The first time you bring a Sunseeker into a Med harbour stern-to — the sun hammering the cockpit, a dozen sets of eyes watching from the quayside terraces — the boat you’re arriving in matters enormously. The Sunseeker Portofino 40 Review: Classic British Luxury is the story of a 12.9-metre sportscruiser that manages to look like it belongs off Antibes as naturally as it was born in Poole. Drop it beside the Princess V39 at anchor in Porto Cervo, and the Sunseeker draws eyes first. That is partly design, partly attitude, and partly the kind of finish that emerges from a yard that builds the same standards into their smallest model as their largest.
The Portofino 40 was produced between 2012 and 2016 — a short run, and all the better for it. Sunseeker launched only 73 Portofino 40s between 2013 and 2015. Scarcity on the used market means these boats hold their mystique and their price. On the brokerage circuit today, well-specced Med examples are appearing in the €160,000–€280,000 range depending on year, hours, and specification — compelling value for what is, in every meaningful way, a proper British luxury sportsboat. These yachts have been offered for sale primarily around the west and central Mediterranean. If you are in the market, a sea trial charter booking through a reputable Med broker before committing to purchase is strongly advised — this boat rewards hands-on assessment in chop, and a good trial will reveal the drives and sliding roof mechanism in equal measure.
Specifications at a Glance
Before we discuss what she’s like at 28 knots off Cap Ferrat, here are the numbers that matter:
- LOA: 42 feet 4 inches (12.9 metres)
- Beam: 12 feet 8 inches
- Draft: 13 feet beam; displacement 10,500 kg; range 220 nautical miles
- Standard engines: Twin Volvo Penta D6 330 sterndrives pushing the boat to a top-end speed of 35 knots
- Optional engines: Volvo D6 400s, lifting performance to 40 knots
- Cruising speed (400hp option): 38 knots via twin 400hp Volvo Penta D6-400/DP engines
- Berths: Sleeping up to 5 guests in two stylish cabins, a fully equipped galley and a comfortable saloon
- Hull construction: GRP with a planing hull design
- Production years: 2013 to 2016
On the Water: Med Performance in Real Conditions
You slide out of, say, Portofino harbour itself — the name is not accidental — past the orange-painted houses and into the Ligurian Sea, and at 2,500 rpm the Portofino 40 sits on its plane with quiet authority. The deep-V hull is the defining performance feature here. Thanks to her deep V-shaped hull with low sides, she has good seaworthiness and stability in handling. In the confused summer chop that builds between Sanremo and Monaco on a Tramontane afternoon — short, steep two-metre seas rather than ocean swell — the hull cuts cleanly, not slamming but tracking with the kind of composure that earns passenger confidence. You are not fighting the wheel.
The sporty credentials are not in question. In terms of cruising performance, the Sunseeker 40 leads the way with an impressive cruising speed of 38 knots thanks to its twin 400hp Volvo Penta D6-400/DP engines and maximum speed of 40 knots at 3,500 rpm. That is serious pace for a 13-metre boat with two cabins and a full cockpit. For Med passages — the 80-nautical-mile run from Ibiza to Formentera and back, the coast-hopping between Saint-Tropez and Cannes — the 330hp standard engines are perfectly adequate. The 400hp upgrade turns the same boat into something genuinely rapid and is worth seeking out on the used market.
Stern-to manoeuvring in a tight Provençal port is where many sportscruisers expose their weaknesses. The Portofino 40 does not embarrass. Sterndrives rather than pods but still with joystick point-and-park control allow her to reach speeds up to 34 knots. When it’s time to head to the dock and throttle back, a bow thruster offered as standard makes manoeuvring easier. The Volvo Aquamatic joystick system fitted to the console is a genuine asset in the July maelstrom of Bonifacio or a cramped berth in Portofino itself, though experienced helmsmen will find twin sterndrives with a bow thruster sufficient in most Mediterranean situations without needing to rely on it exclusively.
The Cockpit and Helm: A Space Designed for Mediterranean Living
If there is one area where the Portofino 40 clearly outperforms its rivals in Med conditions, it is the cockpit. Sunseeker understood that buyers placing this boat in the Med need outdoor living space as much as raw speed. The Sunseeker Portofino 40 cements its Sunseeker credentials with a massive cockpit under the standard-fit open-backed hardtop that features the yard’s first fabric sliding roof for maximum aperture. That sliding roof is the single most useful feature in 35°C heat: open it at anchor for breeze, close it underway to contain the air conditioning at 24°C. In the height of August in the Balearics, this matters more than an extra knot of speed.
The cockpit is protected by a large electric sunroof and features four forward-facing helm seats, a U-shaped dinette and permanent sunpads fore and aft. The convertible aft seating arrangement is thoughtfully engineered. A huge sliding sunroof in the hardtop helps make the cockpit a versatile living space, as does the converting aft bench seat, which can be extended and joined to the sunbed to create one huge lounging area. At anchor off a Corsican calanque, that extended sunpad becomes the defining feature of the afternoon — everyone spread out, the water turquoise below, the teak warm underfoot.
The driver-focussed helm position reflects Sunseeker’s sporty DNA. Visibility ahead is excellent, the leather-wrapped wheel sits at a natural angle, and the Simrad NSS12 chartplotter is positioned so you do not need to crane your neck to check your position while threading between the mooring balls off Port Cros. The British shipyard’s meticulous approach to this small cruiser is reflected in luxuriously crafted details, such as the carbon elements in the control panel or the stylish staircase from the cockpit to the cabin with oval steps. These are not afterthoughts. They are deliberate design choices that separate this boat from its mass-market competitors.
Below Decks: The Ken Freivokh Interior
Stepping below via that oval-stepped companionway on a hot afternoon is one of the genuine pleasures of this boat. The cabin is cool, the light is extraordinary, and the finish stops visitors mid-sentence. The interior feels roomy enough to forget you’re on a 40-footer, with a minimum headroom of 6 feet 3 inches and full-size berths.
The interior story begins with the designer: the exterior and interiors of the Portofino 40 have been designed by Ken Freivokh, world-class designer and interior designer of the Maltese Falcon. His signature Anigre and Wenge combination — the contrast of pale cream wood against almost black joinery — gives the saloon a quietly dramatic quality. Satin-finished cherry and walnut are the more traditional hues, but the avant-garde Freivokh interior, with its Anigre and Wenge combination of very light and very dark woods, looks superb. The deckhead glass panels and panoramic hull windows amplify this effect considerably. Good though the exterior is, it’s the interior of the Sunseeker Portofino 40 that really shines — lit by generous overhead skylights and hatches augmented by those huge hull windows that extend across every cabin on both sides, creating a wonderfully light and airy environment.
The layout is conventional and well-executed: master cabin forward with a central double bed, dinette opposite the galley in the middle, and a mid cabin aft. The aft cabin offers three single berths with the versatility to convert two of the berths into a large double berth. The galley, positioned by the main companionway, occupies a light and airy space, while the head compartment is also a good size, with access doors from both the saloon and forward cabin. For a two- to four-night cruise from Palma to Ibiza or the length of the Côte d’Azur, this layout accommodates a couple and two guests with genuine comfort.
When inspecting a used example, note the options fitted. Every Sunseeker Portofino 40 on the market comes with an Onan 6kW generator, holding tank, bow thruster, aft cabin double-berth conversion, Simrad chartplotter, all-electric galley and various other useful details. The Mediterranean Specification package, where fitted, adds cabin air conditioning, cockpit icemaker and griddle, upgraded hi-fi and radar — particularly popular for Mediterranean-based boats. It transforms the boat from comfortable to genuinely luxurious and is the configuration to prioritise in your search.
Buying: The Used Market and What to Expect
The Portofino 40 is out of production, which concentrates the available stock. This model should actually achieve legendary status, as it is beamy, capacious, well-equipped, made with quality and is a delight to own and operate. That is dealer enthusiasm, naturally, but it is not wrong. A handsome design, combined with very practical features and great accommodation, made this model a class-winner in its day, and since Sunseeker have not made this model for many years it has still retained its popularity within class against any rival brands.
When evaluating an example, focus on engine hours and service history. Many Med-based boats with Mediterranean Spec will show 300–600 hours across a ten-year life — low by any standard, and a testament to seasonal ownership patterns. Reverse-cycle air conditioning, smart TVs in both forward and aft cabins as well as saloon, and infill cushions on the saloon dining table are the features that separate a genuinely cruising-ready boat from one that will need investment. Ask specifically about the sliding roof mechanism — it is the one component that benefits from annual attention. A new sliding roof fitted in 2023 and serviced every year by a factory technician is the kind of provenance to look for in a well-maintained example.
For marine insurance on a boat of this value and specification operating in Med waters, we recommend working with a specialist broker who understands the nuances of the region — extended navigation areas, lay-up requirements, and the difference between charter and private use policies. Niche providers familiar with Sunseeker brokerage values will give you cleaner cover than a generic recreational marine policy.
The Verdict: Does It Earn Its Place in the Med?
The Sunseeker Portofino 40 Review: Classic British Luxury arrives at the same conclusion most experienced Med skippers reach after a season: this is a boat that works. It performs with conviction at sea, it impresses at anchor, and it enters a harbour bow-first (or stern-to) with the quiet self-confidence of something designed to be looked at. The Sunseeker Portofino 40 is a sportingly elegant and agile 40-foot yacht in the Sunseeker style with the sleek design, pronounced elegance and top-quality workmanship typical of the brand coupled with the proverbial performance of the hulls.
Its limitations are real but manageable. The 220-nautical-mile standard range means longer Med passages — Mallorca to Menorca, for instance — require disciplined fuel planning or the comfort of a fuel dock at the midpoint. The joystick system is useful in tight berths but not as nuanced as IPS pods; a confident skipper will not miss it. And the market is thin: with four Sunseeker Portofino 40 yachts listed for sale in the past three years, based on YachtBuyer’s Market Watch data, it shows there is some activity in its resale market, but finding the right example in the right specification takes patience.
When you do find it — Med-spec, full service history, white hull, 400hp engines, Freivokh interior in immaculate condition — buy it without hesitation. Browse current brokerage listings through Sunseeker Brokerage or YachtWorld to identify examples currently lying in Spain and Italy. At €180,000–€260,000 for a well-maintained mid-production year, the Sunseeker Portofino 40 represents one of the most complete British luxury sportscruisers available in the used Mediterranean market today.
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