Sunseeker

One of the leading British yacht builders, Sunseeker Yachts, was built on a man’s dream to create a new type of pleasure yacht. Founded by Robert Braithwaite in 1969, the yard launched its first sports boat, the Sovereign 17, in 1971. After Robert’s younger brother John joined the company in 1972, he helped streamline Sunseeker’s product development as the yard launched more sport cruisers and open yachts throughout the 1970s. Following a collaboration with racing yacht designer Don Shead, who developed their signature performance hull in the late 1970s, Sunseeker Yachts began focusing on developing larger, high-performance vessels.

Moving into the superyacht category with the launch of the Sunseeker Predator 80 model in the mid-1990s, ever larger yachts were introduced, like the 37-meter Superhawk, which was used for the 007 James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. Specializing in luxury composite semi-custom yachts measuring up to 48 meters in length, Sunseeker Yachts fleet is split into seven series, including the Predator, Sport Yacht, Manhattan, and Ocean. Notable Sunseeker yachts include the Sovereign 17, which was also used in the same James Bond movie, and the Portofino 31, credited with bringing Sunseeker Yachts to international fame.