The larger the waves
become the further the
Hawk starts to fly
and over two tonnes heavier than an Axopar 28 but with a beam
of just 7ft 8in (minus the stabiliser tubes), it’s two feet thinner.
Even with a triple-stepped hull to reduce drag and create three
separate planing surfaces, it’s not surprising that it takes a while
to get going.
Once we’re planing at around 20 knots the first thing I notice
is how much safer and more civilised the finished boat feels than
the prototype I drove back in April. The tall cockpit coamings
and hard top give you the feeling of sitting in the boat rather
than on it, while carbon-fibre grab rails on the backs of the seats,
the centre console and all around the perimeter ensure there’s
always something to hang on to. The double curvature
windscreen also has air vents at the base to reduce negative
pressure behind it as well as lips on the side panels to channel the
wind blast round the cockpit rather than swirling through it. The
only disadvantage of its shape is that a conventional wiper won’t
fit so you’ll have to rely on Rainex and sheer speed to blast the
water droplets off it. Not that it tends to get wet, coming out of
the Lymington channel a few
wisps of spray were blown
into the cockpit but at faster
speeds it all gets left behind.
Talking of speed, the
twin supercharged 2.6-litre
outboard engines are really
getting into their stride now,
and the Simrad touchscreen
displays are showing a speed over ground of 43 knots at
5,000rpm, with 2,000rpm still to come. At this pace it’s a
remarkably civilised place to be, the deep-vee hull is cutting
cleanly through the waves, the steering is light if a little slow and
lacking in feel, the engines are in their sweet spot and nothing
feels remotely strained. You could cruise all day at this speed,
reeling in the miles while taking comfort from the fact that this
is also its most efficient running speed – 162lph may not sound
too clever but at 43 knots that equates to 3.8 litres per mile.
But when the mood takes you – and believe me it will – the
thrill of putting the hammers all the way down, trimming up theengines to +24 and feeling the surge of acceleration as the air gets
under the hull and really starts to fly is something you’ll never get
tired of. In flat water it’s the raw speed of the thing that gets your
heart beating – Sunseeker have seen 62 knots two-up in calm
conditions, and even at 68 knots on Lake Como the lightweight
unfinished prototype felt utterly composed and stable.
Today with four people on board and properly lumpy seas,
58 knots is our two-way maximum average. In these conditions
a couple of knots here and there make little difference, what
really counts is how it copes, particularly with a relative amateur
at the helm. The fact that I’m writing this at my desk rather than
from the A&E department of Southampton General says it all.
I’d be lying if I said it was a comfortable experience, water is a
remarkably solid substance when you’re hitting it at 58 knots- however good the hull, it’s never going to be relaxing. What
I can tell you is that it feels immensely strong, secure and
forgiving. It tracks straight and level, flies at just the right angle
and soaks up the punishment without the slightest creak, groan
or shudder. Even when I get it wrong and we land awkwardly on
one side, the suspension seats take the sting out of the impact
while the STAB tubes sort out the lateral roll. On one occasion
with the waves behind me I overcook a jump and end up stuffing
the bow into the back of the next roller but the squared off
anti-dive prow works its magic and stops it digging in.
It’s intoxicating and reassuring in equal measure, making
amateur helmsman feel like offshore heroes and giving their
guests a taste of real speed without exposing them to excessive
risk or discomfort. It doesn’t have the turning agility or relentless
cornering grip of foil-assisted Princess R35 but it reels in the
horizon at a much faster rate and feels sharper, tougher and far
more focused on performance rather than comfort.
Not just a pretty face
I shouldn’t be surprised, the Hawk 38 may be a Sunseeker but the
hull itself is designed and built by FB Design in Italy, a company
that made its name building tough, unsinkable, high speed patrol
boats for everyone from drug enforcement agencies to special
forces. A patented build process that uses structural foam
injected into the voids between hull and deck not only makes the
boat unsinkable but creates an immensely rigid bonded structure
that also helps absorb unwanted sound and vibration.
Sunseeker designed the deck and cockpit coamings to ensure
it looked the part but also to make it as useable as possible, thenSEE MORE
mby.com/h38