SUNSEEKER YACHTS

In the early 1970’s Poole Power Boats, as they were then called, began producing their own boats. Up until that time they concerned themselves with the importing and distribution of craft from the USA and Scandinavia. This was the first step forward to what was to become the global success of one of the best known boat builders in the world today.

The design flare and imagination that showed in the early boats caught the attention of a French boat dealer whose request for an all white vessel with a full width sun bed across the stern was met and led to successful sales.

This success spring boarded the innovation that has set Sunseeker yachts as a true market leader in the arena of luxury boat builders, super yachts and mega yachts.

Deep ‘V’ hulls, now considered as a trademark of Sunseeker, were developed with the help of Don Shead that allowed freedom and comfort as well as sporting performance for Sunseeker owners. Ken Freivokh, a naval architect, worked with Sunseeker to help design and develop interior styling that would add a new dimension to the use of space on luxurious yachts.

In the 1990’s, Sunseeker’s designs and styling were comparable to the changes that were taking place within the motor industry and below deck pioneering advances in propulsion systems that improved speed, economy, efficiency noise levels, comfort and handling. One notable ground-breaking development was the Renegade 60; powered by water jets and capable of shifting a massive 32,000 gallons per minute with the throttle fully open.

Sunseeker yachts were showing that imagination was the only boundary and the buying public were lapping it up. Larger boats generally meant a larger crew and reduced performance but Sunseeker devoured that myth and spat out the Predator 80. This 80’ motor yacht could be handled by two people, had opulent styling and comfort. The interior was mounted on resilient mounts giving a more reduced vibration and noise and with super efficient hydro dynamics the 50 ton vessel could reach 46 knots.

In 2001 the company made a major investment and centralised its technical operations under one roof with new computers and software handling interior design, hull shapes, (CFD) Computational Fluid Dynamics enabling simulation of vessel behaviour in specific sea conditions. These software systems designed to be fully conversant with CAD, CAM, JIT, reduced waste programmes allowed improved production processes to emerge and with design, styling, production and sales personnel working more closely together a new efficient team of specialists was evolving.
The launch of the 32 knot, 105 foot motor yacht in the same year took Sunseeker into the realms of ship building as well as boat building and won two International Superyacht Design Awards. These vessels are classed as commercial craft and are subject to different and more stringent regulations regarding equipment and crew.

New high tech shipyards have been built to so that standards conform to the requirements of modern shipbuilding and so that the logistics involved with moving much larger and heavier product are managed and controlled in a safe efficient manner.

Senior shipyard staff now includes experienced mariners and engineers from the merchant marine and the Royal Navy in order to compliment the high standards Sunseeker yachts have risen to.

2012 will see the launch of Sunseeker’s 46 metre project and places them proudly in the megayacht league, a full nine metres longer than their current 37 metre project.

As Aston Martin is to the car industry so Sunseeker is to the boating industry. A fitting term of phrase as Sunseeker vessels have appeared in the last four Bond movies.