Yahoo Sports Boat of the Week: This Luxe 88-Foot Yacht Has Its Own Enclosed Skybridge
American boating tends be about extremes. Depending on region, it can either be too hot or too cold. Or in some places, even too wet. That meteorological conundrum has created something of a quandary for Sunseeker, the British motoryacht builder.
Since 2020, the yard has been behind its 90 Ocean model, with its expansive, open flybridge. It’s designed for sun-worshipping, alfresco entertaining, and generally relishing the great outdoors.
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But potential buyers have since been asking for a buttoned-down version with a fully enclosed flybridge, to enjoy the air conditioning in summer heat, or in the shoulder season, heating to counter the autumn chills.
Sunseeker’s latest offering, the Ocean 182, answers the call by providing a very different experience on the same hull as the 90-footer. It made its debut at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), where Robb Report took a full tour to see the major differences from the 90 Ocean, docked right beside it.
A note on the names. The 182 is not 182 feet long. In fact, it shares the same 88’11” length as the Ocean 90, as well as the 23’5” beam. According to Mark Chinery, Sunseeker’s international director of sales, the number 182 reflects the vessel’s gross tonnage, or GT, which is the industry yardstick for internal volume.
Two other high-volume yachts by Wally, the wallywhy220 and wallywhy110, also use gross tonnage in their names, mostly because their volumes are much larger than competitors’ yachts of the same length.
“We decided that as this new Ocean is all about its increased interior space, we’d refer to it the same way. It also differentiates it from the 90,” says Chinery.
Telling friends that you own a 182 Sunseeker, rather than a 90, would naturally result in increased bragging rights. On the flip side, it might require an explanation to marina managers when it comes to negotiating docking fees, which are typically paid by the yacht’s length in feet.
While the 90 and 182 share a common hull, offer the same engine options, and largely have the same four-cabin lower-deck accommodations, an enclosed sky lounge on the 182 has allowed Sunseeker’s designers to switch around the upper spaces.
Entering the main-level salon of the 182 is indeed dramatic. Gone is the forward helm station and amidships galley of the Ocean 90, replaced with an open-plan layout. Instead of the helm, which moves to the sky lounge a floor above, there’s a dining table for eight and a well-equipped, open-plan galley opposite up at the front.
This allows for a legtimately massive salon at the rear, defined by an L-shaped sofa, big-screen TV and cozy sitting area. Floor-to-ceiling windows across the salon, with sliding glass doors on the port side, flood the space with light. The near full-width doors at the rear connect the cockpit seamlessly to the indoor area in warm weather.
One of the yacht’s standout features is its spiraling, stainless-steel staircase leading up into the other surprise design feature—the enclosed sky lounge.
The helm station, with its single captain’s chair and view of the water through the wraparound windshield, has the commanding position in this second lounge. A bar, freestanding sofa, and another big TV make it the place to be while cruising, enjoying movie nights, or watching the big game in air-conditioned bliss.
“The whole concept here is to give the look, feel, and vibe of a modern Manhattan-style penthouse,” says Chinery.
There are also plans on the drawing board to reconfigure this upper nautical loft into a private owner’s suite, with a wall to separate the helm and a private hot tub on the rear terrace. Another configuration includes a sunroof for a more open feel.
In terms of accommodations, the current layout has the full-beam owner’s suite positioned amidships, with a guest twin stateroom that could be converted into an office, gym, or walk-in closet. The forward VIP could double as the master on other yachts, with the bonus of its own private staircase.
As with the 90 Ocean, the 182 is offered with twin MAN V12 diesels, either the 1,650 hp version, or the larger 1,900 hp model, both coupled to V-drives. The bigger motors can punch the Sunseeker to a top speed of 27 knots, with a comfortable cruise of about 20. Throttle back to a 12-knot displacement speed and the range is 1,800 nautical miles.
Both the 182 Ocean and 90 Ocean start at about $10 million.
Click here for more photos of the Sunseeker Ocean 182.
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