October 1, 2021

Not a Hawk

For new boat building 2021 was a great year, with sales and order books being full as we have not seen since over a decade, and a new build will take you into 2023 and in some cases 24.  With this success of sales boat builders start looking at other sectors of the market, to enter or re-enter parts of which they left in the past years.  For Sunseeker it is the later, as in the Cannes 2021 boat show it presented the project for an upcoming 55 Superhawk.  The Hawk is back and bigger then ever is the title here.
The Sunseeker Hawk line was started in 1987 when the British boat builder launched the very modern and striking 37 Tomahawk.  An evolution in hull shape and totally different in looks of the 34 XPS Portofino the 37 Tomahawk started a series, and from there onwards the Sunseeker performance powerboat line started to feature the Hawk in its name.  Afterwards came the 43 Thunderhawk in 1988, 29 Mohawk in 1989, Hawk 31 in 1995, 1998 48 Superhawk which years later will became a 50, 34 Hawk in 2000 which became available as Superhawk 40 with surface drives and fifty knots performance, 2008 43 Superhawk becoming notorious for its orange Quantum of Solace James Bond movie appearance, and last in 2019 the still in production outboard powered Buzzi designed Hawk 38.   
Designed all with the exception of the newest Hawk 38 by Don Shead, Sunseeker designer since the founding up until 2010 when he retired, the Hawks had one thing in common up to today, they where slim, fast and in most cases with the large engine choice always had top speeds of more to forty knots.  The Sunseeker Hawk line was an answer to the Italians Bruno and Tullio Abbate, Cigala and Bertinetti, and DonziCigarette, and Wellcraft Scarab on the North American side of the Atlantic, certainly with less speed but with a unique modern style statement, and more onboard comfort especially to the American Powerboat version.  
Many might not know but the pedigree of the Hawk series also came from the Cuv 38 aluminium hull, which became one of the most race winning mono-hulls in powerboat racing history, taking Class 1 title many times in the eighties.  The 34 XPS Portofino featured a Cuv 38 shortened hull, and the Tomahawk 37 was nearly an exact copy.
The new Superhawk 55, which is a superb project from many ways you see it, misses the Hawk.  It's performance numbers are not there, and the wide beam makes it more in line as an open Predator then a Superhawk.  38 knots performance does not cut it for a Hawk! Can Sunseeker surprise us offering 55 Superhawk versions with speeds close to fifty knots, the Hawk legacy the real one is surely asking for this.     

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