82 Sunseeker Yacht

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

Prepare to be pampered aboard the biggest Sunseeker to arrive in Australian waters. David Lockwood accepts the challenge

For the moment, at least, Alani is the biggest Sunseeker to sail Down Under. The arrival in Sydney of the Sunseeker 82 Yacht certainly caused the corks to fly. The heir to famous family-owned French champagne house Billecart-Salmon supplied 380 bottles of bubbly for 400 guests, I’m told.

Heirs and heiresses are the kind of company that Sunseeker’s 82-135ft Yacht range keeps. Celebrities like Australia’s celebrated chefs, Neil Perry and Tetsuya Wakuda, were seen swanning about the harbour on another Sunseeker, days before the 82’s launch. Which is to say nothing of the Formula One drivers, bluebloods and countless big business wigs jumping aboard these big boats around the world these days.

Of the four svelte models in Sunseeker’s Yacht range, the 82 is the one that marks the next big jump for owner/drivers. And it will overawe the 50-60-footers that have been dominating big-city marinas for the last few years.

A voluminous boat, Alani has a level of sophistication usually reserved for superyachts and custom-built boats. By the time you read this, it is likely the boat will have undergone a major engineering refit so it can operate as a private and corporate charter vessel in the Whitsundays in winter and Sydney Harbour in summer.

But initially Alani’s owner sought a comfortable craft in which he could decamp with the tribe. As the 82 Yacht requires full-time crew – if not to drive then to maintain – it is an ideal craft for hands-off boating. With a professional skipper and mate you don’t have to concern yourself with anything other than enjoyment. In the realms of production powerboats, this level of pampering is akin to first-class travel on the water.

THE PERSONAL TOUCH
The owner employed his personal New York designer to create something special with the big white fibreglass hull. Alan Swanzenberg went for uncluttered elegance rather than glitz. In many ways, Alani is a meeting of old and new.

Rather than the ubiquitous high-gloss cherrywood, this boat has practical satin-finished teak. In fact, this is Sunseeker’s first teak boat.

An art lover, the owner decorated the walls with paintings depicting romantic tropical scenes in the saloon, and nautical prints below decks to remind you that you are indeed afloat.

Elsewhere I found real indoor plants – bromeliads, no less – and loose timber tables fashioned from rare wenge wood, which is a dark, oak-like timber from Africa. Apparently it matches the furniture in the owner’s Swanzenberg-designed office.

Swanzenberg removed the ceiling features to keep the lines simple and used colour for accents. The galley counters and ensuite vanity tops are made from trendy lavastone. Despite its fine satsuma-like cracked finish, the stone is said to be hard wearing and not affected by hot pots. Eye-catching blue cobalt-coloured counters enliven the galley, while the bathroom vanity tops are a softer cream.

A cream-coloured fabric is used for the roof liners, while there is Oxford-blue leather on the dinette lounges, and hard-wearing blue material covering the sofas in the aft saloon – which is more an informal family room, with a 40in plasma television.

The internal Besenzoni electric helm chairs and passenger bench seat behind the windscreen are covered in chic cashew-coloured soft leather.

However, the skipper, an experienced chap of Kiwi extraction who came from an 100ft Azimut motoryacht, wasn’t content with many aspects of the standard Sunseeker 82 Yacht. Foremost, he believed it needed more comfortable crew quarters, so he and his bosun mate could really live aboard. He redesigned the poky aft cabin, apparently intended to accommodate up to four crew, and built a double bed with legroom and an office from which he can maintain communications from anywhere in the world.

The Miele washing machine/dryer was moved from the crew quarters into the engine room. With a few guests or family aboard it is possible to put through as many as eight loads of washing a day, the skipper said.

ELECTRONICS, ENGINEERING
The communications equipment and electronics can be a story in their own right on boats above 60ft. Alani certainly has some cutting-edge gear in the shape of a Fleet 77 system, which is the latest Inmarsat Service providing voice, data, fax and video transmission from anywhere in the world.

Two wireless laptops with printers and fax functions let the skipper work from the bridge to the engine room and anywhere in between, while the entertainment system includes an impressive satellite aerial that allows you to view Foxtel at anchor in the Palm Island Group.

The entertainment cabinet was redesigned to make way for the television, all 40in of Sony Plasma screen, which is linked to a Panasonic home theatre system. The owners’ and guests’ cabins also have 40in Plasma televisions, recessed speakers and separate sound systems. If you like your music loud you will approve of the sub-woofer.

Gracing the dash is an impressive spread of cruising electronics. There are twin multifunction panels for the V12 electronic Caterpillar engines, a single joystick for the bow and stern thrusters, ZF electronic controls and systems for pumps, air-conditioners, batter charger, generator, lights, and so on.

Navigation is looked after by a 12V colour PC screen linked to the excellent Tsunami chart system, a Simrad autopilot, and separate speed and depth gauges. The boat has a cigar lighter, spotlight and trim tabs, but no indicators for the latter for some odd reason.

A remote docking device plugs into ports near the transom or the bow to make light work of parking. Or at least it did in the hands of the professional skipper. Foot-controlled electric capstans in the transom corners helped the mate tighten the mooring lines and, from my observations, this seemed an easy boat to berth.

WALK-IN ENGINE ROOM
A watertight door at the transom leads through the crew quarters to the walk-in engine room with full headroom and a lot of serious liveaboard equipment.

Fresh water isn’t an issue thanks to the 198lt/h Waterwitch desalinator; a unit popular on northern prawn trawlers. The boat’s water tanks hold 1600lt, whereas it would be easy to go through 1500-2500lt of water a day in the boat’s showers, toilets, deck and anchor washes, and laundry.

Fuel capacity of 6500lt gives a safe cruising range of 320nm at 24kt. While the range could be improved by travelling at displacement speeds, the skipper says the Don Shead-designed tunnel hull performs best with the pegs down. More on this later.

There are just two air-conditioning units, but they are the chilled-water type favoured for bringing a big boat like this down in temperature in a hurry. The twin 60,000BTU sets are probably more than you need, says the skipper. Reverse cycle heating was appreciated during my time aboard.

Separate hydraulic powerpacks look after the 20hp bow and stern thrusters, pasarelle and submersible swim platform. Power comes from twin 32kW generators. The skipper was instrumental in upgrading the shorepower system and adding a transformer so he could draw up to 80amps from the dock.

Each motor has dual fuel filters and an oil-change system will be retrofitted. Big extractor fans and engine vents ensure the V12 Cats, the biggest engine options available, aren’t starved for fresh air. Underwater exhausts with idle-relief valves make this a quiet boat.

DECKED OUT
Little more than two years ago there was just one Sunseeker tied at Sydney’s Rozelle Bay Marina. Today there are nine vessels, collectively worth close to $30 million. The 82 Yacht stands out thanks to its clean lines, modest use of stainless steel and a simpler superstructure with less flashy engine vents.

The radar arch includes tail fins and two big superyacht-style domes. The three oval side windows at water level hint at a full-width master cabin. The hull, a classic Shead design, has signature standout chines and a step in the sides to boost the above-water volume.

The 82 Yacht certainly has enough deck space to provide privacy, should you go looking for it. The bow has a big sunpad, while the cockpit comes with a teak outdoor setting around which eight people can dine. The owner said he enjoys having all his meals at this table while taking in the views.

There are side gates to help load provisions, bulwarks that will be improved upon by adding higher rails, and a fair old RIB with a 60hp outboard, awaiting quick dispatch from the submersible boarding platform. The recessed stainless steel anchor caught my eye and the heavy duty designer deck fittings didn’t go unnoticed as we tossed the lines.

A moulded staircase leads from the cockpit to the mother of all lifestyle bridges. The skipper used a local firm to build a bimini top with strength, style and shade. During our winter’s outing I drove the boat from the internal helm station, beside the air-con control set on 26¼C, but the bridge is the place in summer.

Sunseeker has four optional layouts for the flybridge that include things like spa baths, cranes and wetbike storage. Without these additions, the bridge has a lot of entertaining space. The owner added two poolside-style teak sunlounges to the aft bridge overhang and a freestanding stainless-steel barbecue.

Wraparound lounges and bench seats can collectively seat a dozen people, which is to say nothing of the sunpad for the kiddies or companion beside the skipper.

The amenities centre behind the helm bench contains an electric griddle with a timer, sink with hot and cold water, fridge and icemaker.

INDOOR LIVING
There are great views from indoors. Big saloon windows frame the vista magnificently and you can take in the passing parade while seating or standing. During my drive I had four different Sydney icons framed simultaneously in four different windows: Luna Park to port, the bridge off the bow, the Finger Wharf to starboard and Circular Quay across the way.

With the sliding saloon door closed you don’t have to shout to be heard in the open plan layout, which flows forward from the saloon to the galley and dining area to the lower helm and passenger lounge behind the windscreen. A side door leads to the port bulwark for close-quarters parking. There is the option of an owner’s private stairwell from the saloon to the master cabin below.

The saloon was used as a family room on Alani. The blue lounges can seat 10 people before the massive plasma screen. A couple of steps forward and you’re in the dining room, where there is an option for a formal setting, or the sofa seating seen here. The wenge wood table had room for eight if you pulled over a pair of loose chairs.

A factory option exists for a more enclosed galley than the standard arrangement as seen on Alani. But the open island servery better suits our casual way of dining and cooking. A rangehood, hard-wearing teak flooring and clever storage including a pullout pantry were among the features.

Appliances included a Bosch four-burner induction stove with touch pad control, convection microwave oven/grill, dishwasher and domestic-sized fridge/freezer with chilled water and icemaker. The Bezzera coffee machine on the counter was rearing to go. Glassware and a choice of cutlery and chinaware for eight people is supplied.

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE
When you move up to boats of 80ft-plus, you start getting hotel-style comforts, long companionways like you find in a real ship, walk-in wardrobes and foyers that create privacy and a suite effect. So it is aboard the 82 Yacht, a big-hearted boat with four cabins and four heads, plus the crew quarters and toilet/shower back aft.

Sunseeker offers accommodation options such as a jacuzzi/bath in the master ensuite, but to gain this you lose an ensuite in one of the guest cabins, or the private stairwell from the saloon to the master cabin, which then has an offset bed. The layout on Alani, where every cabin has a bathroom and the master cabin has a bed on the centreline, is definitely the most obliging.

Down six steps from the saloon leads you towards the VIP guests’ cabin in the bow. It has a foyer for privacy, walk-in wardrobe and linen press, bathroom and big island bed. Storage space is such that you can empty your trunk and organise your outfits according to the cruising program ahead.

VIPs get an armchair and small settee, 42in plasma television and a dresser, or room for a laptop computer. Alani’s interior designer removed the ceiling feature and introduced neutral tones and textures such as straw-coloured curtains, a white-striped bedspread, teak joinery and simple deco uplights.

The ensuite continues with the stately teak theme and there is lavastone for the vanity and washbasin. The Vacuflush loo will reduce odours. I found a separate shower stall with five roses for a full body scrub, brushed stainless steel fittings and monogrammed towels, of course.

Alani has two additional guest cabins, each with ensuite. The portside cabin contains three bunks for the kids and/or their mates. The ensuite has a lively cobalt-blue lavastone vanity to match that in the galley.

The starboard cabin is equipped with two adult-sized single beds. A door leading from the foyer means the ensuite doubles as the dayhead.

But nothing can hold a candle to the full-width presidential suite with deep oval windows. This master cabin has views of the water and the tropical mountains tumbling down to the anchorage. Positioned roughly amidships, it has stability, privacy and sufficient floorspace to make this a real holiday house afloat.

The king-sized island bed is flanked by lounges covered in coffee-coloured Irish wool and there is another 40in plasma television dead ahead. The burgundy-coloured leather lampshades and nautical artworks add an air of tradition.

Behind the bedhead is the bathroom with his and her’s sinks, Vacuflush loo (and bidet if you want) and walk-in shower stall with the full body wash treatment. To port is a walk-in robe with sufficient hanging space to swing a whole new wardrobe of, let’s say, Escada.

HEAD NORTH
Weighing about 55,000kg, Sunseeker’s 82 Yacht isn’t exactly a heavy boat for its size. Rather, the tunnel hull has been designed to go fast and there is evidence of carbon in the deck and bridge superstructure. The hull above the waterline is cored, with solid GRP on the running surfaces.

The twin V12 Caterpillar C30 engines gave Alani a 24kt cruise at 2000rpm. At this speed consumption was 408lt/h in total, according to the Caterpillar engine-monitoring system. Fast or slow, the boat needs trim tabs to keep it running flat.

But the blustery south-westerly wind and building ground swell didn’t have much effect on comfort offshore when we cleared Sydney Heads. I enjoyed the cruise from the passengers’ lounge opposite the internal helm, as the five-blade props whirred away and a big wash fanned out behind. Hamilton Island, where this boat plans to park for winter, would have been really nice.

Since its release at the Southampton Boat Show in 2003, Sunseeker says it has sold 22 of the new model. Incredibly, this is the first of five 82 Yachts costing $7-8 million each destined for Australia. But while Alani is the owner’s first boat, I doubt if it will be his last. He has been spotted ogling pictures of a bigger Sunseeker. I just hope I’m there for the champagne launch.

Boat Specifications: 82 Sunseeker Yacht

Sunseeker 82 Yacht

OPTIONS FITTED Fully-custom interior decorating and design, custom electronics and entertainment systems, newly-designed crew quarters and communications. Optional twin guests’ cabins with two ensuites and sofa seating at dinette. RIB, desalinator, laundry and lots more

GENERAL

Material: Fibreglass with composite decks and some carbon

Type: Modified-vee planing hull

Length overall: 25.15m

Beam: 6.17m

Draft: 1.70m incl props

Deadrise : n/a

Weight: 55,000kg (dry)

CAPACITIES

Berths: Nine + two

Fuel: 6500lt

Water: 1500lt plus 198lt/h desalinator

ENGINE

Make/Model: Twin CAT V12 C30

Type: V12 diesel engine w/ turbocharging, aftercooling and electronic management

Rated HP: 155 @ 2300rpm

Displacement: 30lt

Weight: 2547kg plus gearbox

Gearboxes (Make/ratio): ZF 2.457:1 vee drives

Props: Five-blade Tainbridge bronze