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Sunseeker Hawk 38

Nestling into the Besenzoni hydraulically cushioned race seats - which have electrically controlled squabs to allow for standing or seating - the controls fall easily to hand. The Hawk has separate throttles and shift levers, the throttles positioned such that they can be operated by the co-pilot for throttling in a seaway as the props skip from wave to wave. Power delivery from the twin Mercury Verado 400R outboards is smooth, while the active outboard trim system helps keep things in check. The Hawk settles onto full plane at around 16 knots, and the speed climbs quickly as you open the taps. With the bow trimmed down as she breaks 50 knots she feels solid and controlled. Inflatable stabiliser tubes on either side, controlled by an automatic pump which maintains optimum pressure, provide stability and help counter chine-hop. The tubes also help cornering in a seaway where the Hawk never feels like it is about to highside and throw you from your perch. As we blasted downwind, the Simrad 16-inch MFD showed us hitting 61.1 knots, and heading back into the breeze we topped out at just under 53 knots. There was very little sound or vibration from the hull, deck or fittings at any speed - a benefit of Buzzi's foam-filled construction method. Decent coaming heights give a sense of security, while glass elements connect the Hawk's profile to the familiar angles and window lines of the wider Sunseeker range. Even at 60 knots, wind and spray buffeting for helm and co-pilot is minimal, and this is thanks to extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) work carried out by the Sunseeker design team, "We ended up with an all-in-one design for the console and hardtop," explains Luke Stride, Sunseeker's Design Office Manager. "We were a bit concerned about underway speed, so we conducted CFD at 30 knots and 60 knots to see how shielded the driver, navigator and passengers were. We then tweaked the design to minimise wind flow around the console." [t means the Hawk maintains a dry ride bow to stern. The design also carries Buzzi's squared-off anti-stuff bow, a feature that makes driving the Hawk over 50 knots easier for less experienced owners. While the emphasis is on getting places quickly and in style, the Sunseeker team thought hard about amenities and functionality for a day on the water. The howoffers a sun pad, under which a storage locker has been fitted with two charge points to carry two Seabobs. There is an option for a drop-in carbon swim ladder to complement the built- in stainless step ladder found aft to port, and the forward locker can also be configured to take one Seabob and the carbon ladder.

Aft of the sun pad, aft-facing U-shaped seating can be enhanced with e removable carbon table which stows beh ind the seating's backrest. A triple-seater bench behind the four Besenzoni suspension seats allows for a social aft cockpit, and this can also be fitted with optional Webasto drawer fridges. There is decent storage under seats and sole, and further options include a foredeck sunshade supported by carbon poles. There is also a head, sink and stowage under the console. The narrow moulded beam was conceived with a particular party trick in mind - the hardtop can be removed, and the Hawk can then fit into a standard container to be shipped anywhere in the world, even with the outboards still fitted. It means that the Hawk will likely appeal both to owners with multiple properties, and to superyacht owners who want a chase boat but who need the ability to jump between geographical regions easily. The Hawk has been conceived to bring back the raw enjoyment of those iconic models from the past, and that's exactly what it delivers. It'll draw admiring glances in the marina, and when you get going it's a smile- wide thrill ride that will snag you the prime buoy off the beach bar before your mates have even rounded the headland. And, as it turns out, even in a choppy seaway, you won't have to change your clothes when you get there.