twin 680hp V8 MAN units, half the weight of the conventional equivalents, gave speeds of up to 50 knots with surprising acceleration for a craft of 14 tons, with noise levels kept low by venting the engine exhaust behind the propeller, which also created slip - so usefully reducing drag.
Two years later, the Comanche 40 was the first family-size cruiser to offer an integral garage for the tenders and toys that are today expected as standard in the modern motoryacht.
In the early nineties Renegade 60 pushed new frontiers; it was the first production boat to be powered by water jets - expelling 32,000 gallons every minute at full throttle.
But above all, over the years the Sunseeker range has epitomised the ability to surprise the public and boat owners, and perhaps demoralise the competition. Just when you might have thought that no Sunseeker could ever match or exceed the latest model for speed, grace, style, space, flexibility or luxury - the next one did! That “wow!” factor, and the magician-like ability to provoke it, matched with a reputation for build quality is what has turned the brand into the icon it is today.
Nowhere has this been evidenced more strongly than in boat size. To evolve from the first 17 foot dayboat to the imminent 46 Metre Yacht (a near 10-fold increase in length, but over 300 times greater in displacement) in only 4 decades just could not have happened without constant change, evolution and up-scaling in every single part of the organisation, from technology to shipyards, from delivery vehicles to a world-wide network of distributors – many in countries that had far from “emerged” as markets 40 years ago.
The challenges and milestones of scale have been at times momentous. We have talked of evolution and change over time, but some of the developments have been giant leaps. In the late nineties the show-stopping jaw-dropper came in the form of the Predator 80 whose previous largest predecessor was the Predator 63. To break the 80 foot barrier was a bold move indeed, and no small challenge.
In the mid-nineties the perception of large boats was generally one of reduced performance, offering vast accommodation, but requiring a permanent crew. Sunseeker set out to change that attitude with the design of the Predator 80 - an open-deck performance motoryacht that was also available as a hard-top option. She benefited from a full programme of stress analysis, resulting in a soft-riding hull that was a fine example of modern materials technology, with super-efficient hydrodynamics allowing her 50 tons to reach speeds in excess of 46 knots. The Predator 80 set a new benchmark for luxury boating, with a perfect combination of accommodation, performance, range and handling.
Not only could the Predator 80 be effectively handled by two people, she was also an extremely comfortable boat, with an ingenious and flexible standard interior layout. Particular attention was paid to suppressing noise and vibration, with the whole interior located on resilient mounts. And she featured the most sumptuous interior design yet seen on a Sunseeker, creating a feeling of opulence that once again set new standards in production boats. As a semi-custom yacht, customers were also encouraged to choose from numerous different layout options to design an interior that suited their needs and tastes.
Sunseeker’s decision in 2001 to centralise its technical operations under one roof represented a major investment for the company – and one made at a very uncertain time in terms of global events.
The opening of the Technology Centre provided a co-ordinated platform for new investment, as well as developing world-beating design and production processes. It meant a new approach to design co-ordination, as with the dedicated interior design department. More than ever before, interior designers now work alongside sales, engineering design, yacht styling and production teams to plan and shape interiors on a computer screen, and later mocked up in full scale on the new hull jigs. New design systems like Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) provide software that helps the naval architect confirm and predict how different hull shapes and configurations will behave in specific sea conditions.
Perhaps most importantly of all, the new Technology Centre has paved the way for new manufacturing capabilities, thereby increasing the build quality of Sunseekers yet further and simultaneously reducing waste and unit costs. These include systems like the new lacquering facility, which uses state-of-the-art equipment to achieve truly wonderful quality on interior woodwork. Furthermore, the new 3-axis CNC machinery provides the ability to shape and cut the components needed to fit out a particular interior plan at extremely high speed, whilst minimising waste and improving the quality of the fitting.
Computer Aided Design working in tandem with Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) produces exact correlation at every stage, from what the designer shapes on his screen, to what the machine cuts on the table; from what the fitter has in his hands, to what the customer appreciates in the finished yacht.
The technology afforded by the new centre has vaulted Sunseeker to the rare position of JIT (Just in Time) manufacturing, in which components are made at the precise time they’re needed for build, thereby minimising storage, spoilage and excess stock. The way in which these components are supplied to the production line is also radically different from boat building of the past. Complete helm control consoles can be assembled and tested at the Technology Centre, as can wiring looms and ship monitoring systems. The interior furniture and furnishings can be machined, upholstered, assembled, checked and dismantled for despatch to the boatyard, each element bearing the unique reference number of the hull to which it is to be fitted.
The next challenge in the progress of Sunseeker in terms of boat size was its greatest to date in terms of manufacturing – the 100 foot mark. Now Sunseeker was to become a shipbuilder as well as a boat builder.
The Year 2001 saw the launch of the 105 Yacht, a 105 foot (32m) motor yacht, with a predicted top speed of 32 knots. Her outstanding capabilities were in large part due to the extensive support systems she carried - and the reliability that is assured by using proven technology in a production yacht. These systems include the advanced use of hydraulics, stabilisers computer-controlled generators and electrical systems, innovations that meant the 105 Yacht was safe and reliable. The 105 Yacht also became the first British-built production boat to win two of the world’s most prestigious International Superyacht Design awards.
The years since the introduction of the 105 Yacht have seen Sunseeker develop into an accepted world-class luxury yacht builder. To succeed in doing so has required more than just an up-scaling of previous boat building skills and procedures. The new craft are classed as commercial vessels, and subject to strict regulations as to passenger and crew safety and well-being, ocean-going equipment specifications, including the qualifications of those in charge of their operation.
The way in which they are used is also different from that of smaller craft, which might spend extended periods of time in a marina between excursions. It is quite feasible that, between maintenance and any refit lay-ups, the new yachts will be in constant operation at some level 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even without owners and guests on board, the resident crew need power to conduct the extensive monitoring and maintenance that a ship’s system requires, as well as for their personal needs.
The demands made by such usage on engines, generators, pumps, electrical circuits and fluid systems, and the need for failsafe back-up at all times, particularly in open sea conditions, means that every single component (and the 37M Yacht has 108,000 of them) must be of the highest possible standard. Many of these standards are prescribed by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, whose assessors inspect every stage of a ship’s construction, from initial hull to final hand-over of the vessel to a suitably qualified Master.
To embrace and comply with the requirements of modern shipbuilding Sunseeker have designed and created new shipyards, where even the movement of the huge hulls from shed to shed and shed to hard standing to slipway need to be computer controlled. A completely new approach to production line infrastructure was also needed, in almost every department. New materials handling equipment and procedures are an obvious essential where the maximum permitted safe weight to be lifted manually is 25kg and the end product weighs nearly 200 tonnes. Waste must be kept to a minimum, aided by on-site recycling facilities.
Innovations on the personnel side have needed to be made as well. Senior shipyard staff are now drawn from ship operation as well as traditional boat construction. Experienced mariners and engineers from the merchant marine, the Royal Navy and the private yacht community now form part of the complement, among them the very few individuals actually qualified and authorised to be in charge of a commercial vessel on the water. A new on-site Compliance Department has been created to ensure that certification standards are fully met.
The current flagship 37 Metre Yacht can be build to full MCA and RINA specification, and positioning Sunseeker fairly and squarely in the megayacht world, the new flagship 46 Metre Yacht is set to premiere in 2012.
Throughout the story of Sunseeker there runs one dominant thread: constant innovation, be it in design, performance, technology or luxury. And the pursuit of excellence, which is the stuff of iconic status, exemplified by the fact that Sunseeker craft have featured in the last 4 James Bond films.
And the next innovation? We’ll have to wait and see, but we probably won’t have to wait long for the next Sunseeker show-stopper.
PRODUCING A SUNSEEKER
THE BOAT LAYOUT AND DRIVE OPTIONS AGREED, THE INTERIORS DESIGNED, CO-ORDINATION AND COMPLIANCE COME INTO PLAY
With the precision of a military operation, the production of a Sunseeker boat relies on timing, communication and expertise. By the time the hull is moulded and ready for fitting out, every single component will have been production planned and its progress recorded on the central Sunseeker IT system.
Accuracy in manufacturing thanks to the CAD/CAM technology means that each component matches perfectly with its neighbour, even though they may have been produced in factories or workshops hundreds of miles apart. If the smallest piece of wiring is to be countersunk behind a bulkhead panel, the groove will have been specified from the earliest design plans, programmed into the CAM computer, and milled to the exact tolerance required.
At the Technology Centre a highly skilled workforce of artisans, covering disciplines including carpentry, cabinet-making, engineering, upholstery, metal work, electronics and composites laminating produces, tests and hand-finishes the fittings for the boat using only the finest quality materials.
At the ship and boat yards, predetermined thicknesses and weaves of glass fibre and carbon fibre are applied to the interior of the hull by hand with resin by skilled laminators to produce a quality of construction that no machine can replicate. The process of constructing the interior then continues in methodical fashion, from the tanks in the bilges to the radio antenna aloft, then from stem to stern to ensure that no completed section can be soiled or scratched once the gleaming decks and fittings are installed and hand polished.
Every hour of the construction process is logged, monitored and analysed in the pursuit of quality and efficiency; there is constant communication and collaboration between team leaders, production planners and designers to ensure that every single action involved in the construction is right first time, every time.
Timing is critical in the production process, but so is communication. More so when you consider that if something were to go missing, be faulty, or not fit, on a structure that is up to 40 feet high, 120 feet long and weighing up to 190 tonnes, any delay will have serious repercussions down the line. You cannot just move it to one side and let the others pass along. Daily briefings involving all teams and disciplines provide a forum for spotting a snag long before it becomes a problem, thereby averting one.
Imagine the construction materials and mix of trades that are required to build a modern multi storey luxury apartment and your vision will be similar to that of a Sunseeker shipyard today. The exception being that the luxury apartment that is a Sunseeker may be capable of achieving 50 knots in open water. The top of the range brand names on the constant flow of delivery vehicles will also be familiar, from kitchen appliances to audio-visual systems, carpets, glass and chinaware.
Putting all these elements together requires genuine team spirit, which at Sunseeker is not just a nod to its family-firm ancestry. It is genuine, and also remarkable in a workforce that now stands at over a thousand more than it was in 2002. This team spirit and pride in one’s workmanship is what really brings a Sunseeker into being.
Once construction and decoration are complete, finally comes the testing and handover stage. The seas around Poole Harbour, one of the largest natural harbours in the world, offer a variety of currents, winds, waves and conditions representative of just about any to be found where the boats are likely to be used – an ideal proving ground for the world’s finest motoryachts. The yachts are then delivered to their destination ports by land or sea. With 99% of Sunseeker production destined for overseas markets, boat transportation has a dedicated logistics team to ensure that every boat is delivered in pristine condition and full working order.
With the larger yachts, the Master and selected crew are welcomed to the shipyard as much as four weeks in advance of final handover for familiarisation and technical briefing, during which time they live aboard. In line with MCA regulations a detailed manual and build specification is provided for every boat. Any final finishing touches or last minute décor changes required by the owner are also discussed and executed during this period, and all the ships’ systems are fully tested again.
Another Sunseeker takes to the waves, proudly bearing its name and its British heritage.
CRAFTMANSHIP
SUNSEEKER OWNERS EXPECT AND DEMAND THE BEST IN CRAFTSMANSHIP. SUNSEEKER’S MISSION HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO MEET AND EXCEED THEIR EXPECTATIONS
Sunseeker motoryachts are renowned as much for their levels of luxury as for their legendary flair and performance. But the essence of craftsmanship in the modern technological world goes beyond the working of the artisan’s hands and the accuracy of his eye. The naval architect can be a craftsman with his computer to produce imaginative and original designs and specifications based on innovative new materials; similarly the interior designer with his sourcing of new textures, fittings and furnishings. And of course the artisans themselves, who form and polish the woods, metals, glass and composites that produce the stunning work of art that is a Sunseeker.
Sunseeker have craftsmen in every department, men and women who, over decades of pioneering and innovation, have taken great pride in their work and the reputation that it has gained all over the world. This has been no accident; Sunseeker’s commitment to excellence of product has always been mirrored by its policy of attracting and recruiting the most talented marine staff at all levels. You probably could build a boat without the traditional principles and standards of craftsmanship – but it wouldn’t be a Sunseeker.
HAND-BUILT
IN AN AGE OF AUTOMATED PRODUCTION AND ASSEMBLY, SUNSEEKER’S COMMITMENT TO CREATING A HAND BUILT PRODUCT IS EASILY UNDERSTOOD
The reason is, there isn’t a better way. Modern computer aided design and construction techniques can manufacture precision components and streamline production, but the immaculate detail and finish of a Sunseeker motoryacht, inside and out, can only be achieved by skill and dedication. This human factor, and its influence on the finished product cannot be replicated by a machine, which might be able to sand and polish a given number of times, but will never be able to tell when the end result is right. The fact that the end result is right on a Sunseeker is as much thanks to the people who built it as to the technology that first mapped it out.
Nor can a machine pay close attention to detail; it takes a person to do that. A person who takes a pride in their workmanship, the ability of their own two hands to create a look and a finish of real beauty – a Sunseeker person, in fact.
QUALITY
QUALITY IN ALL THINGS AND IN ALL AREAS. AT SUNSEEKER ONLY THE BEST WILL DO, A VIEW SHARED BY OWNERS WORLDWIDE
Quality is more than skin-deep in a Sunseeker motoryacht. True, its finish both inside and out exude quality in abundance for all to see and admire. Only the best furnishings, appliances, audio and visual equipment and other creature comforts are fitted, but the same applies to the essential equipment such as the radar and chartplotter. Rest assured that the same quality standards apply to all the usually unseen areas and components of a Sunseeker, from bilge pump to fuse box. In the larger yachts this fact is amply demonstrated by their ability to satisfy stringent MCS and RINA classification criteria.
More widely, it is demonstrated by the fact that until comparatively recent years, when new markets have opened in Eastern Europe, India and the Far East, the majority of orders for new Sunseekers came from existing Sunseeker owners.
But as always with performance craft, quality of life and quality of engineering go hand in hand. Ride quality has long been a criterion for assessing the quality of a motorcar, but boat owners and guests expect the same ride quality as well. No easy task when a 70-tonne motoryacht is moving at over 40 knots, and only made possible by quality of design.
And after all, only a quality product can become an icon, for only a quality product can stand the test of time.
MATERIALS
TO DELIVER BOTH HIGH PERFORMANCE AND HIGH-END LUXURY IN THE SAME CRAFT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE MATERIALS CHOSEN
Externally, the quality of materials that provide the sumptuous Sunseeker finishing touches are there for all to see – rich American walnut furnishings, highly polished teak decks, embossed headlinings, high gloss lacquer bulkheads and plush fabrics and carpeting. What is less easy to see is the choice and application of materials that allow high performance and high-end luxury to come together in the same vessel.
Optimum power-to-weight ratio is achieved by ingenious design and manufacturing. Over the years Sunseeker and engine manufacturers have worked together to increase power and efficiency from ever more lightweight motors, but their progress will be hampered unless the fittings and fixtures are not similarly optimised. By way of example, light-filtering polarised safety glass is one third of the weight that it was five years ago; beautiful marble and granite surface finishes are decorative and durable, but what looks like a two-inch thick slab can in fact be a milled slip backed by a honeycomb of durable composite material.
The extensive use of carbon fibre has also made a great contribution. The rigidity of a carbon fibre sandwich composite floor that is only 30mm thick can produce a surface area of ten by five metres without any deflection at all. A vacuum-extruded resin bulkhead can be lifted and fitted by a team of four, where its predecessor would have needed twice that number.
The constant research into and testing of new materials has become standard procedure at Sunseeker, keeping them and their boats at the forefront of marine design and technology.