Hunton XRS43
Narrower beam. Open-plan
layout, but adds a mid cabin to
the mix. Twin D6 370 engines
give near 50 knots! Prices start
at £180,000 for a 2009 boat.Windy Bora 40/Grand Bora 42
Raised cockpit allowing two mid
cabins to slip beneath. Sunpad
aft hides a dinghy garage. Later
42 got D6s for 40 knots. Prices
start at £90,000 for a 2001 boat.Windy 39 Camira
Probably the nearest spiritual
successor, Camira offers two
cabins, a deep-vee hull and a
45-knot top end. Prices start
at £275,000 for a 2014 boat.Date 2007 Price £152,500
Located Poole
Triple Yamaha ME432 315hp diesel.
Rare triple-engined version, black
hull, low engine hours, good value.
Contact http://www.sunseekerpoole.comDate 2007 Price £165,000
Located Poole
Twin Volvo Penta D6-350 350hp
diesel. Super high spec, includes air
con, generator, holding tank, nav suite.
Contact http://www.sunseekerpoole.comDate 2007 Price £155,000
Located Malta
Twin Volvo Penta D6-350 350hp
diesel. Practical white hull looks
great. Unusual raised foredeck rails.
Contact http://www.boatcareltd.comand white cockpit upholstery
embroidered with ‘Quantum
of Solace’ instead of the usual
Sunseeker logos.
But for all the looks, glamour and
finish, what these boats are really
about is, of course, high performance.
The base engines were a pair of Volvo
Penta D6 motors, initially at 350hp
but later upgraded by Volvo Penta to
370hp. James McGoff keeps a 2007
Superhawk 43 fitted with twin D6-
350 engines in Conwy Marina in
North Wales and has clocked up 300
hours in the three years he’s owned
it. “I’ve aspired to own a Superhawk
43 ever since seeing it at the launch at
Southampton Boat Show. It replaced
my Cobalt 263 and we use it to cruise
to the Isle of Man and Ireland, often
staying three or four nights on board.
We find the cabin very comfortable
for a couple and we love the cockpit- it’s huge! We’ve had ten people on
board quite happily.”
But of course, what James likes
most is the performance and
seakeeping. “We’ve been caught
in a Force 6 off Holyhead and the
boat was fine. The low centre of
gravity means that it’s very stable
and feels very safe.” In calmer
weather, James typically cruises
at 30-33 knots. “We once ran from
Conwy to Peel for the Isle of Man
TT – a distance of 67nm in under
two hours.”
Interestingly, James also finds the
boat particularly economical, costing
less to run than the 8.1-litre petrol
engine in his Cobalt. Flat out with a
freshly cleaned hull, James reaches 41
knots but says that after a couple of
months afloat, that drops to 39 knots.
If you want even more speed there
is an intriguing option. The boat was
also offered with triple Yamaha 315hp
diesels running super smooth
Hydradrive outdrives. It’s an
installation that ups the ante toward
the mid forties. At an extra £35,000
when new, they were less popular
than the Volvo Pentas (David Jones
reckons about 80% of boats went
out with the Volvos). Six levers at
the helm (three throttle and three
gearshift) mean that these tend to
be suitable for more experienced
owners; likewise out on the water,
the wider spacing of the outdrives to
accommodate three across means
that the outer outdrives can be prone
to cavitation in hard fast turns if not
trimmed correctly. But they offer an
unusual and desirable combination
of higher speed at a lower price. David
says that they typically resell for about
£10-15,000 less than a Volvo boat.we’ll maintain 40 knots, even into a
Force 3-4 head sea. The boat handles
it superbly. Even in a Force 5 we can
maintain 30 knots, although it can
be a wet ride sometimes”.
Production ceased in 2009, and
although there has been talk, and
even drawings of a new Superhawk
50, the Superhawk 43 is currently
the last of the Hawk bloodline. But
it’s arguably the very best, and a
fitting tribute to the halcyon days
of high-performance Sunseekers.VALUE ★★★★★
BUILD QUALITY ★★★★★
ACCOMMODATION ★★★
PERFORMANCE ★★★★★
OUR VERDICT 85%Next month Sealine SC38However, if you really want the
ultimate in performance there is one
further alternative. Arneson surface
drives mated to a pair of Yanmar
480hp diesels. A rare option, David
reckons only about six boats went
out with this configuration, largely
due to the £100,000 premium over
the Volvo Pentas. James Burnett
bought one brand new in 2007.
“I like going fast, and we’d had
surface drives before – a Sunseeker
Superhawk 40 with Trimax drives,
and a Superhawk 50 too. They have
a reputation for being harder to
handle, something I never found
with the other boats, but I must
admit that this one has a mind of
its own going astern. The trick is
to just use one engine and steer
with it – trying to manoeuvre just
with the engines doesn’t work. You
get used to it though, and the bow
thruster is a big help”.PLANE SAILING
Getting on to the plane is a slower
process than with outdrives.
Traditionally with surface drives, you
have to trim up to introduce some air
to the props, get the revs up and then
trim down to get drive. These have
a stainless-steel pipe with a silicon
hose at the end that almost touches
the propellers, feeding air to them.
They’re very effective too, as James
found out early on. “We had a problem
with the boat refusing to plane. All the
usual things were checked – engines,
gearboxes, fuel supply – nothing
seemed to work. Then I noticed that
one of the silicon hoses was missing.
As soon as it was replaced, the
performance was back.”
And what a performance. Once
up and planing, nearly 1,000hp
transmitted to those drive equates
to almost 50 knots! James cruises at
43 knots – faster than the Volvo boats
flat out! “We’ll back off to 35 knots
if we have nervous or inexperienced
guests on board, at which speed it is
quiet and composed. But otherwiseRIVALS
WHAT’S ON THE MARKET
Triple Yamahas
offer more speed
for less money98USEDB OAT BOAT MASTER