Motor Boat & Yachting — August 2017

The ensuite heads in the

master cabin is as bright

and roomy as you’d expect

Our test boat, the second off the line, had a top

speed of more than 30 knots at 2,200rpm

space. It’s not massive, but it does feature
a sofa on the starboard side and a chest of
drawers and vanity unit to port. These each
sit under huge hull windows, providing
spectacular views out over the sea, or into
the mid cabin of the boat next door, and
fi ll the cabin with light. Headroom is a
comfortable 6ft 5in (1.96m) and the bed
is full size at 6ft 6in by 5ft (1.98m x 1.52m).
The interior decor of our test
Manhattan was an attractive combination
of white lacquers, pale fabrics and
contrasting black walnut veneers. An
alternative scheme of silver oak with
contrasting dark wenge highlights is also
available, while the standard offering is
cherry. Cherry used to be ubiquitous
in production motor boats, and people
made unkind remarks. Now it has rarity
value. I’ve always liked it, personally.

DECK SPACES
Out on deck, that comfortable cockpit
joins seamlessly to the galley area with the
glass doors slid all the way across. The bar,
although an option, completes the layout,
adding an essential practical element to the
way in which galley and cockpit converse
with each other. Another option which is
apparently proving popular in future boats
is a central island within the galley’s square
footprint, which will augment both
worktop area and stowage space.
The foredeck is cleverly thought out,
with hinged supports beneath the head of
the sunbed that turn it into a comfortable,
forward-facing chaise longue, and a
walkway between seat and table that calls
to mind a Portuguese bridge. Up on the
fl ybridge the thinking has been even

cleverer – so clever, in fact, that you

probably wouldn’t notice it if it weren’t

pointed out. Those long sections of seating

running along the port side are different

widths – wider forward, under the hardtop,

where people will want to slouch around

and relax, and narrower aft, where your

guests will be eating, and seat width is

less important than access around the

table. I didn’t notice either.

We tested the Manhattan 66 out

of Port Adriano, a swanky marina just

outside Palma. The marina was designed

by Philippe Starck, so it has street lights

like standard lamps, trees in giant fl ower

pots and mooring bollards that

look like they would chafe

through your warps in the

course of a single season.

Our test boat, the second

off the line – you might have

been aboard her at the

Düsseldorf show – was fi tted

with the larger of the MAN

shaftdrive options, 1,200hp

per side, which gave her a top

speed of more than 30 knots

at 2,200rpm and comfortable

cruising in the mid-20s.

This far from sluggardly

showing nevertheless made

Sunseeker’s people a little

nonplussed, because apparently this

very boat had exceeded that speed quite

comfortably during winter testing in

Poole Harbour, with the engines pulling

their full 2,300rpm. It was too early in the

season, even in the Med, for the bottom

to be fouled to that extent, although

air temperature might have been a

contributing factor. MAN’s UK engineers

have documented cases of air temperature

affecting performance – in one case,

recounted through gritted teeth, a

disbelieving boatbuilder who shall remain

nameless insisted on having the innocent

engines removed and dyno tested – and

the conditions in Poole in December were

BOAT REPORT

The owner’s suite comes with either a sofa or this breakfast

dinette, or for an extra cost, additional storage