Sunseeker International is set to partner with Dutch based ICON Yachts to produce aluminium boats.
The first boat, due for launch in 2021, will be a 49m yacht and will capitalise on the demand the boatbuilder is seeing for larger vessels.
“We know there is demand there for larger Sunseeker yachts as the 155 Yacht proved,” said Sunseeker International sales director, Sean Robertson. “The decision to stop building that model was a commercial one based on space and capacity and certainly not due to lack of demand, so we knew we needed to rethink our approach to this size of vessel and have spent considerable time looking at various opportunities.”
He added: “A move into metal also means there is no ceiling as to how big we can go in the future, but obviously this requires different expertise and so it was essential to find the right partner to support the project.”
Sunseeker first entered the superyacht arena in 2001 with its 105 Yacht. Since then the boatbuilder has delivered more than 125 yachts over 100ft.
The new 49m tri-deck yacht will have an interior that can be styled to each owner’s taste.
Standard configuration is for ten guests in five cabins, with scope for up to 12 depending on the layout chosen.
The yachts will be sold under the ‘Sunseeker by ICON’ name.