Sunreef 60: A Power Catamaran with Pod Drives
The newest Sunreef 60 power cat comes with a pair of IPS drives in the hull, boosting efficiency and offering joystick handling.
The popularity of pod drives has been on the rise for years, as more boat owners have left struts and shafts behind for these steerable drive units. But the love affair is one that’s been enjoyed primarily by owners of monohulls. Sunreef Yachts of Poland recently broke new ground by powering its 60-foot power catamaran with Volvo Penta’s IPS800 pod drives, and the installation has been so successful that the builder is now making plans to offer IPS on other models in its line of cruising power cats, which includes larger models like the Sunreef 70, clear on up to 100-plus footers.
The Sunreef 60 is among this builder's smaller offerings, but it carries the same super-yacht flair and fashion of its larger siblings. Plus, it now carries pod drives.
Sunreef owners who choose IPS will enjoy the same benefits that monohull drivers do, namely 30 percent lower fuel consumption and 20 percent higher top speed compared to traditional shaft installations. And then there’s the joystick. “The Sunreef 60 can now be moved in any desired direction thanks to the joystick,” says Stefan Zegarlicki, of Volvo Penta Poland. “This makes docking and driving both easier, safer, and enables scenarios that were previously unthinkable.”
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Length | 60'0" |
| Beam | 26'6" |
| Draft | 3'4" |
| Deadrise | NA |
| Displacement | 88,184 lbs |
| Fuel capacity | 1,584 gal. |
| Water capacity | 206 gal. |
For the 60 Sunreef, the builder didn’t build a completely new hull dedicated to IPS propulsion. Instead, it modified the existing running bottom, which was an engineering challenge as the hulls of a catamaran are narrower than those of a monohull. But the builder is so pleased with the results that it’s making plans to offer a brand-new model, the 90 Sunreef Power, with two propulsion systems. The 90 had originally been slated for conventional shaft drives only, but now IPS is on the options list. This change of course is exciting news for those catamaran fans in search of a twin-hull cruiser with exceptional performance capabilities that approaches superyacht proportions.
For more information, visit Sunreef Yachts.
