Used boat expert Nick Burnham runs the rule over the Sunseeker Predator 57, a best-selling model that was built from 2015-2019
In an era when most sportscruisers over 45ft have hardtops, the big question buyers have to answer is whether they want an open hardtop or a deck saloon, because many boat manufacturers offer both.
Princess, for example, will sell you a V50 where the main deck is all cockpit beneath an open backed lid with a huge sliding canvas roof, or you can opt for a deck saloon version with aft doors that enclose most of the area under the hardtop, turning it into a saloon on the main deck (hence the ‘deck saloon’ nomenclature).
It’s the same story over at Fairline, where the entire Targa range can be had with either a full-length cockpit beneath an open-backed hardtop or a deck saloon configuration.
It makes sense, in cooler northern areas like Scandinavia and, dare I say it, the UK, the ability to fully enclose and heat the day space can (sadly) be extremely welcome, whereas in the Med you want all the cockpit you can get.
When Sunseeker replaced the Predator 53 with the Predator 57 in 2015 it decided to do things a little differently. Customers could indeed choose between an open-backed hardtop with a massive sliding roof on the main deck or an enclosed deck saloon with a solid sliding roof, the difference was that they could carry on choosing once they had bought it, both versions were the same boat!
To read our full Sunseeker Predator 57 used boat buyers’ guide, pick up the March 2020 issue of MBY, which is out now.
