Brief Summary
Sundeck Yachts 580 is one of the company’s “Italian Long-Range Trawlers”. Fans of smaller/mid-size trawlers may find this boat unfamiliar for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the Sundeck 580 has an LOA of 58’1” (17.7 m). With a beam of 16’5” (5.00 m) and the characteristic broad, rounded bow, she offers lots of space on every level.
Key Features
- Several versions with a choice of layouts and décor packages
- Large interior spaces
- “En plein air” living outside deck space featuring oversized sun pads
- Optional Hydraulic platform/swim step
- Reliability and ergonomics built into major design elements
- Owner’s suite spans the full width of the beam
Test Results
| RPM | MPH | Knots | GPH | MPG | NMPG | STAT. MILE | NM | dBa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 3691 | 3209.8 | 63 |
| 800 | 6.3 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 2673 | 2324.3 | 65 |
| 1000 | 7.8 | 6.7 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 1841 | 1601.2 | 66 |
| 1200 | 9.2 | 8 | 4 | 2.3 | 2 | 1366 | 1188 | 68 |
| 1300 | 9.9 | 8.6 | 5.4 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1089 | 947 | 69 |
| 2000 | 15.2 | 13.2 | 23.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 380 | 330.6 | 78 |
| 2200 | 17.1 | 14.9 | 28.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 354 | 307.8 | 79 |
| 2400 | 20.6 | 17.9 | 37.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 327 | 284.2 | 80 |
| 2600 | 23.7 | 20.6 | 45.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 308 | 267.9 | 80 |
| 2800 | 26.4 | 22.9 | 55.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 284 | 247.2 | 81 |
| 3000 | 27.4 | 23.8 | 58.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 279 | 242.9 | 82 |
Specifications
| Length Overall | 58' 1'' (17.7 m) |
|---|---|
| Beam | 16' 5'' (5.0 m) |
| Dry Weight | 55,000 lbs. (24,948 kg) |
| Tested Weight | 58,575 lbs. (26,569 kg) |
| Draft | 3' 9'' (1.14 m) |
| Deadrise/Transom | 15.5-deg. |
| Person Capacity | 12 |
| Fuel Capacity | 660 gal. (2,498 L) |
| Water Capacity | 211 gal. (799 L) |
| Total Weight | 58,575 lbs. (26,569 kg) |
Acceleration Times & Conditions
| Time to Plane | 9.6 sec. |
|---|---|
| 0 to 30 | 19.2 sec. |
| Ratio | 2:01 |
| Props | 25.6 dia |
| Load | 5 persons, 4/9 fuel, 1/2 water, 50 lbs. of gear |
Engine Options
| Tested Engine |
2 x FPT ENT N67 570-hp |
|---|---|
| Std. Power |
2 x 570-hp FPT ENT N67 |
| Opt. Power |
Not Available |
Captain's Report
Captain’s Report by Harry Munns
Mission
The Sundeck 580 offers prolonged cruising with a large amount of room, comfort and efficiency with no quality compromise. She’s well-suited as a family boat and ideal for the owner/operator. With several distinct social zones, she can also entertain a crowd just as easily.
Distinguishing Features
- Backrest sofa seat located at the bow, forward of the sun pad
- Fly bridge dinette converts to an additional sun pad
Major Features
- Flybridge dining area seats eight to ten people
- Tropical chilled water air conditioning system
- Quality woodwork by skilled in-house artisans
- Self-contained crew quarters, featuring two bunks and one crew head
- Space for a washing machine adjacent to crew quarters
The Sundeck 580 has a hard chine, semi-displacement hull. On the main deck are the salon, galley, fore and aft lounge areas and helm. The flybridge has an afterdeck and upper helm. Belowdecks feature three staterooms, crew’s quarters, four heads, and the engine room.
Design
Italian design has come to mean a few things, among them a distinguished and eye-catching look. Sundeck uses a vertical bow and higher hull sides to set it apart from others in the market. In-house designers take their inspiration from classic heavy-duty exploration ships and commercial vessels. The company feels those styles convey seaworthiness, stability, and safety.
Stability. Sundeck designs for the same stability at anchor that is felt at every speed in the boat’s range. They are diligent about noise insulation. Interior space, brightness and livability are hallmarks of the company’s designs.
The Sundeck 580 has full CE “A” Category certification. This applies to self-sufficient boats designed for extended voyages with winds over 40 knots and significant wave heights above 13' (3.96 m). In other words, the 580’s construction and structural integrity have been validated by meeting or exceeding European Union standards.
Performance
Empty weight is listed at 55,000 lbs. (24,948 kg). With five people, 300 gallons (1,136 L) of fuel and 50 lbs. (23 kg) of test equipment aboard, we had an estimated test weight of 58,575 lbs. (26,569 kg).
The boat was tested with twin FPT ENT N67 570-hp diesel engines turning two 25.6” (65.02 cm) diameter propellers. Also available are 450-hp (336 kW), 500-hp (373 kW), and 570-hp (425 kW) engines.
Top Speed. The Sundeck 580 hit a top speed of 27.4 mph (23.8 knots, 44.09 kph) at 3,000 rpm. In acceleration tests, the Sundeck 580 went from 0 to 20 mph (32.1 kph) in 9.6 seconds and hit WOT in 19.2 seconds.
Boat Inspection
The Stern
Like most boats in this size class, boarding of people and provisions will come from the swim step and through the transom. A hydraulic lift is an option that enables the furthest aft portion of the platform to be lowered.
Lowering the platform makes it easier for swimmers to reboard the boat. It also helps lift gear and provisions up from a tender or a low dock. The tender itself can be lifted onto the swim platform and stowed there for transport.
Below-deck crew quarters with two bunks and its own head is generous for a 58’ boat that features three full-sized cabins forward. Laundry and a small amount of additional storage is also possible in the crew quarters.
One step up through a single, starboard-side, gated walk-through gets people, pets and gear into the cockpit/aft deck area. A built-in, bench seat spans most of the distance across the raised transom.
A sofa is located at the stern. Upholstery is leather but treated for the outdoor environment. An adjustable pedestal table can be used for dining or removed for additional open space. Storage is found under bulwarks on either side. The aft deck area is only partially protected by the structure of the fly bridge that extends aft.
The overhead is 6’11” (2.10 m) off the deck. A shade drops down to provide protection and we’ve seen this before but what we haven’t seen is addition of shades to the sides of the deck.
The Engine Room
The FPT N67 “professional range” NEF engines are characterized both by advanced mechanical fuel injection and electronic common rail systems. They provide high, constant power and torque delivery, reliability, low fuel and servicing costs.
The N67 engines are coupled to traditional direct shaft drives for simplicity and reliability. The optional yacht controller system works on the engines, thrusters, and windlass, allowing easy single-handed operation.
We were unable to confirm company claims that while the 580 cruises at displacement speed, the FPT engines burn an incredible small quantity of fuel. Company literature further states, at top speed the yacht reaches and can exceed 25 knots, while maintaining economical consumption rates.
FPT publishes fuel consumption data, which would support these claims. However, this data does not take into consideration the effects of transmission, propeller, hull shape, and weight/load.
The Side Decks
Ample living space in the main salon makes the side decks fairly narrow but there’s enough room to walk. Side deck width opens up forward of the bulwarks where the aft cleats were mounted.
The side rail rises along with the three steps up to the raised portion of the side deck that completes the trip to the bow.
The Bow
The 16’5” (5.00 m) beam allows for a 92 sq. ft. (8.55 sq m) forward sun pad that can accommodate four people with walk-around access on both sides. The seat forward of the sun pad has a seat back that acts as a partition between the seat and sun pad.
Conversation between people on the sun pad and others sitting on the seat could be a bit awkward. People on the seat would have to turn around to see the sun pad.
The bow area is fully enclosed by bulwarks and a stainless steel rail for safety. This is workspace and possibly storage for water toys such as kayaks or stand up paddle boards.
There’s plenty of room for two people to work on anchoring or securing dock lines. The same large, bollard style cleats are seen firmly attached to shelves extending from the bulwarks on both sides offering plenty of clearance all around.
A single winch accommodates two cleats, the theory being docklines passing through the bow fair leads would need additional pulling strength at about the same place and at different times.
Dual, side-by-side anchor lockers extend the deck surface when they aren’t lifted. Windlass up and down controls are located forward of the lockers and mounted on the deck. If anchoring goes as planned, it should all be able to be accomplished without raising the anchor locker hatches.
The Cabin
Access the cabin through a 6’8” (2.03 m) wide triple panel slider that completely retracts to create one open space between the aft deck and the main salon.
The Galley
The galley is located immediately inside the slider, to port. It’s right in between the main, enclosed dining area and the aft deck dinette. The galley is U-shaped with countertop space along the port and starboard sides of the cabin. A walk-through separates the two sides.
A convection/microwave oven is mounted below the counter on the port side, aft. The cooktop and stainless steel sink are set into the countertop moving forward before it turns toward the starboard side.
Countertop work surface continues across the cabin until the walk-through opening that allows access to the forward part of the salon. Beyond the walk-through, along the starboard side, more working countertop is installed above a refrigerator/freezer. Most of the other space is devoted to storage.
The Salon
Moving forward out of the galley, an electrically-actuated, expandable pedestal table is framed by an L-shaped, built in sofa. Padded, cube Ottoman-style chairs slide out from under the table for seating around the table. Slide them back under the table when dinner’s over to save space.
Teak decking allows for a considerable amount of charm and beauty. Quality woodwork is cut and assembled in-house, allowing Sundeck to maintain an elevated level of fit and finish. All furnishings are upholstered in Italian leather. The overhead is vinyl.
The Helm
A glass front, angled console houses twin multi-function displays. The magnetic compass is mounted above and between the displays. A bank of electrical switches stretches the full width of the console.
Another logo wheel, this one padded, is mounted just about dead center in front of the bench, helm seat. Dual engine controls and a joystick are within easy reach and to the right.
The Fly Bridge
The fly bridge is accessed eight steps up from the aft deck. The stairs are fairly steep and narrow so holding onto the stainless steel handrail mounted to the cabin structure is essential.
The fly bridge is laid out with the upper helm forward and to starboard. The electronics tower helps define two distinct spaces forward and aft on the upper deck. Along the port side and forward of the tower, a U-shaped dinette that seats eight to ten people surrounds an adjustable pedestal table which also can be converted into a 67” x 87” (170.18 cm x 220.98 cm) sun pad.
Aft of the tower, a modest afterdeck can be configured according to the owner’s needs and tastes. Standard options include sun pads or a dinghy lifting mechanism and storage. The area is protected by high rails.
An optional summer galley with fridge, grill and sink, is available. The galley includes a convenient freshwater deck wash-down.
The Upper Helm
The upper helm has a complete set of controls, including Sundeck logo stainless steel wheel, twin engine controls, a trim tab control, single multi-function display, a center-mounted compass, and VHF radio.
The Staterooms
The Sundeck 580 offers a few options for configuring the private portions of the boat in the lowest deck. The boat shown here has a fairly typical three-stateroom configuration.
Six steps down a companionway beside the lower helm leads to a small passageway that connects all of the lower living space. Light switches are located at the top step and the stairs have courtesy lights.
Two lower deck layouts are available for the Sundeck 580. One, like our test boat, has three staterooms and three heads and the other being a four-stateroom, three-head, which basically divides the full-beam aft stateroom. The forward then becomes the master.
The three-stateroom option consists of a VIP all the way forward and spanning the full width of the hull in the bow area, a master that’s the full width of the beam and a guest stateroom on the starboard side.
The Master Stateroom
A left turn toward the stern at the bottom of the stairs leads to the master which is full beam and center line mounted. A king berth with seating on the port side of the cabin appears to be the most popular option. This owner chose built-in cabinetry on both sides of the berth. The berth is hinged for additional storage space.
This stateroom can also be set up with a single berth against the hull on each side. Two additional singles straddle the centerline. They can be moved together to create a double.
The Master Head
The wood treatments continue in the en suite. There’s plenty of storage as well.
The VIP Stateroom
The door directly in front of the companionway stairs leads to the VIP stateroom. The 71” x 67” (180.34 cm x 170.18 cm) queen pedestal berth has walk-around access on three sides. Step up two steps on the sides to get into or make the bed. Hanging lockers are located against the aft bulkhead on both sides.
The VIP Head
The VIP stateroom also has a private en suite entrance and there’s a separate entrance, so it also serves as a day head. An opening portlight provides ventilation. The shower has a rainfall overhead and a separate shower wand as well.
The Guest Stateroom
The third stateroom, the one most likely to be the guest stateroom, is where owners can show the most creativity. It’s located at the bottom of the stairs and to the right.
In the typical configuration such as the one shown here, it has a single door like the others. Two single 76” x 27” (190.04 x 68.58) berths with walking room in between fill most of the space. A filler cushion can combine them into one larger berth. A hanging locker borders the hull-side berth at the foot of the bed. In this configuration the head would be accessed from inside the cabin.
One other option is to keep the standard egress and set the cabin up as an office or galley. A built-in desk or counter would span the full length of the cabin along the hull and aft bulkhead, forming a U-shape by returning to the door. The head would be accessed from outside, in the passageway joining the cabins.
The third standard option would be to use the guest cabin as a seating area. The door and bulkhead beside the stairs would be removed, creating an open area with an L-shaped, built-in sofa. Access to the head would be the same as in the two single-berth configuration except with no door or bulkhead, it would be open to the main passageway.
The Guest Head
The guest head is slightly smaller but is still fully featured, including ample storage and a separate walk-in shower.
There are four heads with showers on the Sundeck 580, but none are located on the main deck. The VIP head has an entrance from the main passageway so it can be used as a day head. This is true in all configurations.
The master head is private behind the master cabin door. The same goes for the guest cabin head when that space is configured as a cabin, galley or office. The sitting area option opens that area to the main passageway, creating a second day head. Company literature states the boat can be configured with three, instead of four, heads.
Options to Consider
- Summer galley/barbeque cabinet with refrigerator and grill
- Flybridge Bimini
- Dishwasher
- Icemaker
- Wine cooler
Observations
Put the concept of a trawler, which some would consider a fairly pedestrian class, in the hands of Italian designers and builders and you come up with the Sundeck 580.
It has a little bit of everything from fuel efficient displacement cruising to planing at 25 knots. Fit-and-finish are comparable to any production/custom builder anywhere. Add expansive covered and uncovered lounging areas, plenty of storage and much, much more to come up with a boat that will satisfy the needs of boat buyers who may have never thought of themselves as trawler customers.