Sunseeker Predator 53

The Predator 53 was introduced in 2012 as a new entry point to Sunseeker's Predator line, built on GRP hull and superstructure and borrowing its accommodation from the Manhattan 53 while dropping the flybridge for a leaner, lower profile. Sunseeker's own material describes the design process as one of reducing weight and windage, with wider use of in-house autoclaved carbon-fibre panelling, from detailing through to a large automated opening roof over the helm and guest areas. Length overall is 18.35 m including pulpit and transom platform, with a beam of 4.70 m and a shaft-drive draught of 1.26 m at full load; half-load displacement is 26,600 kg.

A large glass sliding door leads from the aft cockpit into the saloon on the main deck, with a stairway beside the helm down to the lower deck. Below, the boat sleeps up to six guests across a midships master suite and two guest cabins, with large panoramic hull windows. The main deck and aft cockpit can be fitted with either wrap-around seating and a table in front of the sunpad, or a larger sunpad without the dining arrangement. The teak-planked, hydraulically operated aft platform is sized to carry a tender or a jet ski.

Sunseeker's own specification sheet lists three engine packages: twin Caterpillar C12 ACERT E03 diesels at 705 hp each, twin Volvo Penta D13-IPS900 pod units at 701 hp each, and, as the top option, twin MAN R6-800 diesels at up to 800 hp each on shaft drives, for a manufacturer-quoted maximum of 1,600 PS combined. Standard drive is shafts; the IPS900 option substitutes Volvo Penta's pod drive. Fuel capacity is 2,200 litres, giving a manufacturer-quoted range of up to 250 nautical miles at 10 knots and a top speed of up to 32 knots.

The Predator 53 ran for a short, two-year production window (2012-2014) before being succeeded in the range by later Predator models; YachtBuyer's model database lists it as discontinued with no successor carrying the same name. No dedicated magazine sea trial of the model was found in the sources checked for this entry.