Whitehaven 6000 Sunbridge: Review

Australians have an affinity with the flybridge cruiser and the enclosed version is offered on this Whitehaven 6000 platform. There is also a movement back into single-level entertaining. So you can buy the Coupe version, too. Bridging the two, the new Sunbridge is the latest incarnation of the Whitehaven 6000 that blends the best of both worlds.

OVERVIEW
- Wind in your hair and serious cruising credentials
When you buy a semi-custom motor yacht for $2.5 million-plus there’s a bit to consider. Thankfully, the hull and engineering are taken care of with Whitehaven Motor Yachts. It's 60-70 footer range is the product of years of offshore boating experience. Whitehavens have found their way to Darwin, Perth, Sydney Harbour, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

Boating identity Keith Hanson, a 50 per cent shareholder in the Whitehaven Motor Yachts business, and his shipwright son Ryan produce these luxury motor yachts in Taiwan at the New Ocean Yachts yard. They oversee construction, while Keith helps with the deliveries. He is known for undertaking some seriously long ocean passages along Australia’s coastline, including a well-publicised circumnavigation by motor yacht.

One of the early 640 Sport Yachts this writer tested, when the boats were known as New Ocean Yachts, was driven from the Gold Coast to Darwin, down to The Kimberley, and is now back on the Gold Coast. It is for reasons of long-range autonomous cruising that you find huge fuel capacities, mainly CAT power, and a survey-like fit out on these purpose-built boats.

It also helps that the other 50 per cent partner in Whitehaven Motor Yachts knows a bit about business and heavy engineering. Bruce Scott, ex Scott's Refrigerated Freightways, is an avid boater with a Whitehaven 7000 Flybridge. Besides a passion for the deep blue sea, he has deep pockets that have helped put this boutique boat brand on solid financial footing.

For these reasons, there are now six Whitehaven boats in Australia and two more on the way, we’re told. But before you place your order, you need to determine how you will use your Whitehaven.

Realising that not all boaters do it the same, Whitehaven offers Coupe, Enclosed Flybridge, and Sunbridge configurations using its 60 and 70 foot versions of the same hull. It also has a 6600 Convertible with extended fishing-type cockpit, a new 750 Sport Yacht arriving in August built on a bigger hull, and can build boats to 110ft.

For this review, we set out to experience the new Whitehaven 6000 Sunbridge. While coupes and flybridges resonate with Australian pleasure boaters, the sunbridge is more of a European design. We tested this new 6000 Sunbridge with Whitehaven’s Gold Coast dealer, Andy Taylor, at AMT Marine during a perfect Queensland top-down cruising day.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- A $2.5 million luxury cruiser with vast custom options
When you peruse the list of specifications for a Whitehaven like the 6000 Sunbridge you find survey-like engineering and popular proprietary fittings that are well supported on the local boating scene. This way, if you need a pump, a filter, a kitchen sink or cooktop, you won’t be stranded for too long. In-built redundancy is also a part of the build.

In short, the Whitehaven formula includes: all shaft drive, walkaround decks, owners’ walkaround king bed in a full beam master, tender garage, built-to-last engineering, and optional layouts including three- or four-cabin design, galley forward or aft (as here), up to 9000 litres of fuel, and so on.

The standard 6000 Sunbridge has a base price of about $2.4m. Our test boat had the upgraded 1150hp Caterpillar C18 ACERT engines with Twin Disc Quickshift controllers adding about $144k over the latest 1000hp Caterpillar C12.9 ACERTS that are now standard issue. These new 12.9s will be great engines in respect of power-to-weight.

Other fitted options include a hydraulic 600kg swim platform, twin Raymarine 15in HybridTouch electronics, 3.2m AB centre console tender with 20hp Honda outboard, collapsible bimini top over sunbridge, underwater lights and beautiful handcrafted teak cockpit chairs. The interior joinery was robust light oak and the décor had natural tones that you could so easily live with on a daily basis.

As we drive it, and will be displayed at the 2016 Sanctuary Cove boat show, our 6000 Sunbridge was priced at $2,666,805. That’s about $100k more than the Coupe sister ship. Determining if that is money well spent was part of my impending mission.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- A three cabin and two bathroom luxury cruiser
Our display boat had the standard and highly desirable three cabin/two bathroom layout. The sizing and sense of headroom throughout the 6000 is impressive, as is the attention to detail with things like oval handrails leading down the companionway (off which is a handy dayhead that doubles as the second en suite).

For dinner parties, the portside dinette in the saloon is big enough for six. There is a drop down TV from the ceiling and a convertible double bed option for the lounge, allowing you to sleep up to eight aboard.

The plush leather upholstery, wine fridge, recessed four-burner stove to prevent spills at sea, amid a full spread of home-like appliances with local backing, and indoor/outdoor rear opening doors to the cockpit, were welcome.

The cockpit entertaining setting for eight is catered for by a nearby barbecue and fridges, while a forward sunpad offers privacy. The the AB 3.2 centre console in the aft garage gives you an even better getaway. Back indoors, there’s a lower helm station for cruising in less-than-ideal conditions.

Accommodation-wise, owners will luxuriate in the full beam stateroom with king bed, enjoy the vanity and bureau and chaise lounge, swing clobber in the cedar-lined hanging lockers, and find plenty more storage, opening portlights, big hull windows, and a step-up en suite with hot shower and 1000lt of water.

The VIP guest’s cabin forward is high on headroom, fresh air and floor space around its double bed, while the third cabin has 2.1m long single beds. The accompanying images do the talking; the 6000 Sunbridge is a true liveaboard. You can add a full laundry in the walk-in engine room. The boat had its washer dryer inside.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- First-rate engineering systems
Whitehaven optimises its boats: the air-con is tropical strength, there’s a big battery systems with 5000w inverter, 25kva Kohler generator, bow and stern thrusters, Yacht Controller and twin joysticks as standard. Besenzoni helm chairs add to the luxury when underway.

The CATs spin five-blade Veem props on heavy-duty 3in Aquamet shafts, you get dual Racor fuel filters, 5500 litres of fuel, 1000ltr of water with a purification system, Vacufush toilets, and LED lighting throughout. The Muir anchoring system comes with 100m of chain, reflecting the serious nature of this cruising boat.

Along with a tender garage, there is a watertight ship-like door back aft leading to a wonderful walk-in engine room that houses your 18.1L turbocharged inline-six CAT engines. There’s just so much servicing room it’s fantastic.

The wiring wows, along with a shiny stainless-steel work bench area. I was moved to send a few photos of all this to some boating friends as examples of what I look for in a serious cruising motor yacht. Yes, exemplar engineering.

Of course, you can do all kinds of custom things in respect of refrigeration. Our test boat had a double-door domestic galley 560lt fridge/freezer, cockpit drawer fridge, and sunbridge fridge with icemaker. All of this could be run off the inverter for 16 hours, letting you sleep generator-free before booting things back up at breakfast.

Designed by New Ocean Yacht’s CEO and naval architect Jason Kao, the deep-vee 6000 hull is deceptively voluminous in the way it swallows all this gear and remains so spacious.

Construction is solid GRP for the running surfaces with foam-cored sides and decks. The hull is vacuum-bagged to the chines, with five bulkheads glassed in, and there are access points to all the plumbing and wiring runs. We checked.

ON THE WATER
- The sensations of driving the Sunbridge
The performance of Whitehaven’s 6000 hull is a highlight and I’ve said this about other models in the range before. Of course, the Hansons aren’t going to put their name to anything less. They will also tell you: "We’re all shaft as this is a long-term investment."

There are small prop tunnels to keep the shaft angles low, underwater exhausts, a small keel to assist in tracking, reverse chines for lift and spray deflection, and a great resulting motion at sea. The low COG from the reduced superstructure up top, with just a bimini top for shade, adds to the stable hull. You don’t need a Seakeeper.

Admittedly, we had glorious test conditions and just a metre of lazy swell and sea. But there’s a lot of power from these 1150hp C18 ACERTs, serious torque to shift your 34,000kg half-loaded 60-footer, and you can feel that kick in as you advance the throttles. There’s absolutely not hesitation getting up to cruising speed where the Whitehaven 6000 feels like an unstoppable machine at sea. Not squeaks or rattles.

At 2000rpm, we had 22.4 knots for 360lt/hr, while 2200rpm gave 25-26 knots for 440lt/hr. Top speed at 2350rpm WOT is 30-31 knots. Long-range cruise at 1800rpm and 18-19 knots uses 280lt/hr for a safe range of about 330nm. The big CATS aren't really known for their fuel efficiency, but with 5500lt aboard you can go for ridiculous lengths back down at displacement hull speed of around 9.5 knots with these C18 ACERTs ticking over.

This hull has a high degree of natural buoyancy, lots of lift and freeboard so vision remains great even down at the lower helm at displacement speeds offshore. The motion, meanwhile, is most agreeable and stable and it was a definitely a dry ride in the benign conditions.

With the wind whistling through hair and the polarised sunnies, you had that fantastic feeling of freedom that comes with driving convertibles, sunbridges and open flybridge boats. These tactile sensations really added to the excitement as we banked this way and that before the Gold Coast high-rise.

VERDICT
- A rooftop terrace
Of course, the raison d’etre for buying this 6000 Sunbridge is the open-air bridge. Offshore from Surfer’s Paradise we wore beaming smiles while enjoying equally broad views. The internal staircase is easy to negotiate and the bridge is extremely accommodating.

"We’ve gone back to open entertaining. People can feel the wind in their hair. The idea is to drive the boat from up top in good weather and when it’s not your drive from inside," Andy Taylor, the Gold Coast-based Whitehaven dealer explains. After which we both took a turn at the wheel while passing judgement on the sheer beauty of this day at sea.

With the Coupe and the Sunbridge, the lower helm does take up some saloon room. But this Sunbridge would make an ultimate Whitsundays' cruiser and a perfect boat in many other ports including Sydney and further north.

On the Sunbridge, you’re not couped up in a Coupe, nor are you virtual boating in an enclosed flybridge with climate control. You have that sense of connection with the ocean, can see the whales and fish trap floats, can cruise for views with friends and enjoy the coastal experience and fresh air.

At this level, $100k seems like good value for a rooftop terrace for 12 with a fridge and ice maker, a daybed on which to doze, and a pull over custom bimini for shade from the midday sun. A Whitehaven for Whitehaven Beach, indeed.

LIKES
>> Fantastic cruising experience in the Sunbridge in fair weather
>> Superb engineering and build qualities with long-term servicing in mind
>> Abundant living spaces, aft galley and cockpit connection, on-water amenities
>> Tender garage, walkaround decks, entertaining area up top
>> Attention to detail and finish

NOT SO MUCH
>> Needs a moulded hardtop option over the Sunbridge
>> We’d add an inbuilt barbecue griddle or cooktop up top

Specifications: Whitehaven 6000 Sunbridge
Price as tested: $2,666,805 loaded with upgraded 1150hp Caterpillar C18 ACERTs and options including hydraulic swim platform, Raymarine electronics, AB tender, underwater lights, teak cockpit chairs and more.
Priced from: $2,427,775 million with 1000hp Caterpillar 12.9 ACERT
Length overall: 19.10m
Beam: 5.33m
Draft: 1.47m (inc. props)
Weight: 34,000kg (half load)
Material: Fibreglass with composite vacuum-bagged foam-cored hull sides and deck
Type: Deep-vee planning hull
Berths: 6 + 2
Fuel: 5500lt
Water: 1000lt
Holding Tank: 300lt
Engines: Caterpillar C18 ACERT inline six-cylinder diesel engine w/ common rail injection, turbocharging and aftercooling
Rated HP: 1015 at 2350rpm (each)
Displacement: 18.1lt (each)
Weight: 1905kg (each)
Props: Five-blade Veem

Tested through:
AMT Marine  
D6 Marina Mirage
74 Seaworld Drive
Main Beach, QLD,  4217
Phone: (07) 5532 1049
See
amtmarine.com.au.

Whitehaven Motor Yachts Pty Ltd
PO Box 751
Main Beach, Qld 4217
Phone: 1300 758 896
See www.whitehavenmotoryachts.com.au.