Editor’s note: In September, Sunseeker revealed the Sunseeker 134 Superyacht and the Sunseeker 40M as part of its reinvigorated Sunseeker Superyacht Division. Our editor, Diane M. Byrne (above left), sat down with Andrea Frabetti, Sunseeker’s CEO (above right), at the Fort Lauderdale show, to get more details about this decided shift into larger yacht models.
Diane M. Byrne: Earlier this year, you announced that you’d be bringing back the superyacht division in a large way. What was one of the biggest motivating factors behind that? I know you you have customers all throughout the size range, but there’s always more to it than customers saying “we want a larger yacht.”
Andrea Frabetti: It’s because we have an incredible brand and heritage in superyachts in fiberglass. We’ve built 150 superyachts in fiberglass. Probably, we are one of the largest manufacturers of superyachts in that, and our ability to build superyachts is a very high level in the UK. Why not come back now that the market is stabilized? There was turbulence in 2022 around the Ukrainian war, and a lot of superyachts were seized at that time. So, we preferred to stand by for a bit, but now we are coming back. We’ve just showed two new units, the 40-meter and the 134. The 134 will touch the water early in 2027. Then we launch another project that is ongoing, the 40-meter superyacht.
Diane M. Byrne: Sunseeker is so well known for designing a lot of projects internally. This 40-meter is a good example of one from an external designer, Francesco Paszkowski. Are you looking to explore that more with the larger yachts?
Andrea Frabetti: No, this is a flagship. We don’t think we will build something larger shortly. We decided to start this cooperation on the flagship with Francesco Paszkowski just because we wanted to offer a boat that is completely different, but still a Sunseeker. We’d like to see which kind of taste we are able to stimulate all around the world. Sometimes customers prefer our cutting-edge design, typical Sunseeker, but sometimes maybe someone prefers something a little different. But this is limited to the 40-meter range. I think Francesco Paszkowski did an incredible job, because when I saw the boat the first time, I said, “This is a Sunseeker, even if it’s different. I recognize Sunseeker.”
Diane M. Byrne: Well, that goes back to respecting the tradition but still taking a little bit more risk.
Andrea FrabettI: Yes, it’s that fine balance, and our range does differ when you compare one boat to the other. If you see our competitors, if you see one boat, you see the same boat, even bigger or smaller; it’s the same. If you see Sunseeker, everyone’s Sunseeker is quite different to the other. It’s because we are stimulating our future.
Diane M. Byrne: How much of your internal design team works on the larger yachts? Are they working on all of the different sizes?
Andrea Frabetti: All the sizes. The 134 has been designed by the same team that normally designed the 55-footers. It’s a big team, more than 100 designers. And then Design Unlimited designs all of our interiors. We decided to concentrate on general profile design, layout, and GA internally and all the technical engineering internally. But Design Unlimited is the leader on internal design in all the ranges. I think they did an incredible job for us.
Diane M. Byrne: The internal design team has the freedom to explore. Every internal design team to a certain degree does, but they have a dual command, really. Respect the heritage, but still explore. How do you strike that balance? It could be a challenge to explore new designs because you look at the heritage and say, “you’re not allowed to touch it.” So, exploration can be a risk.
Andrea Frabetti: You touched on the most critical part of our job. Sunseeker is a 57-year-old company. We have a strong heritage. It’s not just an idea; we have a lot of customers, families, where the grandfather has a Sunseeker, and now the nephew has a Sunseeker. So if you make too much change, you lose your clientele. But of course, if you look internally, some areas of the team are dedicated to innovation. For example, we decided not to investigate a catamaran because after having a long discussion with all the dealers, they said, “We don’t have any clients for that,” for many, many reasons. But it’s not due to the fact that we have not designed a catamaran in-house, just to test what we can do as Sunseeker. It’s because we decided not to put one in the market, because clientele are not expecting a catamaran from Sunseeker.
Diane M. Byrne: It’s been several months since you revealed the new 40-meter. It’s enough time for your existing clients to take a look, but also people who are new to your brand to take a look. Has there been more reaction from existing clients versus new clients, or is it a mix?
Andrea Frabetti: We presented the 134 and 40-meter together. The 134 is traditional but innovative, right? Up to today, the 40-meter is behind the 134 in terms of development. It’s ready for initial sales, but (the reaction) is all about our 134. It’s because repeat customers are ready to grow up in size, in tradition. Of course, we need to catch the other side of the moon, but it will take more time.
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