jlmcgc
New Member
Any reviews re the sunseeker manhattan 56 with caterpillar 800hp. All reviews good and bad
Sunseeker Manhattan 56
- Thread starter jlmcgc
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MapisM
Well-Known Member
I can't think of any "official" review, but FWIW here's my own, in short:
Great engines, but awful boat - IMHO the worst among all her competitors of the same size/vintage.
And just in case you might be attracted by the only feature that nobody else offered back then, i.e. the lifting platform, be aware that it's notorious for getting stuck every other day, also because it was electrical - talk about silly design!?!
It also had the habit of failing mostly while fully lowered, making the return trip from wherever you were anchored a total PITA.
I'd rather run than walk away from it, regardless of price.
Great engines, but awful boat - IMHO the worst among all her competitors of the same size/vintage.
And just in case you might be attracted by the only feature that nobody else offered back then, i.e. the lifting platform, be aware that it's notorious for getting stuck every other day, also because it was electrical - talk about silly design!?!
It also had the habit of failing mostly while fully lowered, making the return trip from wherever you were anchored a total PITA.
I'd rather run than walk away from it, regardless of price.
jlmcgc
New Member
Why is it an awful boat in your opinion? Style ? Layout?
Bigplumbs
Well-Known Member
Well that’s you told ?
PowerYachtBlog
Well-Known Member
The mark.2 (presented 03) was the first offer from a British boat in a 16/17 meter with a midships cabin.
Its mid cabin was at the time the larger of the category bigger to that of the Azimut 55, but then it had a small third cabin with bunk berths, and no crew cabin.
Also the galley located aft was to open and simple, and the split levelling in the saloon felt split and had a step more to that of the AZ.
This hull is not renowned as one of the best from Sunseeker, but I always heard the Cat 800hp ran better and smoother to the Man 800hp and drink'd a bit less fuel.
Its mid cabin was at the time the larger of the category bigger to that of the Azimut 55, but then it had a small third cabin with bunk berths, and no crew cabin.
Also the galley located aft was to open and simple, and the split levelling in the saloon felt split and had a step more to that of the AZ.
This hull is not renowned as one of the best from Sunseeker, but I always heard the Cat 800hp ran better and smoother to the Man 800hp and drink'd a bit less fuel.
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jlmcgc
New Member
Im looking at a 2004 model not with centre cabin tbh
Divemaster1
Well-Known Member
MapisM
Well-Known Member
Neither.
I just evaluated that boat in detail, comparing her with the competitor models of the same vintage, and I found all of them superior in most respects.
I'm talking of the FL Squadron 58 and the Princess 57 among Brit builders, plus all the Italians: Azimut 55, Ferretti 57, Uniesse 55, Aicon 56, and quite a few others you probably never heard.
Among them all, the 'Hattan 56 would be the very last in my personal ranking, possibly on par with the Aicon (if that).
And to answer your question, here's why, in no particular order and off the top of my head:
- she's a narrowish boat, smaller than all the above, and the only reason why you might not notice is that they allocated all the space to the interiors, with side passages barely large enough for smurfs.
- her hull, as PYB already mentioned, is less than mediocre, and in more ways than one: they used balsa cored construction, to start with (good luck with that, as the boat gets old). And according to a couple of owners I spoke with, their semi-tunnel design coupled with V-drives needs a (relatively) high speed to keep the boat steadily on the plane: anywhere from 20 up to 24 kts, depending on load. Which puts a fair bit of stress on the engines, because in spite of the officially declared 31/23 kts for top and cruise speed respectively, she can barely reach 28 kts max in a good day, regardless of the powerplant (MAN and Cat engines had in fact the same power at the same max RPM, with MANs a bit lighter, but not enough to make a meaningful difference).
- fuel tanks built in aluminum, urgh. And no grey waters tank, just black.
- they used to fit a smallish genset as standard (8kW, IIRC).
- no w/tight compartments anywhere on the boat, not even the e/r, believe it or not!
- accessibility to the internal electrical panel is very bad, and the e/r electrical box is even worse, with low quality components prone to oxidation.
- small, low-end battery charger, with no thermal sensor and no monitoring panel
- brass seacock valves (!?!)
- vacu-flush toilets - slow, noisy, and prone to fail
- poorly placed airco outlets, with a bad air distribution, and with no airco at all in the crew cabin
I'm sure I could add other points if I'd pull out the notes I took during my search, but you should see what I mean by now.
starduster222
New Member
Well, as Manhattan 56 owner, I feel somewhat deflated by the negatives above!
Some of which I agree with but here is my tuppenyworth.... it's somewhat after the event, but aiming to help others who may be looking at the model.
I have a 2004 model with Cat 800HP engines. Standard layout with crew cabin (which, BTW, DOES have air conditioning).
Layout is a personal preference thing. It works for us.
We have a huge 24v cooler in the lower cabin meaning the seating arrangement is slightly reduced. Would not change that as it means ice cold drinks without running the generator.
It has an 11kva Kohler generator which comfortably runs all systems including water maker (it's based in Greece so pretty essential).
Battery chargers have been upgraded, so no issues there at all.
Not having a grey water tank has not been an issue, nor has not having a watertight compartment, but it's a fair point.
Not sure why aluminium fuel tanks is a bad thing either. Presumably condensation in winter months? But it's not been an issue.
Accessibility to internal electrical panel not an issue at all having just rewired for new electronics. Pulling cables through the boat was a cinch.
The engine room electrical panel is a bit frustrating but not a showstopper by any account.
The Vacu flush toilets are original and, yes, are noisy but effective. No failures to speak of.
Have had to replace seacock valves due to long term corrosion but that was pretty painless.
Getting to the anodes at the stern is a PITA.
Aircon outlets not an issue. There are 5 compressors. All cabins (including crew cabin) were kept perfectly cool during 45 degree Greek heatwave last season and the compressors are high quality.
Performance wise. We don't need to do 31kts but max speed we get is 29kts which is decent enough for me. I prefer a more sedate cruise. ("It's not the destination, it's the journey.").
Bathing platform holds a Williams tender which the kids love as it tows toys happily. You would not fit a powerful enough outboard-powered tender on the platform and be able to use the passarelle at the same time, so Williams was the way to go for stern-to mooring in Greece without having to faff about launching the tender before docking.
The platform does worry me as it would be a nightmare if it failed (so far no issues, but its hydraulics do need looking after and it does feel like a potential weak point of the boat).
Side passages would only be an issue if you are HUGE. I am big enough at 16 stone, with no issues. Happy to sacrifice that for interior space.
The interior trim is a faux suede on the ceiling and wall panels and has sagged having separated from its backing foam. This seems to be a common issue across Sunseekers of that age. It can obviously be dealt with but we live with it.
We looked at the MH50 as well as the MH56 but budget would not quite stretch to the MH50 at the time so settled on the 56.
I guess, at the end of the day, the second hand price reflects the desirability of different models, but we found that the 56 fitted the bill for us for the budget.
Some of which I agree with but here is my tuppenyworth.... it's somewhat after the event, but aiming to help others who may be looking at the model.
I have a 2004 model with Cat 800HP engines. Standard layout with crew cabin (which, BTW, DOES have air conditioning).
Layout is a personal preference thing. It works for us.
We have a huge 24v cooler in the lower cabin meaning the seating arrangement is slightly reduced. Would not change that as it means ice cold drinks without running the generator.
It has an 11kva Kohler generator which comfortably runs all systems including water maker (it's based in Greece so pretty essential).
Battery chargers have been upgraded, so no issues there at all.
Not having a grey water tank has not been an issue, nor has not having a watertight compartment, but it's a fair point.
Not sure why aluminium fuel tanks is a bad thing either. Presumably condensation in winter months? But it's not been an issue.
Accessibility to internal electrical panel not an issue at all having just rewired for new electronics. Pulling cables through the boat was a cinch.
The engine room electrical panel is a bit frustrating but not a showstopper by any account.
The Vacu flush toilets are original and, yes, are noisy but effective. No failures to speak of.
Have had to replace seacock valves due to long term corrosion but that was pretty painless.
Getting to the anodes at the stern is a PITA.
Aircon outlets not an issue. There are 5 compressors. All cabins (including crew cabin) were kept perfectly cool during 45 degree Greek heatwave last season and the compressors are high quality.
Performance wise. We don't need to do 31kts but max speed we get is 29kts which is decent enough for me. I prefer a more sedate cruise. ("It's not the destination, it's the journey.").
Bathing platform holds a Williams tender which the kids love as it tows toys happily. You would not fit a powerful enough outboard-powered tender on the platform and be able to use the passarelle at the same time, so Williams was the way to go for stern-to mooring in Greece without having to faff about launching the tender before docking.
The platform does worry me as it would be a nightmare if it failed (so far no issues, but its hydraulics do need looking after and it does feel like a potential weak point of the boat).
Side passages would only be an issue if you are HUGE. I am big enough at 16 stone, with no issues. Happy to sacrifice that for interior space.
The interior trim is a faux suede on the ceiling and wall panels and has sagged having separated from its backing foam. This seems to be a common issue across Sunseekers of that age. It can obviously be dealt with but we live with it.
We looked at the MH50 as well as the MH56 but budget would not quite stretch to the MH50 at the time so settled on the 56.
I guess, at the end of the day, the second hand price reflects the desirability of different models, but we found that the 56 fitted the bill for us for the budget.