Top: The 75's saloon table raises via a remote control for dining. Left: This en suite head dis­

_ ... _ ... plays typically fine woodwork. Above: Thoughtful touches make these VIP quarters special.

how this British lion would roar. With 40 minutes before we hit thruster, VHFs, trim tabs, and electric side windows, and stan­the open sea, I resumed my inspection at the helm, a state-of- dard Mathers Microcommander controls are positioned for easy the-QIt operations center with an abundance of entertainment operation and monitoring. And as I would find out when I took pos ibilities. A pair of black leather Besenzoni, eight-position, the wheel, the large windshield, side windows, and three-section electrical pede ta l helm chairs are to starboard, while to port are aft sliding glass afford th helmsman excellent all-around visi­foW" fixed, black lea ther passenger seats arranged in a semicircle bility. Speaking of visibility, just push a button and a pair of to allow easy conv r a tion and sightseeing. Aft and two steps large sunroofs sil entl y glide open, presenting you with an down is a C-shape ette and teak leaf table, whose base offers expansive view of the sky. stowage. To starboard th r ' a sink, wine cooler, icemaker, and Just as well plann d, the accommodations below continue credenza. with Sunseeker' emphasis on entertainment opportunities. Of

The helm is well plan ned and functio nal. All gauges, course, th sa loon is the centerpiece. Full-beam, it combines a Switches, monitors, and displays, as well as controls for the bow fullyequipp d galley that occupies the entire starboard side and

50 POW ER & MOTORYACHT June 1999

all about, whether you 're driving the

standard Outlaw jet boat (be low) or

piloting the yacht from her dazzling

he lm (right). Bottom: A pair of 1,200-

hp MAN d iesels provide t he power.

features marble countertops set in

cheny and lots of stowage cabinets.

The dining/seating area, with curved

leather couches facing a cherry din­

ing table, occupies the space to port of centerline. A remote control raises the

table for formal dining and lowers it for conversation, listening

to Bose Sound Surround system, or watching TV with DSS and

VCR. Tastefully done in matched-groin, high ly varnished

cherry, all woodwork here is flawless.

For guest sleeping there's a double belth to starboard and a

queen-size berth in the owner's quarters immediately to POlt as

you enter the saloon. Each feature the same quality woodwork found throughou t the 75, an en suite head with stand-up

shower, abundant closet and stowage areas, and an entertain­

ment center with television, VCR, and stereo. The large forepeak

stateroom offers a queen-size island

bed, settee to port, large en suite head,

lots of stowage and closet space, a nd

a vanity. When I heard the engine rpm in­

crease, I knew we had finally cleOl'ed

the no-wake zone and were about to

head for open water. "Thought that would bring you topsides, " Hookings

said as he relinquished the wheel to me. For sheer exhilaration and excitement, there's nothing like

powering up a large yacht like the Predator 75 and putting her through her paces. While I topped her out at 38.9 mph across

the colm waters off Pompano Beach, Florida, it was only when I

had her nestled into her Clu ising speed of just over 35 mph and

b gan to spin the wheel tha t I had the most fun . Like an amuse­

ment park ride over which I had complete control, the big boat followed a ll my commands, wheth r it wa fig ure eights, long,

looping turns, or 360s to port or starboard. The most exciting

PMY TESTED: SUNSEEKER PREDATOR 75 Bose price: $2,659,070 with 2/1,050 MAN 02840 LE 403 diesel inboards Optional power: MAN: 2/1,1 OO·hp 02842 LE 402, or 2/1 ,20D-hp 02842 LE 406 diesel inboards; MTU 3/1,1 5D-hp 183TE92 diesel inboards with Arneson drives Standard equipment: electric sunroof; hydraulic

swim plariarm; PWC/tender garage with lilt and electric winch; Outlaw jet tender; bow thruster; 1 5·k W Kohler genset; 2 Simpson Lawrence stern winches; Simpson Lawrence windlass; Vacuflush toilets; electric side windows at helm Construction: hand·laid FRP w/isophthalic resin, powder·bound fiberglass mat, orthophthalic resin,

roven roving, and unidirectional fiberglass reinforcement; balsa"{ored topsides; bonom reinforced w/bonded foam girder system SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 74'2"; Beam: 17'10"; Droit: 4'7"; Maximum headroom: 7'0"; Weight: 74,100 Ibs.; Fuel capacity: 1,321 gal.; Water

capaci ty: 225 gal.; Test Engines: 2/1,200-hp MAN 02842 LE 406 diesel inboords; T rans­mission: ZF BW165B; Ratio: l.97: 1; Props: 34x39Y, five blade; Steering: Hynaunc hydraulic pawer steering; Controls: MMC; Trim tabs: NA; Optional equipment on test boot: electric passerelle; addinonol remote controlled spoNight

RPM MPH GPH MPG 1M NM DECIBElS (KIIOTS) (tIMPG) RANGE RANGE

1000 13.6 (11.8 ) 18.0 1250 17.9 (15.5 ) 28.0 1500 23.9 (20 8) 42.0 1750 29.7 (25.8) 60.0 2000 33.0 (28.7) 80.0 2150 35.3 (30.7) 102.0 2340 38.9 (33.8) 126.8

0.75 (0.65) 895 0.64 (0.55) 758 0.57 (0.49) 677 0.49 (0.43) 588 0.41 (0.36) 490 0.35 (0.30) 411 0.31 (0.27) 365

778 659 588 511 426 357 317

69 71 73 75 77 78 79

Conditions: temperature: 80'; humidity: 82%; wind: 10 mph; seas: (0101; load: half fuel, 115 gal. water, 2 persons, moderate gear. Speeds are Iwo·woy overages measured w/Stolker radar gun. GPH supplied by MAN. Range: 90% of advertised fuel (opo(ity. Decibels measured on A scale. 65 dB is the level of normal (onversotion.

June 1999 POWER&MOTORYACHT 5 1

maneuvers were those hard-over turns at fu ll speed after which

she quickly came back to track straight and true.

I would have stayed longer but for Hookings reminding me of

my impending flight. It was back to the dock for us and a gentle

landing as the 75 almost nestled herself in her slip thanks to the

instant response of the Mathers controls and a nudge now and

then of her standard bow thruster.

By the time I reached Poole and my Manhattan 74 test boat

it was early afternoon of the fo llowing day. A chill was in the air

and a brisk wind blew at 20 mph with gusts to 30. But the sun

was out, and Sunseeker's Capt. John was ready to "get a kettle

on."

Sharing her sister's penchant for performance, the 74 all but

ignored the ugly, steep, quick two-to-four foot chop that turned

Poole's outer harbor into a canvas of white-topped water. While

she stayed on course with the fo llowing sea, it was her steady

shouldering through those pestering two-to-four footers at 30

mph that most impressed me.

I did all my steering from the starboard lower helm, as the

weather topsides was a bit much for

sitting up on the expansive fl ying

bridge. With excellent visibility for­

ward and to either side, it was easy for

me to keep her on course as we dodged

the numerous fishing buoys. However,

even though I could see astern , the

galley directly aft presented some sight line obstacles during docking. For­

tunately, Sun seeker offers an optional stern station as a solution.

The lower helm offers the same multiposition electric helms­

ma n's chair and expertly designed console as the Predator. A

mere glance gave me all the necessary information. Opposite the helm is the dining area with circular seating for eight

around a highly lacquered triangular table. Large windows all

52 POWER & MOTORYACHT June 1999

ar und mak Lhis suitable for enjoying a meal underway. And

for relax d onversation and entertainment, it's just a few steps

down and art t the full-beam saloon.

Th sa m' fin e cherry woodwork and excellent fit and finish found on herist r make the 74 as elegant as can be. Large win­

dow and th > a lmost full-beam sliding glass door aft ensure

plenty of Ii ht duri ng the day. There are two seating areas to

eith r sid " os (1 pair of C-shape leather couches flank a striking ellipti al coll t'(' table. Forward and slightly to starboard is the en­

teltainm nt { nl r, a stunning piece of furniture housing a 27-

in h I I 'vi,lll1 , [\os urround System, Sony VCR, and RCA DSS

syst m.

SI I ilHJ (1twm modations include a full -beam m aste r

ac . S cI vl(l (l t In 111m slaircase to port in the saloon, a double

berth 10 ('illlt'l \Itil' It rward and a few steps down from the lower

h 1m SIOl!ol1, <lnd (11(lr9 forepeak VIP stateroom. All feature en

suit h 'mh, In\' 01 \\owoge areas and cabinets, fine woodwork, and a d "i(Jllthllt\\ 11\ m~ rtable to the eye as it is to the body.

A n Olill<) \t(ll/ II\t', midway a nd to port between the saloon

An ma lgam of luxury and practicality exists

,Ibo. rd the 74. You can see it in the roomy

/fl.l t r stateroom (left). the low e r he lm

(low r left). a nd the well -equipped galle y.

a nd the dining area, led m e up to the

flying bridge (a lso accessed fro m th e cockpit ladder). Here I found a three-person

helm bench to tarb ard a nd a packed console designed to put

everything within arm's reach.

Directly aft of the helm, a food-prep area includes a Gagge­

neau two-burn r grill, sink, icemaker, stowage cabinet, and

cooler. An extra-large sun pad lies aft, and there's seating to port

for eight on a n L-shape settee with a table, lots of stowage, and

I

I I

! !

Th e 74's saloon offers easy access to the bridge via the floating stairs to port, or forward to the galley and the starboard lowe r he lm.

plenty of room to walk around. Sunseeker also provides space meant to be. And a the compa ny looks to the future with the for an optional davit and dinghy on the cockpit overhang. launching of the 105 Yacht, there is little doubt that, as usual,

That cockpit has a tran am bench for five, two large transom there will be more admirable vessels slipping down the ways at lockers, plus a co ntrol center fo r the hidden passerelle a nd Poole. For now, these two bea utiful vessels are indeed an hydraulic teak swim platfOlm. example of Sunseeker's fine t hour. As for my frantic two-day,

My time aboard had to end, as I needed to catch a fli ght back transatlantic boat test- well, that was just business as usual. 0 to the States, but even with the hectic travel chedule, I was able Sunseeker USA ~ (954) 984-2911 . Fax: (954) 984-2913. to experi ence each of these fine yachts in the way they were Reader Service No. 253.

Bose price: S2)81,700 with 2/ I,20Q-hp MAN 02840 tE 406 diesel inboords Optional power: 2/ 811·hp Caterpillor 3406E or 2/ 1,OS(}hp 02840 lE 403, 2/ 1,1 OQ-hp MAN 02842 lE 402 diesel inboords Standard equipment: hydrauliC teak swim ploriorm; teak cockpit sale; 2 Simpson lawrence stern winches; remote controlled Guest spotlight;

PMY TESTED: SUN SEEKER MANHATTAN 74 bow thruster; Vocuflush toilets; Simpsonlowrencc windlass; oirCloft-style helm door; Bose Surround Sound stereo; wetbor w/ hot and cold water, ice chest, icemoker, and electric griddle on flying bridge; saloon icemoker Construction: hond·loid FRP w/isophtholic resin, powder-bound fiberglass mot, orthophtholic resin, woven ravings and unidirechonol fiberglass

reinforcement, balso·cored topsides. bonom reinforced w/ bonded foom girder system SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 74'2"; Beam: 17'10"; Droit: 4'9"; Ma ximum headroom: 7'0"; Weight: 81,600 Ibs.; Fuel (opacity: 1,321 gal.; Water capacity: 243 gal.; Test engines: 2/ 1,1 O() hp MAN 02842 lE 402 diesel inboords;

Transmission: ZF BW 165B; Ratio: 1.97:1; Props: 34x39 five blade; Steering: Hynouhc hydrauliC power steering; <ontrols: Morse electronic; Trim tabs: NA; Optional equipment on test boot: hydraulic posserelle; teak side decks; flying bridge davit; RIB tender w/ 5Q-hp outboord; cockpit control station

RPM MPH GPH 1.116 1M HM DECIBELS (KIIDTI) (IIMPG) RAHGE !AIIGE

1000 142(12.3) 18 0.79 (0.69) 938 816 71 1250 18.0 (15.7) 28 0.64 (0.56) 764 665 73 1500 21.9 (19 .0) 36 0.61 (0.53) 723 629 73 1750 27.9 (24.2) 52 0.54 (0.47) 637 554 74 2000 33.5 (29.1) 70 0.48 (0.42) 568 494 76 2150 38.8 (33.7) 86 0.45 (0.39) 536 466 76

(onditio~ : temperolure. 61 '; humidity 74li1, wind: 20·30 mph; seas: 4·6'; load: full fuel, 35 gal. water, 5 per\O~, moderale gear. Speeds are fwo·woy overages measured w/Slolker radar gun. GPH IUpplied by MAN. Range: 90% of advertised fuel (opacity Oeclbels measured on A s(ole. 65 dB is the level of normal (onvorlOlron.

June 1999 POWER & MOTORYACHT 53