There are boats you review, and then there are boats that change how you think about yachting altogether. The 2022 Sunseeker Manhattan 55 is the latter. Coming in at $2.75 million brand new, this is the most expensive boat I’ve ever reviewed — and after spending time aboard, I can tell you the price tag makes sense. Big thank you to Newport Yachts for loaning this boat and to my friends at Yacht Hero for helping with the footage. Newport has the Manhattan 55 available for both charter and sale. For more.
Exterior Design and the Beach Club
Sunseeker hasn’t gone to the axe-style bow that a lot of manufacturers are using now. Instead, the Manhattan 55 keeps a sport-style bow because this hull wants to get up on plane — it’s designed to go fast. You sacrifice a bit of interior space in the bow, but I don’t think it makes that much of a difference once you’re inside. The styling is distinctly Sunseeker: the rail sweeping up at the stern, those signature windows along the hull that aren’t all actual windows (some are structural), and the line that jets up to the flybridge with those little wing tips at the back. Carbon accents show up on the engine intake covers and elsewhere throughout the boat.
At the stern, Sunseeker offers what they call the Beach Club — a grill tucked behind the transom name and a push-button shower that pops up from the swim platform. Below the platform sits crew quarters with a bed, a washing machine, a head with shower and sink, and a small closet. There’s even a window down there, plus a safety indicator light so crew coming up know whether the swim platform is deployed. These are the kinds of small, thoughtful details scattered across this boat that set it apart. One thing I really liked is that Sunseeker mandates a key system below deck just to turn the batteries on, so your vessel has an extra layer of security beyond the helm ignition. If you’re interested in how this compares to another Sunseeker, I reviewed the Predator 63 as well.
The Flybridge
The flybridge helm has twin chairs with bolsters, separated so the captain and companion can’t get too close while focusing on the water. The steering wheel is wrapped in white leather with a fixed-center Sunseeker logo that doesn’t spin — very Rolls-Royce. Controls include a joystick for the Volvo pods, electric throttles, and bow and stern thrusters from Side Power. Electronics are all Garmin with two full-touchscreen chartplotters, a radio, and a physical controller for when your fingers aren’t cooperating. Beyond the helm there’s a sun pad forward, cocktail seating to port, and a larger aft area with a folding table. The wet bar includes a sink, mini fridge, ice maker with color-coded controls, and ice storage. The whole top is a convertible with an aft awning built to look like part of the hardtop. Even the welds on the supports are polished so cleanly you can’t see a single weld mark. There’s also a carbon fiber flag pole option, which I thought was a fun touch.
Galley, Salon, and the Lower Helm
The transition from cockpit to interior is one of the best design features I’ve seen on a boat. There’s a port-side docking station with joystick and thrusters in perfect reach, plus a marble bar top that folds down — so the second you’re tied up, you’ve got a drink in hand. A push-button partition rises up fast enough to make a thud when it hits the top. The galley has a drink fridge, four refrigeration drawers, a four-burner stove, a split sink, a dishwasher, and a microwave. Cabinetry is everywhere and so well integrated you often can’t tell where compartments are hiding.
Up two steps into the main salon, there’s a C-shaped couch with a table whose design matches the lighting pattern hidden in the ceiling — one of the first things I noticed aboard. The lower helm has larger Garmin screens, an adjustable seat, and an M8 touchscreen controlling everything on the boat — lights, fans, bilges, tank levels — plus a factory iPad for entertainment. Every room has accent and main lighting with scene presets so you can dial brightness exactly where you want it. This motor yacht also comes equipped with a Seakeeper 6 for full gyro stabilization underway.
Three Cabins and the Engine Room
Below decks, a centered stairwell with cutouts lets natural light filter down. The VIP cabin forward has its own head with a rainfall shower, windows along both sides, and roughly a 40-inch TV. It’s slightly smaller than an axe-bow layout, but I didn’t feel like you’re losing much. The twin bunk room to starboard has narrow bunks but good headroom and its own TV, though it shares the head with the VIP. The full-beam master is aft with its own head, a lit-up mirror, a dresser system to port, a couch to starboard, and a sizable Samsung TV with sound bar.
The engine room is accessed through the rear cockpit and it’s incredibly spacious and clean. This one has the Volvo Penta IPS 950s — the larger engine option, though IPS 800s are also available. There’s an Onan/Cummins generator on the port side, battery switches and chargers forward, a water heater system, fuel tanks on both sides, and even a camera to monitor everything remotely. The Seakeeper 6 sits center of the vessel toward the stern. Christian Test: five out of five — plenty of room, and the floor isn’t even that sharp.
Specs and Star Ratings
Quick specs: about 56 feet overall, 16-foot beam, 4-foot-6-inch draft, nearly 60,000 pounds. Volvo Penta IPS 950 pods with Side Power bow and stern thrusters. Top speed 32 knots, cruising 25 knots with a 250-nautical-mile range from 580 gallons of diesel. Three guest cabins sleeping six, one crew quarter, three heads.
For the star ratings — these are out of 10 with five being average, not high school grading — Performance gets a 7. This hull wants to go fast and puts out the numbers to back it up. Comfort gets an 8 for the beach club, full-beam master, three rooms, and options everywhere so you’re never running around flipping switches. Quality gets a 9. The build quality on this boat is insane. Every drawer closes perfectly, every panel fits, and the composite woodwork looks like different pieces of real wood. It’s like a precision Lego set. Practicality gets a 7 for all the small things that make life aboard easier — mounted blind controls, scene lighting, the swim platform indicator light. Value gets a 6 — it’s expensive, but Sunseekers hold their value remarkably well. There are 76-foot versions still asking near-new prices after five years. That brings the total to 37, which is the highest star rating I’ve ever given a boat.
This is my favorite boat I’ve reviewed. If you’re in the market for a 50-plus-footer and budget allows, the Manhattan 55 should be on your short list. Smooth sailing.
