Sunreef Yachts: Buyer Beware

Sorry to hear of the disappointment and loss of $$. Curious how they got $6m prior to delivery and acceptance? Sounds like you may have paid nearly the total cost long before you took delivery or should I say, when you were supposed to take delivery? Did your contract not allow for withholding a larger portion of the total cost until you took delivery?

Hard to believe it’s been ten years since our last discussion on SunReef...

https://yachtforums.com/threads/sunreef-70-opinions-on-quality.13914/

I am the person who sold Ky1e the yacht and can share an update on this situation. The company and I parted ways for 1 year and recently I cam back and can share updates from the inside on the realities of today.

1) His yacht was indeed very late. It was during the 2021 supply chain issues where every manufacturer was very late, but no excuse, they should not have been as late as they were. That has since been resolved and yachts are being delivered between 14-20 months depending on the model and queue ahead of them.

2) They still have the yacht and indeed refunded the buyer every penny. Keep in mind when you pay for a yacht, the shipyard uses the money to order engines, generators, product, labor, etc etc. The Yacht had been completed but the buyer had a clause that allowed him to cancel the contract due to tardiness, and he did and was fully paid even though they still own/have not sold the yacht. This did not go any further than a few letters between attorneys.

3) I sold 20 yachts and in only one case (this one) did a buyer feel the yacht was not up to snuff. In fact, the new yachts sold have been selling in the secondary market even 2-3 years old, for more than the owners paid for them ... Sunreef is far and away the highest end Catamaran money can buy.

4) The longest delivery time at the peak of the covid delays etc was 2.2 years. There are some manufacturers there that are on year 4+ of their "delivery promise" for smaller yachts ...

5) The company is incredibly well funded, continuing to deliver a record number of yachts and even launching a brand new line of express cruisers.


In closing, it's absolutely a shame that the yacht was delayed as long as it was for Ky1e. But if asked, even Ky1e would concur that they were indeed paid back every dollar without having to get into a legal battle of any kind.

It's important for the record to be set straight, in the end we are all on the same team here.

Sunreef are doing the most of any manufacturer to push the boundary of sustainability in yachting while actually delivering on their promise. They recently launched the first fully electric 80 foot solar catamaran in the United States currently in Newport, RI which will be showcased at FLIBS in October.

Perhaps most importantly, Sunreef has invested a ton of money in it's after sales service team based in Florida that answers and assists immediately when texted.

Spoken like a broker with a vested interest! Claiming it is "far and away the highest end catamaran money can buy" is reason enough to stay FAR and AWAY from Sunreef.

I am in receipt of a letter from an attorney representing Sunreef claiming the statements by Ky1e are both erroneous and defamatory, but it appears that Robert Riva (who works for Sunreef) has substantiated the authenticity of Ky1e's complaint. Sunreef claims the statements in Ky1e's post are unfounded and maliciously intended to damage their reputation. They are asking for this thread to be removed.

This post is made to notify Ky1e. We'd like to know if Sunreef remedied this situation?

Woof. Pins and needles for the final outcome. I wonder if the boat will be discounted to the next buyer?

I would presume any new boat would have a survey done by a qualified marine surveyor prior to acceptance? If the buyer didn't complete the transaction, there should be a survey with the squawks listed?

I can only imagine the feeling of angst to go see the new boat, and the heartbreak of reality slapping me in the face.

Thank you for clarifying your experience with Sunreef, ky1e. The paragraph (above) has been redacted.

Incredibly unfortunate situation!

I took a look at their website, just for spits and giggles. I have a few comments on that.

1. They invested billions in their CGI/graphic design there. That is world class, top notch 'artist rendering' work. I don't think there is one un-doctored photo in the whole place. The graphic artist was a genius and is worth every Schekel charged. Whether that corresponds to the actual product remains to be seen.

2. Sigh - I'm no noodge about it, but the words "Eco" and "yacht" should never be uttered in the same context. Who are they trying to kid? Did they get the idea from Al Gore, while riding on one of his big private jets between lavish homes? Yuk-yuk. I mean, I'm all for efficiency of propulsion, and I've designed and installed a few solar systems myself(off grid), but really - is someone going to buy the concept of a 'green revolution' and 'power yacht' combined? Cringeworthy attempt. I'd prefer an honest eval rather than this bovine scatology. "Their yacht gets 0.25NMPG, and ours gets 0.3NMPG!"

Out of curiosity, I visited their website and EVERY page is prompting me to accept cookies; clearly a company that has no regard for privacy. On those grounds alone, they will never benefit from a link on YF. We discontinued coverage of their boats many years ago for the reasons outlined in the link below...

https://yachtforums.com/threads/sunreef-70-opinions-on-quality.13914/

Among the notable industry veterans participating in the thread, it's worth noting... "ayachtguy" is Chris Caswell; one of the most published writers in the marine industry. He's won more than 50 awards for writing and has been a yachting journalist for more than four decades. Another thread participant is marine industry writer and photographer Tom Serio who shared his observations on Sunreef too.

I was also looking at purchasing a sunroof 60 prior to reading this forum. If I’m looking for a luxury 60 foot catamaran to sail the med for one season and then head across the Atlantic to the Caribbean for a season and then back to the med for one more season and then sell the yacht. What would someone recommend?.

Besides luxury 60 foot catamaran, how important are "looks" to your eye?

Some thoughts about your project before recommendations.

Luxury is comfort to some folks, safety to others, space yet to others. Hard to know what you find luxurious. However since you were sighting a Sunreef we can imagine some of what makes a catamaran seem luxurious to you.

Transats are a real sailing project. Back and forth even more so. Luxury may be a decent turn of speed in light variable conditions.

Now to get to your question about recommendation. I am more interested in ocean crossing comfort, here are my recommendations.

FYI, I coastal sail a 37' monohull sailboat, 50' twin cummins powered sedan motor vessel and a 13' Hobie Wave catamaran, so take this with a grain of salt. Although maybe two grains as I follow current catamaran developments closely.

Balance 580 or 620
HH 55 or 65, there is an HH60 on the drawing board
McConaghy MC60
Privilege 580
and I love Outremers but the O55 is the largest in that stable right now.

Have fun!

All the kinks will never be worked out, right?

But I agree with your idea. Certainly a prudent first owner can get a lot of the teething out of the way and get some kit added and take some depreciation for owner number two.

Are the pandemic boats going up for sale, I see a few now. Are they showing some depreciation, not much yet. Bristol used boats are still asking a premium.

I had completely different experience!
Sunreef build the yacht for me as per my requests and my design with milestones for every stage and payment .
on every installment our expert visit the yard inspect the progress and quality and confirm to pay the installment .
Very important to make the design and layout decisions on time to have the yacht delivered on time .
The result was amazing super cat that we love and proud of .

Your bio states your in sales. I don't know many salesmen that can afford to commission a new Sunreef.

Your IP states you're in Cannes and by some strange coincidence, the 2024 Cannes Boat Show started today.

This thread had been dormant and almost forgotten but you guys keep resurrecting it with each new post.

Can I add a 4th point?

4th...today Sunreef has unveiled a new flagship, what a coincidence!!!!