Any Experience Sunseeker vs Fairline vs Princess 40-60ft

[robm3]

So, I've decided to take the plunge on a bigger boat.
A bit of background, I'm based in Sydney and for those that know, the boating here is amazing. The harbour itself has a variety of small beaches, cafes, restaurants and short term berths (Darling Harbour, Chowder Bay, Watsons Bay etc..).

North of Sydney is Pittwater and Hawkesbury River, not as populated but also some lovely sheltered boating (The Basin Pittwater, Patonga etc..) all worth a google search. The weather is also good for 9 months, 20-40 degrees.

Further North by around 50nm is Port Stephens and then, if you're ambitious, The Gold Coast is two days motoring at 15-20knots and the Whitsundays/Barrier Reef is around four days. All amazing spots in their own way.

Heading South from Sydney get's a little trickier, we have a Southerly swell that comes up from Antartica, very unpleasant. I can't see myself doing that too much. Heading North it dissipates a bit.

I've done boating on all these locations, and now decided to upgrade and get something a little more serious. My budget is around Au$1.5m
Boat will be berthed in Pittwater.

Outside sheltered water and in the Tasman/Pacific we do have bigger swells, 2-4m is not uncommon. So seaworthiness is a definite must.

My requirements are, single handed control if possible (so the remote systems are of interest) , ability to sleep 4 min. Good entertainment area, definitely needs a tender and prefer tender garage if possible. And that's about it.

Currently I'm sizing up three boats, I'll list them with my comments:

Sunseeker Portifino 47 - Older boat so I'll need to factor in some higher maintenance/upgrade costs. But I do like the look of them. And being older I'm not so concerned about little mishaps and scratches.
https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/2007-su...

2018 Fairline Targa 57 - Newest Boat I'm looking at. This one has a nice spec, there's also a dealer in Sydney at Spit Bridge so support should be good. Not sure about single handed as it's fairly old school with bow thrusters and shaft drives. Any one have experience of Fairlines regarding this and general quality? Maybe at 57ft it's a little too large?
https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/2018-fa...


2014 Princess v48 open - This one seems to fit the bill, IPS makes singlehanded berthing a breeze, especially if paired with a remote, fit out seems good. Also a good community here in Australia with an owner group regularly doing adventures, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ9o69PuLHk

https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/2014-pr...

So, appreciate any feedback on the above, I've always been (mostly) impressed with the knowledge in this subset forum, and seeing as all three brands are from the 'motherland' could be interesting.
I'll be viewing in January and purchasing in Feb so I'll get some pictures when I go aboard.

Thanks in advance.

[ReverendCounter]

Shame you're not looking to buy late 2022 - $1.4m will get you a brand new 45ft Cranchi M 44 HT (will sleep 6 but two berths will be in the converted dinette/saloon):



- Twin Volvo D6-400 HP Diesel Engines
- Joystick Docking
- Hydraulic Swim Platform
- Teak laid cockpit & Swim Platform
- Tender Garage,
- Air-Conditioning
- Generator
- Auto Pilot
- Bow Thruster
- Underwater Lights
- TV's
- Painted Hull, Deck and Hard Top
etc

https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/2023-cr...

[AndrewCrown]

Robin

I'm on a similar quest, different oceans and a different price point.

These three brands always win through as serious contenders, though with those I err towards the flybridge layout, largely because the entertaining space is more flexible.

Of the three I have a leaning towards Princess, I once spent a very entertaining flight sitting next to a soon to be retired yacht surveyor in Southampton, he said in his career Princess seemed on balance to be the more robust choice. Advice difficult to ignore.

It has been tricky to view boats in recent times and stock is low in the UK.
I've found a few youtube channels which have been invaluable in studying layouts, length and options at various budgets.

Aquaholic
https://www.youtube.com/c/AQUAHOLIC/videos

Nautistyles
https://www.youtube.com/c/NautiStyles/videos

and of course

MotorBoat & Yachting
https://www.youtube.com/c/MotorBoatYachting

All good stuff and a great to compare.

Other thoughts ....

Have you considered Maritimo?

[MOTORVATOR]

Fairline for accommodation.

Princess for build quality.

Sunseeker to eat up the miles in comfort.

Generally speaking....

[robm3]

Thanks for response guys, I'm off to look at 53 Targa Fairline this week.
Princess is a little harder to view as it's in QLD but I'll try and get up there this month.
I'll post some pictures when I view.

My brother is in the marine industry to he's organising a survey after I've done the initial view and selected the most appropriate boat.

[CQ8]

Robm3 and AndrewCrown, please keep us updated. It would be good to hear about the buying experience and then real world use of the boat. With lots of photos!

Sydney is stunning, I love how the water is such a part of the city. Ventured up to Pittwater on one trip to Oz, what a place to have a boat!

[robm3]

Okay, so this week I went to look at the Fairline 53 Targa as per above.

Bad things first... condition was really average for such a new boat (it's three years old).

Missing a strake on the starboard side along the hull (minor impact).

Gel coat was in poor shape for such a new boat with some poor oxidation occurring. I did a video here: https://youtu.be/azivQIa11DM

Minor corrosion on the drop down window next to helm. This is painted aluminium so as the aluminium corrodes, it bubbles the paint. Just feels cheap I guess.

Some weird mis-colouring kinda yellowing on the topside above the gunwale. You can just make it out in this clip https://youtu.be/s9nje_xuVFM
But I'm guessing the polishing will sort this.

There were some minor things such as loose fittings but all easy fixes.

Good things:

Engine room was very clean. Ultra low hours on the engines circa 120.
Nice and modern inside, all the mod-cons.
Upgraded stereo etc..
Dealer will take my Chris Craft as a trade in, which is helpful.
Has a stern thruster as well as a front thruster but sadly not working.
Dealer is extremely professional and helpful.

Overall I'm a bit so so on it, the boat needs some TLC which at $1.5m isn't the best.

On the 28th I'm flying to QLD to look at a Princess V57. https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/2015-pr...
Now this is a boat I'm excited about. I like the way you can close off the rear door to the elements ala Deck Saloon style, but still get that open plan feeling. Plus I suspect the Princess will have a slightly premium feel to the Fairline.

My plan at the moment is just to view myself, see what really appeals to me, then arrange survey. That said I'd like to get a deal concluded by end of Feb, so I can enjoy the backend of summer here and then Autumn. The weather and water temperature is still good right up to late May.

In other news, I've found a decent Berth up to 60ft. Nice marina close to my location and reasonable price.
https://www.dalbora.com.au/marinas/akuna-bay

Edited by robm3 on Friday 7th January 00:46

[Jeremy-75qq8]

I have a Fairline Squadron 58 2004.

Fairline / Sunseeker / princess we’re all pretty similar until say 2010 ish

Fairline had some amazing boats. The 58 In 2004 was class leading.

I also had a 2014 squadron 65. That was a great boat and value when I bought it new - but was on the cusp of being out of date.

Fairline have gone bust a few times since then and have not really had the budget for r and d.

Princess and Sunseeker whilst not making much / any money have now put a lot into r and d keep coming out with lots of new models. This is sadly reflected in the price but they are nice boats and are now a class above Fairline.

Buy a boat that suits you and gives you what you want. Selling them on compared to a car is slow and dealer commissions high so try to buy the size of boat you want ( bigger ! )

[djc206]

robm3 said:

In other news, I've found a decent Berth up to 60ft. Nice marina close to my location and reasonable price.
https://www.dalbora.com.au/marinas/akuna-bay

Edited by robm3 on Friday 7th January 00:46

I can’t offer help on the boat front, for me that’ll will remain a fantasy/retirement thing. I did notice though that the berth is very close to the Cottage Point Inn. What a beautiful place to have a boat, can’t say I’m at all jealous. Good luck with your hunt.

[ted 191]

Don’t discount Italian boats, I’m not sure what availability is where you are but they are generally better built than the English three.

[StefanVXR8]

robm3 said:

Okay, so this week I went to look at the Fairline 53 Targa as per above.

Bad things first... condition was really average for such a new boat (it's three years old).

Missing a strake on the starboard side along the hull (minor impact).

Gel coat was in poor shape for such a new boat with some poor oxidation occurring. I did a video here: https://youtu.be/azivQIa11DM

Minor corrosion on the drop down window next to helm. This is painted aluminium so as the aluminium corrodes, it bubbles the paint. Just feels cheap I guess.

Some weird mis-colouring kinda yellowing on the topside above the gunwale. You can just make it out in this clip https://youtu.be/s9nje_xuVFM
But I'm guessing the polishing will sort this.

There were some minor things such as loose fittings but all easy fixes.

Good things:

Engine room was very clean. Ultra low hours on the engines circa 120.
Nice and modern inside, all the mod-cons.
Upgraded stereo etc..
Dealer will take my Chris Craft as a trade in, which is helpful.
Has a stern thruster as well as a front thruster but sadly not working.
Dealer is extremely professional and helpful.

Overall I'm a bit so so on it, the boat needs some TLC which at $1.5m isn't the best.

On the 28th I'm flying to QLD to look at a Princess V57. https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/2015-pr...
Now this is a boat I'm excited about. I like the way you can close off the rear door to the elements ala Deck Saloon style, but still get that open plan feeling. Plus I suspect the Princess will have a slightly premium feel to the Fairline.

My plan at the moment is just to view myself, see what really appeals to me, then arrange survey. That said I'd like to get a deal concluded by end of Feb, so I can enjoy the backend of summer here and then Autumn. The weather and water temperature is still good right up to late May.

In other news, I've found a decent Berth up to 60ft. Nice marina close to my location and reasonable price.
https://www.dalbora.com.au/marinas/akuna-bay

Edited by robm3 on Friday 7th January 00:46

Happy for you to swing buy and pick me up at Umina Beach when you get one and are cruising around the Central Coast Rob!

Stefan

[robm3]

Flew up to QLD for the day to see the Princess v57.

Positives:
Nice that you can close off the saloon with sliding doors vs the open format of the Fairline Targa
Picks up an extra bunk bed cabin and crew cabin (storage only) over the Fairline
Decent condition, got to have a little go as it was moving around the yard, pretty easy to control with bow and stern thrusters.

Negatives:
The owner had change the fridge in the downstairs galley to the cheapest Chinese fridge you can imagine, and hadn't panelled it in. Looked awful. Ridiculous cost cutting exercise that I couldn't live with.
There was some water leakage in the main cabin.
The tender was getting a little tired (new is $80K!)
Outdoor cushions will need retrimming.

I'd be happy with the boat though, felt 'solid' and I can see myself hanging onto it for 10-15 years.

I also went through what's involved in such a big purchase with the broker. More akin to buying a house than buying a car like I'd originally thought, due to surveys, sea trials etc..

Anyhow, a couple more boats to see here in Sydney and then I'll make the plunge.

[Not Ideal]

^^ is it normal to have these boats for sale in what appears to be less then satisfactory condition ? Do dealers not make good of all the faults such as a leaky cabin before they get put on sale ?

[dvs_dave]

ted 191 said:

Don’t discount Italian boats, I’m not sure what availability is where you are but they are generally better built than the English three.

Aye. At this size/price point I’d be *all over* a Pershing 56. Surface drives (rooster tails oh yea!), 50kn top speed, superb looks, interior design, quality and luxury. Not sure what the availability of such exotica down under is like though?

[robm3]

Not Ideal said:

^^ is it normal to have these boats for sale in what appears to be less then satisfactory condition ? Do dealers not make good of all the faults such as a leaky cabin before they get put on sale ?

Ah actually they're all on consignment at this price point. So the dealer acts as a middle man between myself and the seller, we negotiate on the make good items and price.

I'd have to get most of the stuff done myself as I'm offering a lower price.

[Simpo Two]

Not Ideal said:

^^ is it normal to have these boats for sale in what appears to be less then satisfactory condition ? Do dealers not make good of all the faults such as a leaky cabin before they get put on sale ?

Boat 'dealers' are brokers - they don't buy them in like a car dealer and resell with a warranty, they just advertise them, handle the sale and take a commission.

[Simpo Two]

Not Ideal said:

^^ is it normal to have these boats for sale in what appears to be less then satisfactory condition ? Do dealers not make good of all the faults such as a leaky cabin before they get put on sale ?

Boat 'dealers' are brokers - they don't buy them in like a car dealer and resell with a warranty, they just advertise them, handle the sale and take a commission.

[Not Ideal]

^^ got it. Thanks both for the explanation.