August 28, 2026
Sunseeker Superhawk 55 vs Predator 55: Same Engines, 5,773 lbs Apart
Sunseeker builds two 56-foot performance boats on the same 16' 2" beam with the same twin Volvo Penta IPS 950 and the same 476 gallons of fu…
Read the articleThe Sunseeker Superhawk Series
One boat, and a name Sunseeker brought back for it - the Superhawk 55 at 56' 2", the lightest and fastest of the four Sunseekers under 60 feet
Superhawk is a name Sunseeker has carried before and has put back into the current range on a single boat: the Superhawk 55 at 56' 2". It keeps its own place in the line-up rather than sitting under Predator, and the numbers explain why.
Sunseeker builds four boats under 60 feet today. The Superhawk 55 is the lightest of them at 57,500 lbs at half load, the fastest of them at up to 38 knots, and the only one of them with no third-cabin option at any specification. That is a coherent position, not a variant.
The comparison people reach for is the Predator 55, and it is the right one - the two boats are an inch apart in length overall, sit on the same 16' 2" beam, run the same twin Volvo Penta IPS 950 at 2 x 725 HP on pods, and carry the same 476 gallons of fuel and 114 of fresh water. But unlike Sunseeker's genuine platform twins elsewhere in the range, these two differ where it counts: 5,773 lbs at half load, two inches of draft, two knots of top end, and a cabin.
The layout follows from the weight. The galley is down in an open-plan lower lobby rather than up in the saloon, which keeps the main deck as helm, cockpit and a large central wet bar. Two cabins, two en-suites, four people sleeping properly, and the space given back to the deck.
Sunseeker says the hull form was drawn specifically around the IPS propulsion system rather than adapted to it. That is a claim you assess at low speed, in a berth, on the day.
The Superhawk Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Sunseeker Superhawk model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Sunseeker.
56' 2", 38 knots, 57,500 lbs at half load - the lightest and fastest Sunseeker under 60 feet.
Don't see the Superhawk model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the Superhawk Series
There is one boat in this series, so the useful progression is against the boats it sits beside in Sunseeker's own range.
Superhawk 55 - 56' 2" overall, 16' 2" beam, 4' 8" draft, 57,500 lbs at half load. Twin Volvo Penta IPS 950 at 2 x 725 HP on pods, 476 gallons of fuel, 114 of water, two cabins and two en-suites, generators at 11 kW / 11.5 kW, up to 38 knots. Forward VIP with en-suite; aft master with sliding berths that make up a double or two singles, its own en-suite, and black lacquer panelling. Aft cockpit built around a large central wet bar with several furniture configurations.
For context within the range, the Predator 55 is one inch longer on the identical beam with the identical engines and the identical tanks, and it carries 63,273 lbs at half load, draws 4' 10", is published at 36 knots and offers a third cabin. Everything on that list except length and beam is a consequence of the same decision: the Predator puts the galley on the main deck, adds a retractable glass and carbon fibre sunroof over the saloon and finds room below for six guests. The Superhawk does not, and it is 5,773 lbs lighter and two knots faster for it.
Move up rather than sideways and the next performance step is the Predator 65 at 67' 2" - eleven feet longer, 25,857 lbs heavier at half load, and published a knot slower at 35 knots. The Superhawk is not a small version of that boat. It is a different intention entirely.
For now this is a one-boat series, and it is the sharpest thing the yard builds under 60 feet.
Our Take
A one-boat series usually means a builder hedging, and this one does not. Sunseeker put an old name back into the range and gave it to the most single-minded hull it builds at this size, which is exactly the right use of a nameplate with history behind it.
Here is why the Superhawk 55 earns its own page rather than a footnote under Predator. Line it up against the Predator 55 and everything a broker would put on a comparison sheet is the same: one inch apart in length, same 16' 2" beam, same twin Volvo Penta IPS 950 at 2 x 725 HP, same 476 gallons of fuel, same 114 of water, same two heads. Then look at the four figures that differ. 57,500 lbs against 63,273 at half load. 4' 8" of draft against 4' 10". 38 knots against 36. Two cabins fixed against two with a third optional. Those are real differences on real specification sheets, and they all point the same way.
What the weight bought is discipline. The galley is down in an open lower lobby, so the main deck stays as helm, cockpit and a large central wet bar. There is no retractable roof and no full-beam owner's cabin, because those things weigh something. What there is, is the highest published top speed of any Sunseeker under 60 feet, out of exactly the same engines the heavier boat uses. That is not marketing - it is arithmetic anyone can check on both pages.
The honest limit is the accommodation. Two cabins, and no path to a third at any specification. If your normal weekend is six people, this boat cannot become the answer and the Predator 55 already is.
One last job before you sign. Run the boat at the rpm you intend to sit at, get observed burn at that rpm in writing, and do your own arithmetic against 476 gallons.
Sunseeker Superhawk Articles & Guides
Watch Our Sunseeker Superhawk Reviews
Official Sunseeker Premieres
Videos courtesy of Sunseeker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many boats are in the Sunseeker Superhawk range?
One: the Superhawk 55, at 56' 2" overall on a 16' 2" beam. It keeps its own place in the line-up rather than sitting under Predator, because it is a distinct nameplate Sunseeker has carried before and brought back.
It is the lightest of the four Sunseekers currently built under 60 feet, at 57,500 lbs at half load, and the fastest of them, at up to 38 knots.
What makes the Superhawk 55 different from the Predator 55?
They share a 16' 2" beam, twin Volvo Penta IPS 950 engines at 2 x 725 HP on pods, 476 gallons of fuel, 114 gallons of fresh water and two heads, and they are one inch apart in length overall. Unlike Sunseeker's genuine platform twins elsewhere in the range, though, these two differ on real published figures.
The Superhawk 55 is 57,500 lbs at half load against the Predator's 63,273 - 5,773 lbs lighter - draws 4' 8" against 4' 10", and is published at 38 knots against 36. It puts its galley down in an open lower lobby rather than up on the main deck, and it has no retractable roof and no full-beam owner's cabin. The weight it saved is what the extra two knots come from.
Does the Sunseeker Superhawk 55 offer a third cabin?
No. The Superhawk 55 is two cabins and two en-suites, with no third-cabin option at any specification. Forward is a VIP with its own en-suite; aft is the master, with sliding berths that make up either a double or two singles.
If you need six berths on a Sunseeker at this length, the Predator 55 is the boat - it offers an optional third cabin with its own en-suite in place of the lower storage or utility room, on the same beam and the same engines.
Which Superhawk Fits Your Life?
Tell us how you plan to use the boat — guests, range, crew or no crew — and we'll give you the straight story on where in the Superhawk series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Sunseeker ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819