Sunseeker Yachts for Sale

Sunseeker

James Bond once preferred to escape his pursuers aboard Sunseeker boats – a shipyard that has remained very British, even after being bought up by a Chinese conglomerate.

Clever PR and technical milestones have shaped the history of the most British of all shipyards. That is how James Bond has managed to outwit his pursuers aboard Sunseeker yachts four times already.

Sunseeker is a "very British" boatyard straight out of a picture book, even though it was swallowed up by a Chinese consortium a long time ago. Yet that old English class, combined with a certain gentleman's weakness for real power under the throttle, is still expected in every Sunseeker motor yacht – and duly found. Anything else would leave one "not amused".

Very British

In the 1960s, the British company Poole Power Boats in Poole, near Bournemouth, was an importer of production boats from the USA and Scandinavia. When one of the US yards decided to withdraw from the European market, the people in Poole seized the opportunity and acquired the molds for several hulls – in order to finally launch a brand of their own, called Sunseeker, on a British market that was dominated by one-off builds at the time.

Ever since its first market successes, Sunseeker has shaped the entire scene with a number of technical milestones. The collaboration with luxury yacht designer Don Shead is likely to have played a decisive role in this. The deep "V" of the hulls has meanwhile become a hallmark of Sunseeker yachts and has had a considerable influence on the hulls of other brands.

Technical avant-garde

Sunseeker also did pioneering work on propulsion. The Offshore 28 model was the first boat in Europe with a hull designed specifically for a two-cylinder diesel outboard. And the efficiency of duoprops – two propellers rotating in opposite directions – could be experienced for the first time on the successor model, the Offshore 31.
A few years later came the Superhawk with its Arneson surface drive, featuring five-blade, surface-piercing propellers on extended shafts. The first production yacht with waterjet propulsion was also built at Sunseeker.

To stay with the "very British" theme: Sunseeker brought trendsetting little "gentleman" details to the scene. Sunseeker yachts, for example, were the first to offer stowage spaces, or "garages", for the "toys" on board. Surfboards, Zodiacs and the like disappeared from view, yet were always ready for use. Initially met with smiles, this feature was later copied by many other luxury yacht builders.

Sought-after because they're outstanding

Sunseeker yachts are also known for outstanding build quality and for good value for money in the luxury powerboat segment. On the used boat market, Sunseeker yachts are highly sought after because they are rare. Only a few owners are willing to part with the James Bond brand. Which in turn should be a compliment to the shipyard. After all, image and PR aren't everything when it comes to buying a luxury motor yacht.

In 2006, company founder Robert Braithwaite carried out a £44 million management buy-out of the company. Since 2013, the company has belonged to the Chinese Wanda Group. Sunseeker employs around 2,500 people and sells roughly 150 yachts a year through its dealer network in 74 countries.