68 Sunseeker Predator 2004

Source: Capt. Ken Kreisler, Power & Motoryacht Magazine

It was blowing a steady 20 knots out of the northeast off of Florida’s dicey Hillsboro Inlet—there’s a sign posted at the drawbridge leading from the ICW to the ocean warning that local knowledge is advisable—as I wheeled the Sunseeker Predator 68 through her paces in the four-foot slop with the more-than-occasional six-footer thrown in. Accompanying me was Capt. Ralph Casler of Sunseeker Florida, the local Sunseeker dealer. My last look at the tachs showed the twin 1,300-hp MAN diesels turning about 1800 rpm, and the Furuno Navnet 1943C screen told me I was doing around 31 mph.

A cold front had swept in overnight and taken out the mild, calm weather most of South Florida had been experiencing. I looked east to the Gulf Stream and noticed what appeared to be distinct ripples on the horizon—like those fake waves you see being moved by hand at your child’s third grade production of The Little Mermaid. I hit WX on the VHF and got the following mechanically staccato message: “…with the Gulf Stream experiencing seas of 10 to 12 feet…” Oh well, no lunch at Old Bahama Bay today. It’s one thing getting caught unaware in weather and quite another to go looking for it.

Nevertheless, I had the Predator 68 running quite smoothly considering the conditions we were in and noticed little or no wallowing or pounding as the sleek hull moved through the choppy water. Sure, I was working the wheel hard, but that was to be expected. So far this boat and I were getting along just fine. However, I was on a mostly southerly course, and once I turned the 68 around to see what she could do with the seas on the bow, the situation would probably be a very different one.

It was. From the almost predictable rhythm of that aft quartering sea, I was greeted by liquid turmoil. Now at 31 mph there was a fair amount of pounding, especially when the four-footers became sixes. I did manage, on several occasions, to send copious amounts of ocean across my starboard bow. It washed across the foredeck—a foredeck that with its sloping configuration looked like an Olympic ski jump from where I sat—and up onto the three wide forward windows. As the wind then sent it up and over the hardtop, I was glad I’d decided to keep the sunroof shut. (At the push of a button, a large section of the hardtop slides aft.)

Throttling down to 1500 rpm, I had her running at about 25 mph (22 knots), much more comfortable. Here there was no pounding, and when one of the waves decided to stand up a little taller, the 68 put her shoulder to it and pushed right on through. Even with these seas, I noticed her quick, precise handling when I brought her about on several maneuvers.

Working the throttles and guiding the 68 through the water resulted in an exciting ride. She was putting on a good show, even in this sea. And that’s just what Sunseeker had in mind with the Predator series: boats that are fast, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Afterwards, on protected waters, I posted an average WOT speed of almost 44 mph (38 knots) at 2300 rpm, a fast-cruise speed of more than 41 mph (36 knots) at 2250 rpm, and a slow-cruise speed of more than 31 mph (27 knots) at 1750 rpm.

Boat Specifications: 68 Sunseeker Predator 2004

Boat Type: Cruiser

Standard Power: 2/1,300-hp MAN D2842 LE 404 diesel inboards

Optional Power: 2/1,500-hp MAN D2842 LE 409 diesel inboards

Length Overall (LOA): 66’9”

Beam: 17’1”

Draft: 4’8”

Weight: 66,140 lbs.

Fuel Capacity: 1,030 gal.

Water Capacity: 185 gal.

Standard Equipment: Lewmar V4 windlass forward and 2/C3 warping winches aft; hydraulic swim platform; electrically operated transom garage; Superwinch X1 winch in garage for tender; Raritan 85 ice maker, Coolmatic ice chest, and AEG electric griddle in cockpit; Furuno M1762 radar; Simrad AP20 autopilot; IS12 electronic speed and depth indicators; Shipmate RS 8400 VHF; VDO analog engine instruments, rudder indicator, and freshwater and fuel gauges; Ritchie HF73 compass; Kohler 20-kW genset; Separ SWK 2000 fuel/water separators; Seafire automatic fire extinguishers; Newmar 95-amp battery charger for 24-volt circuits and 20-amp battery charger for 12-volt circuits

Test Engines: 2/1,300-hp MAN D2842 LE 404 diesel inboards

Transmissions / Ratio: ZF190V/2.03:1

Props: 32.5×46.5 5-blade

Steering: Teleflex SeaStar hydraulic, power-assisted

Controls: ZF Mathers electronic

Optional Equipment On Test Boat: Furuno Navnet 1943C color LCD radar/plotter w/GP310B GPS antenna; Simrad RS87 VHF; freshwater washdown w/forward and aft outlets; Gaggenau lava rock cockpit grill; 37” Panasonic plasma TV in saloon; 20” Sharp LCD TV in master; 3/vertical port lights on each side in master; Combo-Matic 6100 washer/dryer; foredeck sunpad; granite countertops and soles in heads; Sunbrella canvas package

Conditions: temperature: 68º; humidity: 71%; wind: 20 mph; seas: 2-6’, calm in test area; load: 690 gal. fuel, 55 gal. water, 2 persons, 200 lbs. gear. Speeds are two-way averages measured w/Stalker radar gun. GPH supplied by MAN. Range: 90% of advertised fuel capacity. Decibels measured on A scale. 65 dB is the level of normal conversation. All measurements taken with trim tabs fully retracted.