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Sunseeker 95 vs Pearl 95 vs Sirena 88; opinions please...

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by JoshCohenPHD, Jan 4, 2020.

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  1. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Hello,

    New member here, so greetings. My name is Josh. It's nice to be here.

    I am in need of some opinions and am open to any criticism of brands (case in point, I'm not a huge fan of Princess) but I'm dealing with yacht brands I'm unfamiliar with. I'm currently looking at several yachts and have brought it down to 3.

    A little background to help. I'm an owner/operator and very proud of that fact. That being said, I do have a deckhand who helps and he's awesome. I've had a long background in owning, with my first yacht being a Sea Ray 580 Sedan, the next a Azimut 68, and then a Horizon E84. I hated the Azimut, loved the other 2. I often go to the Bahamas and other Caribbean destinations, though I have gone up the east coast or the gulf, just not much.

    I'm looking to purchase a new yacht and have 3 in mind, though I'll state now, I'm open to other options. The current 3 I'm looking at are a Sunseeker 95, a Pearl 95, and a Sirena 88. All 3 have their pros and cons, but they meet my requirements of having good range at 12 knots, an actual pilothouse but also have flybridges (honestly, people need to try them more, they're excellent), a good amount of staterooms, nice masters, but most importantly, nice open engine rooms easily accessed and serviced.

    I've toured the Sirena and the Sunseeker. There is not a Pearl available and it's in doubt that one will be at Miami in February. The Sunseeker is amazing, spacious, and the captains I spoke to raved about how easy and reliable they were. Another uptick is that a 2017 and a 2019 are available pretty immediately. The Sirena was awesome, and her Captain said well worth it. He did have some complaints on engine servicing, but said it's easy once you figure it out.

    I'm leaning towards the Sunseeker, but I'm just not familiar with the brands and don't want another Azimut situation were I get rid of the thing within 3 years. I do wish a Pearl was available to look at, but unless I want to fly over to the Med again, it's just not easy. So, I'm really in need of help and opinions. Any opinions or advice would help. This is my first time where an answer didn't present itself. And I can always answer questions if needed.

    Thank you so much and hope to share the journey.

    Josh
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I would go straight to the Sunseeker. Good brand, good seakeeping, good performance. I'd also look at the Hatteras 90', although it has no pilot house, there is a used one for sale currently.....2018 I think.
  3. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Thank you, Captain J. That's the way I was leaning. Would you recommend the 2017 or the 2019?
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    That's totally up to you. Depends on price, power, hours, interior etc.
  5. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Thank you for all your help. I think I am going to try and put a offer in on the Sunseeker and see where it goes. I'm going to place it in on the 2019 model because it's still under warranty. The 2017 one just went out of warranty.
  6. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I'm a Sunseeker fan but must issue you a warning and that is knowing who owns the boat, who is selling it to you, and who will be providing the warranty service. You can see elsewhere that Sunseeker is embroiled in a very ugly mess with their former dealer in South Florida and boats and warranty service are part of that.
  7. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Ah, I didn't know that. Thank you. The owner of the 2019 just built it and is selling it so he can build the next size up. The owner of the 2017 is selling so he can get larger as well. The 17 has alot of hours on it but has been well taken care of and everything logged. Because the 19 is so new, there's not much there yet.

    Is there any other brands you might suggest?
  8. Danvilletim

    Danvilletim Senior Member

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    I’m friendly w captain of Pearl 80. Brand new and it blew the mufflers apart on the way to Bahamas. Engine room became a mess. Many other issues that would make me very cautious. All is under warranty but the warranty work is done by local yard that isn’t doing stuff up to the standards that you’d expect.
  9. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    No, I like Sunseeker and if it's coming from an individual and not in dispute, fine. Make sure it's documented and no lien on it. Ask Sunseeker where to get warranty service.

    One brand that often gets overlooked is Ferretti.
  10. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Thank you. That's something I want to hear. For the price, I'd expect the work to be almost flawless, but there are centres that just don't care.
  11. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    I haven't considered Ferretti in a long time. Last I looked at them was in 2015.

    I will follow up with a documentation check on the vessels and make sure everything is clean.
  12. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Went aboard a Pearl at FLIBS and nearly did a face plant on the aft staircase because they made one step higher than the rest of the steps to accommodate a shore line / water line locker. Then, I heard a woman let out a yelp when she bumped a sharp cabinet corner that jettisons out in the walkway. I don't see anything special about this brand.
  13. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Holy cow. Yikes. Well, that eliminates that one from the running. Sharp corners are not a good thing on something that moves.
  14. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    He's not giving you information that says ignore the brand, but that says to look for things like that on the specific boat.
  15. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    True. I just have a teenager and she's not the most observant when walking around. Head down, phone out.
  16. cleanslate

    cleanslate Senior Member

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    You came to the right place for opinions...Lol.
    Anyway you got some top notch advise form the fellas in the previous posts.
    IMO, I would go with the older 2017 boat that is just out of warranty because it's had time to get all the factory bugs worked out of it, hopefully , and things are working well and broken in. All in a good way, as you stated it is a well matained vessel. My opinion is also based on Olderboater's info on the problem with warranty work on this manufacturer , They may stick it to you if you need work on the new 2019 model ; dealer or factory..

    With the one out of warranty , you can save money on the purchase, and take charge yourself when something breaks or needs service , with your own choice of competent mechanics / yacht yards and get it done right.
  17. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Thank you.

    Yes, I am putting in the offer today. So, we'll see how it goes.
  18. cleanslate

    cleanslate Senior Member

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    Excellent ! Good luck! I will freely admit , wish I was in your shoes right now !
  19. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Warranty is only a problem with one dealer.
  20. JoshCohenPHD

    JoshCohenPHD Member

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    Can I ask which Dealer? I had found the dealer I'm working with on the Sunseeker website, but he's really bad at communicating. I want to use my old broker, but he's out of the industry now, so I'm really in the water alone on this one. Also, thank you for changing the name of this thread.