Sunseeker Portofino 53

The Portofino 53 measures 17.35m overall with a 4.60m beam and 1.22m draft. It shares the Portofino family's deep-V hull with propeller tunnels and GRP construction, CE-certified Category B. A sliding hard top over the aft saloon -- a detail later echoed on the smaller Portofino 47 -- distinguishes it from earlier, fully open Portofinos.

Below decks it carries three cabins: a forward master with a raised double berth and en suite head, and two equal-sized aft cabins each with a pair of single berths, sharing a second head between them, for five berths and two heads in total. Each cabin has a flat-screen TV as standard. The single-level cockpit has a large U-shaped lounge and sun pad, double helm and companion seats, a wet bar, and a foldaway table; the sun pad lifts on a power ram to reveal a tender/PWC garage, and a hatch under the cockpit table opens onto a compact engine room reached by ladder.

Standard power is twin Caterpillar C12 diesels at 700hp each (1,400hp total); an optional twin Volvo Penta D12 package, rated 715hp each (1,430hp total), was also offered, which is the higher figure behind this model's max_hp. Both are conventional shaft-drive installations. Cruising speed is around 25 knots with a 34-knot top speed and a claimed range up to 300 nautical miles.

The Portofino 53 was the range-topping Portofino for most of its production run, sitting above the 46/47 and below Sunseeker's Predator and Manhattan lines, before the range was reshuffled around the smaller, IPS-only Portofino 48 that followed it. Yachting magazine's write-up called it a boat that "opened the door to luxury on a grand scale" for buyers moving up from the 47.