Andy McCutcheonSunseeker Manhattan 60' - Review
September 7th 2007 00:26
Sunseeker Manhattan 60'
Sunseeker Manhattan 60
“Sleek, sexy and seaworthy are all superlatives synonymous with Sunseekers stronghold on Australian shores”. “Demand for this curvaceous, refined mid-range model in the Sunseeker lineup is testament to continued quality from its UK lineage.
The Sunseeker Manhattan 60 upon first glance is a thing of beauty. Its soft flowing ergonomic lines give the impression of going fast even while tied to the jetty and as harsh a critic as I am on seaworthiness, I found my ideals in quandary over whether form really should follow function.
After boarding the customer owned vessel at the Royal Perth Yacht Club Annex in Fremantle, I couldn’t overcome my willingness to write this vessel off as a “gin palace” given its exquisite styling, range of amenities and overall luxurious feel.
Boarding via the swim platform, I was immediately taken for a quick tour through the vessel allowing me to get a sense of the overall layout.
The main saloon area was sophisticated enough to impress, but inviting enough to feel at ease making comfy on the lounge suites. Its unpretentious styling was warm and flowing and the perfect place to position yourself with friends and family to watch cinema quality DVD’s from the pop up widescreen monitor and hi-fi surround system.
Forward of the lounge area is an additional crescent shaped settee adjacent to the helm station. I have become a huge fan of recent design changes from manufacturers that are inclusive of guest placement near the Captain.
Firstly, in many cases, while guests are off enjoying the features and benefits of the boat, the Captain is exiled to the helm station with little or no social contact by virtue of design limitations – a thankless job at times especially while underway. Incorporation of adjacent seating allows for guest interaction, after all, boats are meant to be social.
The rear of the settee lounge is cleverly laid out as the backdrop for the companionway leading into the galley area.
Beautifully polished timber veneers adorn the companionway while entrance into the galley of the boat as tested was nothing less than spectacular. This particular client had elected to do away with traditional styling features normally associated with vessel flooring in favour of a more contemporary feel matching his flooring to the solid black granite countertops. Balanced against the backdrop of the cherry coloured cabinetry, the offset worked.
The galley layout was functional and use of otherwise unusable space seems to be a strong point for the Sunseeker brand.
Generous storage and unique storage solutions are also two thumbs up, but while they display design ingenuity in some places, they seemed to miss the mark when it came to rubbish. Location of the rubbish bin albeit cleverly disguised, is actually accessed from the counter surface and adjacent to the food preparation area.
While some might argue it as a convenience factor, in other words, scraping leftovers from soiled plates or disposing of raw potato peelings, the opposite may also be argued that after mild use, it may in fact become a breeding ground for bacteria if not properly attended to.
While we are on the topic of negatives, overall, I really only had one other negative comment and since it stems from the galley, I may as well touch upon it before moving on and that being the granite floors.
I am of two minds about this negative, because it was an option and a personal choice of the owner – fair enough, but I personally questioned the use of granite on the floor of a boat for two reasons. Firstly, granite when wet is much like black ice – it’s going to get you the most, when you expect it the least. It is hard enough to avoid slips on a wet granite floor at home never mind in a pitching, rolling sea.
The other questionable use factor comes into play with respect to the longevity of the granite flooring. As boats succumb to pounding seas, there is inherent flex in the hull and subsequent resonation. While I was assured that the granite veneer was secured to a floating floor, I couldn’t help but think that in six months to a year, you would begin to see characteristic cracking in the floor tiles.
Accommodation aboard the Sunseeker 60 is grand and will accommodate six in three cabins, with optional crew quarters for two - aft. A companionway off the galley to starboard leads down a set of stairs to the owner’s cabin.
Again, the boat as tested was reflective of the owner’s personal tastes and had been professionally designed with features not present in a stock boat. Soft faux suede walls and ceiling panel inserts were a warm welcoming touch.
A massive island bed, heaps of storage, an ensuite settee and ensuite head rounded out the space. Use of up-market lighting, fixtures, trim and switches add to the overall luxury feel of the boat.
Back up the companionway forward on the starboard side is another guest cabin with split twin berths. Generous storage, excellent headroom and a practical layout define this space.
Further forward to starboard is the guest head, adjacent to the VIP guest suite.
As in most vessels, the VIP suite is not as lavish or extravagant as the owner’s cabin – but then again, you aren’t the owner and I certainly wouldn’t be quick to pass on the accommodations in this VIP cabin either.
The VIP suite is characterized by a central island bed and generous room to move. It has sufficient storage for its purpose and incorporates soft, incandescent lighting throughout, with natural lighting being supplied by a frosted round portal.
A separate head for guests ensures privacy and at the forepeak of the vessel, when you want to be alone, it’s about the furthest you can be away from anyone within the confines of the boat and still remain sociable.
Back onto mid deck, the clever use of “cats-eye” windows affords the helm station extraordinary visibility. Control of the electronic throttles can be passed from the primary station to the flybridge with the use of a push button engage feature and parallel instrumentation between both stations ensures operational information relating to the vessel is current.
The engine room offers a range of options to suit and will house a pair of shaft driven, 1800hp turbo diesels and twin FP props in convoluted tunnels producing a range of up to 270 miles before getting out your credit card for a 3000 liter top up. Top speed is 31kts, but it likes to cruise on about 23kts and can do so effortlessly.
When we left the Annex for the ocean, the Sunseeker was extremely sure footed and well behaved, carving corners on hard over turns extremely well. While at one point it appeared as though the rails were in the water on several sharp turns, the velocity in the turn alongside the sports car handling characteristics produces enough centrifugal force to keep everything and everyone in place.
From a standing start, the Sunseekers large prop diameter and gearing afford her the ability to leap out of the water onto the plane, which for a boat this size is quite impressive.
Overall, the Sunseeker Manhattan 60 is a top boat. It performs as good as it looks and it looks as good as it’s priced when factoring in the quality quotient.
There is no denying that anything in the Sunseeker range has a growing appeal amongst 21st century boaties and they are in measurable demand amongst Australian boat buyers, best of luck to Alf Barbagallo in the west and Rick Rodwell in the east with their entire range of Sunseekers in Australian Waters.
Text by Andy McCutcheon ©
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