New Models 2023: Motor Yachts – UK, France

The following article is the second chapter of New Models 2023 from Issue 73 (click to read/download)

MOTOR YACHTS: UK, FRANCE

Sunseeker kicked off the year with the world premieres of the Superhawk 55 and 75 Sport Yacht at Boot, where the former’s unveiling was one of the highlights of the show. After staging the US debut of the Superhawk 55 at the Miami International Boat Show, the Poole shipyard is showing the Superhawk at Cannes, Southampton and Genoa, with the Sport Yacht flagship exhibiting at Cannes and Genoa.

The Superhawk 55 is one of the builder’s most exciting new models for years, rekindling the dynamic Superhawk brand but bringing it into a very modern setting by offering an all-action day boat with flexible cockpit and foredeck areas, along with a lower deck that has a saloon, galley and two cabins, allowing for extended cruises.

Sunseeker 75 Sport Yacht

The 75 Sport Yacht had a low-key premiere at Boot, so Sunseeker is excited about the in-water appearance of this extensive upgrade of the 74 Sport Yacht and big sister of the much-lauded 65 Sport Yacht.

Sunseeker hosts its third world premiere of the year at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (October 25-29), where it will unveil the Ocean 182, the enclosed version of the 90 Ocean model that ushered in the brand’s big-beam, high-volume series. Selected media were invited for a sea trial in August before the yacht crossed the Atlantic.

Princess S72

Princess kicked off this year’s Boot with the world premiere of the S72, which had its US debut at Palm Beach and gets further exposure at the Cannes, Southampton and Genoa shows.

Joining the S62, S66 and S78 in the Plymouth builder’s S Class of sportbridge yachts, the S72 has a garage for a 3.9m tender, four en-suite guest cabins, and twin 1,650hp or 1,800hp MAN V12 engines, reaching up to 36 knots with the latter.

Princess Y95

Princess is debuting the all-new Y80 at Cannes along with the Y95, which join the Y72 and Y85 in the Y Class of large flybridge motor yachts. The Y95 is effectively the open-flybridge version of the X95 and had a private, appointment-only preview in Plymouth last December. The hull on show at Cannes is set to head to Southeast Asia through regional dealer Boat Lagoon Yachting.

The Y80 offers three cockpit layout options, curved sofas in the saloon, a flexible foredeck, four en-suite guest cabins and two crew cabins, plus twin 1,900hp MAN V12 engines expected to produce a top speed over 30 knots.

Fairline Squadron 58

Fairline is staging the world premiere of its much-anticipated Squadron 58 at the Southampton International Boat Show (September 15-24) as it reveals the first sub-80ft motor yacht by a British builder to feature drop-down sides on both sides of the cockpit.

Fitting between the 50 and flagship 68 in the Squadron series of flybridge yachts, the 58 is also distinguished by an extendable swim platform, modular seating in the infinity cockpit, a flybridge packed with seating and sunbathing areas, three guest cabins, and either a twin cabin or day area with head in the stern.

Prestige M8

Prestige, part of France’s Groupe Beneteau, has taken its new M-Line of multihulls to the next level with the M8 (click for Review), which has its world premiere at Cannes. This 65-footer with a 29ft beam offers vast social areas, from the open-plan cockpit and the multi-level foredeck up to the vast flybridge and inside to an airy interior including a full-beam owner’s suite forward.

The French builder’s global debuts at Cannes also include the F4 (REVIEW, Issue 73), an all-new 50ft model that kicks off a new-look F-Line flybridge series, which currently includes the 420, 460, 520, 590 and 690.

Prestige F4

Featuring exterior and interior design by Camillo Garroni and naval architecture by Michael Peters, the F4 features a high-low swim platform, infinity cockpit with facing sofas and a forward master suite with an aft-facing bed set on what the builder calls the ‘semi-main deck’.

Sister brand Jeanneau is expanding its new DB Yachts series of day boats, revealing the DB/37 at this year’s Boot following the debut of the DB/43 at Cannes last year. The smaller sister also appears at Cannes – with her big sister – and Grand Pavois La Rochelle (September 20-25) on France’s west coast in September. There are no huge surprises in the DB/37, except how it offers much of what the DB/43 does but in a shorter package.

Jeanneau DB/37

At Cannes, Jeanneau revealed Serie2 versions of its Merry Fisher 895 Serie2 and Cap Camarat 9.0 WA Serie2, which both benefit from a series of upgrades. Designed by Jeanneau with Centkowski & Denert, the third-biggest Merry Fisher – whose updates include from a modernised, flexible foredeck – will also be on display at the Barcelona International Boat Show (October 11-15).

Meanwhile, the Cap Camarat 9.0 WA Serie2 is designed by Patrice Sarrazin and features a new 8m hull by Michael Peters. It will show at La Rochelle and Barcelona before making its US debut at Fort Lauderdale at the end of October.

Beneteau Antares 12

Beneteau unveiled the all-new Antares 12 at Cannes before staging its American premiere at Fort Lauderdale. Featuring an overall length of 42ft 7in and a beam of 12ft 5in, the new series flagship is 10ft longer than the Antares 11 and 11 Fly, and fitted with Mercury Verado outboards, either twin 400hp V10s or triple 300hp V8s.

Highlights include a drop-down bulwark on the cockpit’s starboard side, a comprehensive flybridge with C-shaped dinette, upper helm and companion seating, a saloon dinette that can be converted to a double bed, and two or three cabins below.

Catana Group, which owns Bali Catamarans, has launched a new brand of powercats, Yot, which debuted its first model, a 36, at Cannes.