Sunseeker Predator 65 Review (2021 Edition)

Around the Marina

With either Volvo Penta's IPS1200 or IPS1350 on the menu, joystick control comes as standard on the Predator 65 so guiding the boat around a marina is simple if you're used to this type of system. The boat doesn't have too much windage and the view from the lower helm, thanks to all the glass in the superstructure, is very good, though the additional control station in the cockpit will be useful if you more stern-to regularly. A proportional bow thruster adds that extra bit of control over the bow, which is always welcome even with the joystick doing the majority of the work.

Having a side door at the helm would make it easier for the person driving to help with crew duties if needed but there is at least an electric window so they can easily communicate with the crew out on deck. Life on deck for those on crew duties is pretty good. The side decks are wide and easy to navigate and between the anchor locker, tender garage and crew space there is enough space to swallow the boat's fenders, though they're not the easiest spaces to access. The guardrails are a little low towards the cockpit but they rise as you move forward to add to the feeling of security up front.

The popular extended seating option in the cockpit improves the area dramatically as an entertaining area, but it does block off access from the cockpit to the port side deck. So, you have to go down onto the bathing platform and around or climb over the seats.

At Sea

The Predator's sister ship, the 65 Sport Yacht, has a driving experience like no other thanks to its innovative Sky Helm but even though the sportscruiser doesn't have the theatre of that feature, dynamically it is just as sweet. This is an IPS boat that has been tuned for driver engagement and it treads the line perfectly between refinement and agility. Turn that multi-function wheel hard from lock to lock and the boat dips its shoulders towards the water with relish and it changes direction with remarkable tenacity. 

Conversely, if you just want to sit and cruise the 65 will happily do so. At 25 knots we recorded sound readings of just 66 decibels, which is pretty remarkable considering there are 2,000hp churning away below deck. This is a side of the big Predator that really appeals.  It's a tremendous grand tourer that is easy to drive, quiet at cruise, and relatively efficient with a range of nearly 400nm @ 23 knots thanks to a fuel capacity of 3,500 liters. We topped out at a two-way average of 33 knots. 

It's available with IPS1200 or the 1350s we had on test but we don't think Sunseeker has built one of these or a Sport Yacht with the smaller motors. It doesn't make much sense to go for them given they're the same block as the 1350s, only slightly less expensive, and working harder to keep the boat in that 25-knot cruising sweet spot. 

Conditions were pretty gentle for our test with just the wake of passing traffic to test the 65's hull, but we tested the 65 Sport Yacht in more trying conditions and it stood up to them well. There is a wonderful atrium effect created above the companionway down to the lower deck but it does enhance the sound of the water rushing beneath the hull at speed, which goes to highlight just how quiet the engines are. 

Sunseeker launched the Sport Yacht 65 first and then created the twin-deck Predator 65 sportscruiser off the same platform so, from the roof down, the boats are identical. Despite the Predator coming later, it's almost an even 50/50 split between sales of the sportscruiser and the sportsbridge, which may come as a surprise given that the boats are the same price. 

On the face of it, it doesn't make much sense to pay the same amount for a boat that has fewer decks but when you enter the saloon of the Predator it all falls into place. Yes, the space is the same but the much larger sunroof makes all the difference. The Sport Yacht has a sunroof but it's not on this scale. The Predator's is enormous and it's made up of a framework of six heavily tinted panes of glass, which allow natural light to fill the space when the roof is closed but repel a fair bit of heat.

It's the single-level living aspect that holds such appeal. You don't lose guests up to the flybridge so the cockpit and saloon become the heart of the boat where everybody congregates both at rest and when moving along. 

Another remarkable thing about the 65 is how many layout options Sunseeker has baked into a production boat. The design team thought long and hard about the requests they were likely to get from customers and catered to as many of them as possible. Want the galley down? They can do it. Four cabins? No problem. Extended owner's cabin? Come this way. We'll delve into these in more detail but it's safe to say there is an arrangement to meet most needs. 

The interior looks and feels lovely, especially the smoked eucalyptus timbers which have a subtle almost tiger print grain-matched pattern that pops up all over the boat. For the £21,341 they cost extra, they should look the part, however. Quality in general appears very good. Engine room access is via a hatch at the aft end of the port side deck and though space around the engines is restricted by the bulky presence of the tender garage moulding, the installation is very good, and working on major items such as the generator and Seakeeper (if fitted) is easy enough. The tender garage does create compromises in the engine room but there are plenty of benefits, as we'll see later in the review. 

The galley-up layout has been the most popular of the boats sold so far and it's easy to see why. It's a good size and comfortably spans the space between the cockpit and the internal dinette, its handy return creates the perfect server and adds some handy extra storage space. At the aft end, the window drops (very slowly) down into the deck to blur the lines even further between the saloon and cockpit and it works well. If you treasure more seating and privacy on a crewed boat (rare at this size, but not unheard of in certain markets) then the galley down layout is a useful option. It's much smaller, as it takes the spot on the lower deck where the owner's study is, but it does create a huge amount of seating in the saloon. 

The upper galley is big and has masses of storage space, induction cooking, a dishwasher, and a domestic fridge/freezer on the starboard side with an optional (and large) wine fridge tucked next to it. The Princess V65 has seating opposite the gallery and further forward in the saloon whereas the Sunseeker's is all focussed on the central area of the saloon. It's not as easy to serve the dinette from the galley but it does mean that all of the seating is exposed to the fabulous views out of the enormous windows. The dinette table is fully adjustable and easy to expand and adjust with one hand to switch between dining and coffee table height. The TV pops up from behind the smaller sofa on the starboard side. 

The sunroof, of course, is a major talking point and it's a rather spectacular structure. Open, the massive aperture douses the dinette and helm position in the sunshine and pulls in great mouthfuls of air when the boat is moving along. It's transformative and alters the feel of the boat when it's pulled back. 

On the lower deck, the space outside the owner's cabin on the port side can be specified as an extra cabin with a single berth, a lower dinette, an extension of the owner's suite or it's where the galley is located if you opt to have it on the lower deck. The variety on offer is impressive, best in class, in fact, but the most popular arrangement thus far has been the brilliantly coined 'grand master'. Here, the space becomes a lavish study area with a built-in desk, stool, and some beautifully integrated storage. In a world of remote working, this sort of quiet, well-specified workspace will seal the deal for some owners.

The rest of the cabin is just as thoughtfully put together. The bed is big and set at a good height, there's well over 6ft of headroom throughout and the floor is flat, too, so you needn't worry about catching your toe on anything when you make your way to the ensuite in the night. To port, there is seating beneath the hull window with useful drawer storage lined up along the opposite die. The detailing is lovely, from the subtle LED strip lights in the ceiling and above the bedside tables to the stainless steel inserts that add a bit of flourish to the bulkhead behind the bed. It feels classy. 

Guest Cabins 

Whichever layout you opt for, the main guest cabins are unaffected. There is a spacious twin, with an ensuite, on the starboard side and a comfortable VIP with its own bathroom. Privacy amongst the guest cabins is outstanding because not only do they have their own bathrooms but there is also a separate day head, a lavish touch for a boat of this size that means guests don't have to share. Despite this, none of the other spaces feel in the least bit compromised, especially the VIP which has good space to get changed at the end of the bed, a large TV mounted to the bulkhead and a neat bureau/make-up area on the port side. 

The crew cabin is an option (£26,000) and many will see it as surplus to requirements. On a boat of this size and style, it's never going to be huge, especially on a boat with a tender garage. It's accessed via a unit on the starboard side of the cockpit and down a steep ladder. In most cases, the space is probably going to be more useful lined out as storage, which is what you get if you don't opt for the cabin fit-out. Some markets will demand it but most owner-run boats should probably look to save the money and use it for stowing kit. 

It is, first and foremost, a great-looking helm station with a real sense of occasion. A molded pod dominates the top of the dash and is home to a pair of 16in Garmin MFDs; lower down are the same retro semi-digital dials that we first saw on the 65 Sport Yacht. They add some flair to the dash and you can flick between data such as speed, depth, and heading via a BMW iDrive-style controller mounted next to the helm seat. 

Remote control of the instrumentation is excellent. The MFDs are touchscreen but you can also control them via a keypad mounted behind the throttles and through the multi-function steering wheel, which has paddles similar to a car's flappy paddle gearbox, only here they control functions on the screens. Carbon fibre and flashes of the same timber used elsewhere on the boat brighten up the dash itself and it's a very clean design with a handful of buttons for things like the anchor windlass, windows, and horn.

The CM8 system, which Sunseeker has been using for a while now, provides digital switching for all of the boat's functions from one screen and there's a dedicated slot for an iPad that can run the same system and controls the boat's AV remotely. 

The backs of the helm seats are a little low but that aside the ergonomics of the position is sound. The seat has a good amount of slide adjustment so you can get close to the helm and with all of those controls placed around the helm seat, you can sit back and flick around the various screens without having to move out of your seat. The Predator has one of the biggest single-piece windscreens of any production boat and even though this creates slightly larger mullions, the view forward is excellent. It's a lovely environment to cover the miles from.

The Predator may only have two decks to play with but the designers have done a great job of making the very most of the space. First and foremost, the garage is there to keep the tender off the deck and it's large enough to swallow a Williams 345 or something of those dimensions. But, with the optional Flexiteek flooring (£7,300) and overhead shower (£2,600) the area can also be used as a water-level living space. Drop the hydraulic bathing platform down, pop a couple of bean bags on deck and you have an area to relax by the water or keep an eye on swimmers. 

The tender recovery system is part of the £131,000 Platinum Med Package (see Our Options & Pick below) and this uses a roller system and electric winch to aid the launch and recovery of the tender. It's a great space that is more than just somewhere to stow the tender and bulky items of kit. 

The standard arrangement in the cockpit is to have a central dinette with access up both sides from the bathing platform and a pair of fixed bar stools facing the galley to create a bar when the window section is dropped down. The more popular option, however, is to have an extended seating arrangement with a bench that snakes around the port side and butts up against the wheelhouse. It blocks off access to the port side deck from the cockpit but the major benefit is the massive boost in seating space and the large dinette table.

You could comfortably sit eight people for lunch around here and there's space for some free-standing chairs opposite if needed. It's a great space that is well protected from the elements and links directly to the large aft sun pad, which can be protected by an optional sun shade that pops out from the overhang. The boarding gate on the starboard side is handy, too, especially if you're alongside a high quay or fuel pontoon. It's the same side as the optional third docking station so the skipper can move the boat into the berth and, if starboard side too, can easily step off and help with lines.

Up Front

With no top deck, the foredeck area has greater importance aboard a sportscruiser like the Predator 65. It's a good space with a deep sofa stretching out beneath the windscreen that is separated from a double sun pad forward by a walkway that links the two decks. The sun pad has adjustable backrests so it's possible to sit up with some support if you're reading or want to take in the view and there's an optional canopy that sits atop some carbon fiber poles. 

To keep the profile of the boat as clean as possible there is a molding that links the sofa to the sun pad that blocks off the end of the walkway between the two decks, which means you have to step over them to get to the sofa or cross the foredeck. It's not a major issue but just makes moving around this area a bit more difficult than it should be.

The base price for a Predator 65 with IPS1350 is £2,240,000 ex VAT (all prices correct as of 2023), which is about in line with what you'll pay for a Princess V65 and likely to undercut its rivals from Ferretti Group (see Rivals section below). Interestingly, the Predator and Sport Yacht are the same prices, so it only depends on which style you prefer and, of course, how far you delve into the options list.

Our Options & Pick

Some key extras are part of the Platinum Mediterranean package (£131,000) such as the 17.5kW generator upgrade, tropical air-conditioning, passerelle, tender recovery system, aft cockpit shade, 12in spring cleats, winches and the foredeck cushions with tilting backrests. If the boat is going to live in the Med then this pack, along with the £7,000 cockpit docking station are must-haves but if keeping the boat in cooler climes you may want to pick and choose certain items. 

We've covered the crew cabin fit-out, which is probably £25,000 that most people can put towards something else but it's there if you want it.  The £17,000 navigation upgrade to twin 16in Garmin MFDs with the pilot system for IPS, Fantom open array radar, fishfinder and AIS is a good investment, as is the £24,000 Dynamic Positioning System, which holds the boat in place using GPS at the touch of a button. If you're regularly a two-person crew, this is a great addition. 

AV is a personal choice but the Performance AV package (£12,500) adds Samsung smart TVs throughout with a mix of Sonos and Bowers & Wilkins speakers for a top-class audio-visual mix, all of which can be controlled remotely from a smartphone.

The C-shaped cockpit arrangement in place of the standard layout is the one we would go for (£13,600) and the 'grand master', though it's a £15,900 option is too good to miss unless you need the extra sleeping space of the fourth cabin. It's also worth paying the combined £10,000 to deck the tender garage out in Flexiteek and add the overhead shower to create the mini beach club at the stern as it gives you a useful extra outdoor living space. The Seakeeper stabiliser is a meaty £128,500 option but if you live on anchor a lot of the time it's worth every single penny.

Our test boat was about as highly specified as a Predator 65 can be and came in at £2,838,782 ex VAT.