Seeking Excellence: The Sunseeker 90 Ocean
Performance and onboard comfort in a package that is a rarity in its size and class
Written by Kevin Koenig
May 20, 2022
It’s a true feat to stand out at the Cannes Yachting Festival, where glittering palaces made of fiberglass and carbon fiber bob placidly at the docks, the gentle wakes from passing tenders slapping at their hulls creating the sense of a hushed conversation. That’s why the Sunseeker 90 Ocean is so notable, because it got the crowds in France talking well above a murmur.
The 90 Ocean is the first Sunseeker to carry the “Ocean” moniker, and for good reason. Though she harkens to other mid-range offerings from the Poole, England-based builder with famous ties to the James Bond franchise, she is very much her own thing.
The 90 was designed for scintillating performance and onboard comfort. She is particularly beamy for a 90-footer at 23 feet, 6 inches, yet has a deep-V hull form that easily cuts through slop and gets up on plane with the grace of a seasoned athlete. The extra beam makes for a lower center of gravity, which aids stability both at speed and when at anchor, and allows for extra room in the yacht’s luxurious interior. A bluff bow design also grants extra interior volume, particularly in the forward section of the vessel, where the VIP stateroom is.
The opposite end of the boat may be the true star of the show, however. The 90’s beach club is massive, with 258 square feet of space accompanied by the interesting X-Tend system. This feature encompasses a massive watertight door that closes off the toy locker, but which also raises hydraulically all the way up to create more seating on the main deck above the beach club. An added, bonus, the door has a slight raise to it that blocks the views of rubberneckers on the docks trying to get a peek at your boat’s interior.
Up top, the 90 Ocean has a notably large flying bridge with 667 square feet of space. This area is perhaps the primary spot for entertaining. Chic freestanding furniture is encased by sturdy stainless steel guard rails that offer safety with a very stylish twist. A hardtop overhead provides shade for the area, but also has a retractable fabric panel that disappears at the flick of a switch. A wet bar, icemaker, barbecue, and small infinity pool are some of the amenities on this deck.
The Sunseeker 90 Ocean is reported to do 29 knots on the pins with twin MAN V12 1,900-horsepower engines, though a smaller set of MAN V12 1,650s are the standard option. At a slow cruise of 10 knots, the 90 has a pleasingly leggy range of 1,800 nautical miles, or enough to go from Savannah, Georgia, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on a single tank of fuel.
These are impressive stats for a boat of this size and type, where entertaining often overshadows performance. However, Sunseeker has ably melded both show and go with this model to create something that will truly stand out, no matter her port of call.
