Sunseeker is scheduled to stage the world premiere of the Predator 55 at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival (September 10-15), with the CE Category A yacht based on the same hull as the open Superhawk 55 that debuted at Boot Dusseldorf last year.

The Predator 55 is expected to reach up to 36 knots with twin 725hp Volvo Penta’s D11-IPS950 engines. Additional Volvo Penta technology can include Active Ride Control, Dynamic Positioning System and Joystick Docking, while Garmin Surround View offers 360-degree visibility during docking from six cameras around the hull. A gyro option can mitigate rolling at anchor.

Featuring an overall length of 56ft and a 16ft beam, the Predator 55 has a low profile due to a sloping hard top, while a single-piece, UV-tinted windshield offers excellent visibility for the raised twin-seat helm station. Above the helm, the fully retractable carbon-fibre sunroof – measuring 2.5m by 3m – is imbued with the same pre-impregnated lamination technology used in Formula One.

Aft, the integrated tender garage can house a Williams TurboJet 325. The hydraulic bathing platform lowers to reveal the tender launch-and-recovery system, while the aft sunpad can lift to release the stowed tender.

Forward of the sunpad is a wide, forward-facing sofa. The cockpit also has L-shaped seating to port, a fixed rise-and-fall expandable table, and a wet bar to starboard. The aft saloon doors can all be slid to either side, linking the cockpit and saloon to create a large indoor-out environment.

The foredeck is accessed by broad side decks and has a sofa facing a lifting sunpad with integrated stowage. A carbon-fibre sail canopy offers sun protection.

The Predator 55 is the first yacht to feature an all-new interior collection by Sunseeker and Design Unlimited, offering owners a flexible colour scheme and materials palette. The saloon includes a C-shaped sofa to port and an open galley and a TV on a pivoting bracket to starboard, while layout options include a starboard sofa and rise-and-fall TV instead of the galley.

On the lower deck, layout options for the starboard side include a lower galley, dinette or twin guest cabin with en-suite bathroom.

The owner’s cabin is full-beam midships and has an en-suite bathroom and wardrobe either side of the entrance hallway. The large double bed sits centrally and is flanked by a sideboard to port and either another sideboard or optional breakfast seating to starboard.

The VIP cabin forward has an en-suite and plenty of storage, and offers good headroom, like in the master. Advanced tropical-specification air-conditioning can provide cooling comfort even in 40-degree heat and 90-plus per cent humidity.

The Predator 55 joins the 65, 74 XPS and 75 in the current Predator series. The new model marks 30 years since the British builder launched the iconic series with the Predator 63 in 1994, followed by the likes of the Predator 80 two years later and Predator 58 and 54 in the late 1990s. Sunseeker then introduced 29 new Predators and variants between 2001 and 2023.

www.sunseeker.com