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with an optional G-meter for measuring
acceleration—all features you’re more
likely to fi nd on a race boat than a day-
boat. The twin Mercury Verado 400Rs
howled as I shunted the metallic-red
race throttles back and forth. In fl at seas,
she should max out at just over 62 knots.
In the low 50s and chop, I was getting
more than enough excitement for the
prevailing conditions, but in the open
ocean, I could imagine Evel Knievel using
her to jump ferries. ¶ Sunseeker’s design
team used computational fl uid dynamics
to minimize air drag. Reportedly, this
boat is the result of around 8,000 in-
house design hours. And those hours
exclude the development time from Fabio
Buzzi’s FB Design team on La ke Como,
Italy. That team was responsible for the
running platform and lamination of the
hulls and decks. ¶ For strength at speed,
those hulls and decks are post-cured
vinylester, mated together with a tech-
nique that involves bonding compounds,
longitudinal aluminum extrusions and
polyurethane closed-cell foam. The re-
sult is an essentially rattle-free structure
ready for the sea. She handled well, and I
found it rewarding to trim her manually,
a lt houg h she wi l l autotr im too.¶Her fi n-
ish is on par with what Sunseeker fans
expect, with fit-out at Supermarine
Powerboats in the United Kingdom. What
you see is what you get in terms of the
layout: two-by-two bolster-bucket seats
abaft a Simrad-dominated dash, with
a wingtip carbon-fi ber hardtop above,
a rear bench, walk-around Flexiteek
decks, and booth seating and a sun
pad forward. A head is amidships, and
a waterproof locker is in the bow for two
Seabobs and chargers (or other gear of
similar size). Notable options include
met a l lic pa int , electron ics upg rades a nd
a towing kit. ¶ Look for Hull No. 3 of the
Hawk 38 at the Fort Lauderdale
International Boat Show this fall.Take the next step: sunseeker.comGulfCoastYachtGroup.com
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CURRENTS> ONBOARD> Sunseeker Hawk 38SEPTEMBER 2019 YACHTING2 7PERFORMANCE
PEDIGREEFabio Buzzi and his Italy-based
FB Design deliver high-speed
solutions, mostly to navies
and coast guards. The company
has also designed and built race
boats and record-breakers.
Indeed, Buzzi himself has all
manner of world speed and
endurance records to his credit,
having started his career in
the early 1970s. This past
September, Guinness World
Records logged his latest
diesel-propelled hydroplane at
172.4 mph (150 knots), which
smashed his own world record
that had stood since 1992.FLEXIBLE FOREDECK
The Sunseeker Hawk 38 has a
foredeck sun pad for catching
rays. When shade is desired—
or requ i red—a sa i l ca nopy is
optional. Just abaft the sun pad
is U-shaped seating and a table.