Sunseeker 42M Ocean: Exclusive details and pictures of superyacht project revealed

This flagship of the yard’s British-built GRP range breaks the Sunseeker mould in several ways. It’s the first to get forward-raked bridge windows, which combined with the plumb bow, vertical glazing and surprisingly aggressive profile give it a quasi-explorer look.

However, the standout feature of the new 42M Ocean is its vast beach club. Fold-down quarter-cheeks on the stern section and twin Transformer platforms that can extend out flat or lower into the water make for one of the largest beach clubs we’ve ever seen on a boat of this size.

With a clever curved cocktail bar that slides out from the transom as well as slot-in bar stools, multiple sunloungers and freestanding furniture, there’s enough room for several groups of guests to congregate here without ever feeling on top of each other. In true superyacht style there is even a side-loading tender garage for a Williams 625 and a jetski.

Folding side balconies and twin Transformer stern platforms make for a huge beach club area

Two sets of teak steps lead up from this lower section of the beach club to a second split-level cockpit above. Centred around a spa tub that links the two different levels and has a glass sidewall and skylight providing a further connection with the beach club below, it adds up to the most comprehensive entertaining space of any craft this size.

As if this weren’t enough there are two further large outdoor socialising spaces, each with pools of their own. The first is the foredeck lounge which has the option of a tender crane and dock that doubles as a splash pool once the tender has been launched.

The second is on the sky deck, which sits on top of the raised skylounge but is still big enough to house a hot tub, bar, dining area and copious sunpads.

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The 42M Ocean’s bold new look is expected to appeal to a slightly younger demographic than its existing range of large yachts but also has the advantage of maximising interior volume. At 448GT its interior volume is over 30% bigger than the current Sunseeker 131 Yacht’s measurement of 341GT. This allows for a spectacular open plan saloon and dining area on the main deck while still leaving space ahead of it for a huge master suite with a separate office, walk-in wardrobe and lavish bathroom.

The four identically sized double or twin guest suites occupy the midships section of the lower deck, while the space ahead of these is given over to a very generous crew area. With no less than four ensuite crew cabins as well as a comfortable mess area, it’s another potential game-changer; the old adage that a happy crew makes for a happy ship should make it a popular charter yacht too.

The sky-lounge aboard the 42M Ocean is another big step up from the 131. It makes use of the full beam using doors in the forward corners to give access to the side-decks that lead past the bridge and out to the raised foredeck terrace. To get from the sky-lounge to the foredeck on the 131 you need to walk through the bridge or face a long trek through the deck below and back up the steps to the raised bow area.

Forward-raked bridge windows give the Sunseeker Ocean 42M a quasi-explorer look

The interior design schemes have all been developed by Design Unlimited and feature a very cool, contemporary look with modern low slung furniture that puts the focus on the views through the floor to ceiling glazing.

The Sunseeker 42M Ocean exhibits some radical thinking by the design team from its round-bilge, semi-displacement hull to the option of a hybrid diesel electric drivetrain to help boost range and allow for silent, emission-free cruising.

The 42M Ocean’s hull features a three-quarter-keel design that has been exhaustively tested using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as well as tank testing of a scale model at the QinetiQ facility in Haslar, the biggest free-running tank in the world. Chief Technical Officer Ewen Foster joked that the big-wave simulations were some of the best fun he’s had for ages.

Whereas the old 131 Yacht needed the bigger and heavier 3,140hp 4000 Series MTUs for a 23-knot top speed, the more efficient shape and modern build techniques of the 42M Ocean will allow it to reach a claimed maximum speed of 21 knots using a pair of MTUs more modestly proportioned 1,920hp 2000 Series M96Ls.

The beach club spa-pool

Large fuel tanks carrying 27,000 litres of diesel are expected to deliver a whopping range of 3,200nm at around 10 knots and 1,100rpm and well over 4,000nm at an eight-knot chug.

The first 42M Ocean is due to launch in spring 2023 and carries an estimated price tag of around £20 million. Three clients are already said to be close to signing contracts.

“Sunseeker needed to make a big statement and the new 42M Ocean does just that,” says MBY Editor Hugo Andreae. “The really clever bit is creating such a voluminous yacht that somehow still looks sleek and sporty.”

The new Sunseeker Ocean 90 currently in build in Poole is due to make its show debut at Düsseldorf 2021

About the Sunseeker Ocean series

The new 42M will be one of three new Sunseeker models to bear the Ocean name along with its focus on outdoor living. The first to arrive, and currently the smallest of the range, will be the Sunseeker 90 Ocean, which launches imminently and is destined for a world premiere at the Düsseldorf boat show in January.

Unlike the 42M, the 90 sports a familiar Sunseeker deep-vee planing hull capable of speeds up to 30 knots, albeit with a tweaked forefoot and a little more buoyancy aft that counters the extra weight of the beach club and tender garage. The fuel tanks are also bigger than usual, as is the 1,800nm range at 12 knots.

Above the chine, the 90 Ocean is a long way removed from any previous Sunseeker with a bluff bow and an exceptionally broad beam of 23ft 6in (7.2m) creating plenty of interior volume as well as that beach club.

The third model to carry the Ocean tag is the flagship 499GT Sunseeker 161 Yacht, which has now been redesignated as the 50M Ocean. This all-aluminium Sunseeker is being built at Icon Yachts’s yard in Holland. The first of these has been signed but is still some way off completion.

Sunseeker 42M Ocean specification

LOA: 131ft 3in (40.01m)
LWL: 128ft (39m)
Beam: 31ft 0in (9.1m)
Engines: Twin 1,920hp MTU diesels
Top speed: 21 knots
Starting price: £20 million