SUNSEEKER PREDATOR 60 EVO
How do you follow the success of the award-winning Predator 57? We put the replacement through its paces to find out
TESTED
First full sea trial of this new generation sportscruiser in testing UK conditions
There is a theme developing within my tests of the Predator 60. Ten years ago I was testing a previous generation of the boat in a trial that took us from Sunseeker’s Poole base to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight and back again and the weather was thoroughly miserable. The rakish, warm weather sportscruiser was forced to endure conditions it would probably never go out in again in its lifetime but on that day the 60 proved that there is more to it than lounging around in an anchorage looking cool. Fast forward to January of this year and I arrive at Sunseeker’s West Quay Road facility before the sun rises with rain pouring off the shed roof.
Don’t let the photos, which were shot by Sunseeker in Florida, fool you. It is the remnants of Storm Brendan, which had been forecast, but with such a tiny window to test the boat before it headed north to Helsinki we had to give it a go.
Poole Harbour is empty and its protection from the southwesterly wind gives no inkling as to what sea conditions might be like outside. As we ease on to the plane, our sights on Old Harry rocks, there is little to suggest that a howling storm was blowing across the bay just hours before aside from a light swell that picks up as we clear the lee of the Isle of Purbeck. The 60 EVO is a happy beast in these conditions, romping confidently across the undulating surface. We are running in step with our 76 Yacht chase boat and, frankly, struggling to keep up. The stabilised 76 is not only longer and heavier than the 28-tonne Predator but it’s faster at the top end too, because the boat we have on test has the smallest engines on offer, twin 900hp Volvo Penta D13s.
SVELTE ITERATION
The upgrade to the 1,000hp units on the same block is £50,000 and if you want IPS there is £80,000 to pay for the twin 725hp pod-drive version. The good news is that, unless you’re going to order a very heavy spec, the standard engines feel more than up to the job of punting the boat through the water. True, we didn’t have a tender in the garage, nor was there a gyro fitted, but during our two-way performance runs we got from 0-20 knots in 13.1 seconds and topped out at 33.5 knots.
You don’t lop off that much weight and it go unnoticed from the helm, where the boat feels alert and eager to plane
The hull is shared with the Predator 57 but in developing that boat into this new model Sunseeker implemented a strict weight-saving regime. The use of carbon fibre is extensive, most obviously in the beautiful (and enormous) sunroof – apparently so light two people could pick it up and carry it – but also in the transom and tender garage moulding where a whopping 400kg has been saved. You don’t lop off that much weight and it go unnoticed from behind the helm where the boat feels alert, poised and eager to plane. Sunseeker offers something called the Hydro Performance Pack, which for £10,254 includes Humphree’s excellent auto trim Interceptors, a Seastar steering system with independent cylinders, Ackerman steering and flow aligned rudders for improved water flow, efficiency and refinement. All excellent kit, there’s no question about that, but the manners of our standard boat and its traditional trim tabs (which went unused throughout) didn’t lead me to think the Hydro Pack is a compulsory tick on the option sheet.
The upgraded multi-function wheel is, however. This is the first time I have used one of these wheels with the buttons under my thumbs connected to the two MFDS. The functionality takes a little bit of getting used to but after a bit of practice they work very well. Simrad’s lovely 16in MFDS touch screens are a bit of a stretch away from the helm seat so having hard buttons arranged around the steering wheel hub is very useful when you’re bouncing around out at sea. A click of a button can change which display is active, swap between screens, zoom in and out of the chart and even mark and set headings for waypoints.
The layout and design of the helm is very good and an area of improvement over the 57. It’s more digitally savvy too, with a
The designers have not cast aside function to benefit form nor have they dismissed the practicalities of boating
wireless charger for a smartphone incorporated into the cubby on the left hand side and a mount for an ipad with built-in charging dock subtly mounted just above it. Given how many people use an ipad as their secondary source of navigation data this seems a prudent move. It’s not perfect, however; though the supportive helm seats have slide adjustment, they don’t move close enough to the dash for my liking, which left me uncomfortably perched on the edge of the seat. And there’s a small step up to the helm from the saloon that you will catch your toe on. A lot. Above this there is a drop-down teak step that when deployed allows you to pop your head through the sunroof, which is ideal for berthing. The view is actually very good given how steeply raked the windscreen is and even though the mullions are thick, the side windows extend a long way forward so you can check the blind spot. In hard turns to port, the glass roof proves itself useful for checking traffic when you lose sight through the port side-window.
FUNCTION AND FORM
There is a sense of not wishing to throw the baby out with the bath water on the 60 EVO. Sunseeker sold more than 100 of the boat it’s replacing so has sensibly carried over the bits that worked, namely the spectacular roof and drop-down cockpit doors. They give the boat a two-in-one versatility that few rivals can compete with; in good weather open the roof and drop the cockpit doors into the deck and you’re as exposed to the elements as you could possibly hope to be on a hardtop sportcruiser, and in poor weather keep everything closed, pump up the Eberspächer and go winter boating in a T-shirt.
And because the sunroof has eight glass panels, even when it’s closed there is a great connection to the outside and huge ladles of natural light being served into the main deck.
The roof and large void that it retracts into make the boat appear rather tall – the black superstructure an attempt to lower the boat’s visual height – and the overall design is a bit too fussy for my taste but the benefits on board are plain to see. The layout differs little from the 57 but the level of quality and attention to detail is superior to the previous model. It’s small touches all over the interior that create an overall impression of a more finessed product. Be it the solid metal handles on drawers and doors or the stainless steel details embedded in the cabin doors. The intelligent use of backlighting and dimmable spotlights that can be controlled either via hard switches or Sunseeker’s excellent CM8 central control system. The designers have not cast aside function to benefit form nor have they dismissed the important practicalities of boating. The galley is a fine example of this with its ample stowage, cupboard doors that lock shut with handsome metal catches, tall fiddles along drawer edges and bespoke storage for crockery including, rather charmingly, a tea set.
Opposite there is a lower dinette that some may see as surplus to requirements but others will view as a cosy spot to retire to in poor weather or have a morning coffee away from prying eyes on
the main deck. Alternatively this area can be made into an extension of the galley with more counter space, a wine cooler, washing machine and extra fridge. Even without this galley extension, the catering facilities compares favourably with most rivals especially when it comes to cooling space; the undercounter fridge in the galley is supported by a drawer fridge in the deck saloon and another small unit in the cockpit wetbar. An icemaker and BBQ grill are cost options in the cockpit that are worth having given the distance between the cockpit and galley.
The three-cabin layout isn’t up for change but you can have scissor berths in the VIP cabin rather than the fixed double if you need a bit more versatility. This cabin is ensuite to the day heads, though it is shared with the bunk bed third cabin across the landing. The full-beam master ensuite stands out for its spaciousness and
lack of obstructions overhead or under foot. With more than 6ft 1in of headroom and a flat floor it is very easy to move around the island berth, though with just one hanging wardrobe and a small chest to port it feels a little down on storage space compared to some rivals.
IMPROVED FORMULA
Whether the boat has shafts or IPS, the engines are in the same spot just aft of the master cabin bulkhead. On the pod option, jackshafts connect the engines to the pod drives, though this means the pods are tucked away beneath the crew cabin, potentially making involved maintenance work quite tricky.
The engineroom itself fairs better and is accessed via a hatch in the cockpit deck. Inside there is enough space to stand with a stooped head and good access around the blocks to make daily service checks. There is some intrusion from the tender garage moulding but it’s not bad and the amount of insulation down here explains why the boat is so very quiet at cruising speed. The crew cabin isn’t a space I would want to spend much time in but, with good access via a door in the transom, it makes a great area to store bulky items without having to lift the tender garage door.
It’s tempting to dismiss the 60 EVO as a Predator 57 with tweaked styling and a new colour scheme but spend some time on board and you realise that Sunseeker has put the work in to improve what was already a successful design.
If you have an award-winning blueprint it doesn’t make much sense to abandon it and the subtle changes that have been made to the interior lift the boat to a higher echelon without spoiling what worked so well on the previous model. Like the Predator 60 I tested ten years ago, this latest version demonstrates the sort of practicality and versatility that make it such a talented and stylish year-round cruising machine. CONTACT Sunseeker London
+ 44 (0)20 7355 0980; www.sunseeker.com
Sunseeker sold more than 100 of the boat the 60 replaces so has sensibly carried over the bits that worked