WRITTEN BY: Rob Bowman
May 24, 2022 
Sunseeker has been building boats since 1969 and is one of the largest motor yacht builders in the world. With approximately 150 boats produced each year and their range exceeding 20 models to choose from, it's safe to say that the Sunseeker brand will continue its pursuit for quite some time. With thousands of monthly searches for Sunseeker Yachts on Google, one question that continues to arise from boat buyers is "Are Sunseeker Boats any good?"
This is a very subjective question as Sunseeker builds a particular style of yacht for a particular style of boating, one that may not appeal to someone that loves sportfishing boats or center-consoles. By looking at both industry awards and a good volume of boats sold, we can assume the answer. Sunseeker Yachts are widely considered a good boat builder as they are often recognized through marine industry awards, like the World Yacht Trophies, but there have also been more than 450 used Sunseekers sold since the beginning of 2021.
"Builders like Sunseeker, Princess, Fairline, Azimut, and others are all pretty similar in their styles with some of the shipyards investing in new technology that may give them slight advantages," said Jay Hendrix, Vice President of SI Yachts. "We are proud to represent Princess Yachts and Absolute Yachts as dealers, which are competitors to Sunseeker, but we have also sold a fair amount of all of these brands on the brokerage market. If you have a Sunseeker you want to sell, call us and we'll put together a full marketing plan just for your boat. We can also help you with learning more about Princess, Absolute, and other luxury motor yacht builders.
Seen below: 'AQUAHOLIC' does a walk-through video of the Sunseeker Manhattan 55
What Kind Of Awards Has Sunseeker Won?
The Sunseeker designers and engineers are not strangers to the major marine industry awards that are given out annually. The Motor Boat Awards are arguably one of the top ceremonies for yacht builders on the international stage. The 2022 awards which were held in January included multiple Sunseeker models in the running for various categories. The Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht was the winner in the 'Sports Cruisers Over 45-Foot Category'.
"The Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht lives up to its name with the kind of nimble handling and near 35 knot performance that belies its size and simply wouldn’t be possible on a full-blown flybridge," the judges said. Add in the exhilarating experience of driving the boat from the Skyhelm station on the flybridge and you have one extremely fun boat ride. Additionally the Manhattan 55 was nominated for 'Best Flybridge Up To 60-Feet' and the Manhattan 68 was nominated for 'Best Flybridge Over 60-Feet.
The World Yacht Trophies are another highly-regarded awards ceremony where Sunseeker did tremendously well in 2021. Three models took home awards in major categories, a testament to the popularity of the British shipyard. The 65 Sport once again won an award, this time for Best Exterior Design in its category. The 88 Motor Yacht won for Best Exterior Design in its category as well, while the 90 Ocean won for Best Layout.
What Are The Most Popular Sunseeker Models
Again, this is a very subjective thing to say that any one model is more popular than another, especially when there can be many differences between ranges like the Manhattan, Portofino, Superhawk, Predator, and others. There are also going to be much fewer boats sold in the 90-foot and up range as there is less of a market at that price.
The Manhattan model range was quite popular and the sold data supports this. From the beginning of 2021, there have been 83 used Sunseekers sold in the United States and recorded in the MLS. Nearly half of those boats sold were from the Manhattan model line, with the Manhattan 52, Manhattan 55, and Mahattan 66 being the most popular. During this same timeframe, there were 3 Sunseeker boats sold over 100-feet, two of which were based in Miami.
Comparing Sunseeker sold numbers to other competitive brands is worthy of discussion, but other factors like production schedules, sourcing equipment, owners keeping their boats longer, and a variety of economic situations can "muddy the waters" when trying to determine popularity. Looking solely at the American market, Sunseeker came in behind Azimut in total number of pre-owned vessels sold, but did exceed the numbers for Princess, Fairline, Ferretti, and Galeon.
As a leader in the yacht brokerage industry and as one of the most successful new boat dealers in the Northeast, the team at SI Yachts is uniquely experienced to help you take your boating interests to the next level. If you are looking to sell your current Sunseeker or other boat, we can execute a personalized advertising plan, as well as utilize our vast Hubspot CRM database, to help you find a buyer quickly. If you're looking to purchase a yacht, we have access to boats on and off the market that may fit your budget and requirements. Contact us today at 1-718-984-7676, or by email at Sales@SIYachts.com, to get started with one of our yacht sales professionals.
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