Info needed on Princess 470

[traceyandsteve]

Does anyone know the history of a Princess 470 called, we think "Southern Sean" could be Sea or Scene though.

She's a 1992 and we've been told that she's only had two previous owners, and the current one died a short while ago.

We're hoping to come down to Southampton tomorrow to view so if anyone has any info, it would be much appreciated.

Also, if anyone knows the 470 well, we'd appreciate some tips on what to look out for. We'd be upgrading from a Princess 385.

Cheers

Tracey & Steve

 

[Guest]

Is it the one in Ocean village for sale by Coastal leisure, if it is then it,s a charter boat.

Paul js.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

T + S, I owned a P470 for a couple of seasons. Sold her onto a guy who kept her in Lymington and I see she's for sale thru Berthon again so she might be worth a look as well
The P470? Well first of all this is just about a 50' boat so I hope you've got a mooring lined up coz I understand that 50' moorings are pretty scarce at the moment in the Solent. A boat this size also needs a fair bit of looking after eg it took me the best part of 2 hrs to wash her down and you cant exactly turn up in Yarmouth at 6 o'clock on a Saturday night and expect to squeeze in. What I'm saying is that its really a step up from a 40 footer
My boat had Cat 3208 engines which I really rated. Started every time on the button and used absolutely no oil. The Cats are big, torquey, understressed engines and suit the 470 well. Got 30knots max out of mine with a cruise at 22-25 knots at about 0.8mpg. The other engine choice on the P470 was the Volvo 72 which will probably give about the same speed and slightly better fuel consumption but they're typical Volvos - highly stressed 6 cylinder units - perhaps not as reliable as the Cats in the long run
The 470 is a good seaboat in typical Princess fashion but I was surprised by how much spray the hull threw up so I would say she's a slightly wet boat. The mechanical Morse engine controls on my boat were a total pig to use even though they were separate throttle and gear units. The lever movement was extremely stiff and notchy due to the extended and tortuous cable runs. I spent a lot of money upgrading cables but to little effect. If the boat has electronic controls thats a big plus. The standard 4hp bowthruster is a complete joke on a boat this size but luckily Princess fitted Sleipner units which can be upgraded to 7hp relatively cheaply as the 7hp unit fits in the same tube
Other problems? If the boat is fitted with an aft crew cabin watch out for bilge water soaking the carpet coz the cabin floor is only a few inches above the bilge. The standard gennie which on my boat was a Westerbeke was great but Princess fitted it in such a way that only a double jointed dwarf could service it so check the service records. The windscreens leaked on my boat and I was told that all Princess screens of that era leaked so watch out for interior damage.
Other than that I cant think of any more probs. Basically the P470 is a sound boat, particularly with Cats, and I enjoyed the time I had with mine

 

[Guest]

Mike, there is a 470 in Berthons yard, looks ok don,t know if its youre old one or not? thinks it,s pretty cheap too, but also 480 on market for same money and bit better inside as well.
Paul js.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Probably the same one then, Paul. I think the new owner changed the name to Lady Vagrant or something like that. I think the price is about right 'coz she had a lot of kit on her like aircon, central vacuum, icemaker etc etc over and above the normal stuff. Pity that you report she's not so good inside as she was pretty much perfect when I sold her (I suppose everybody says that!)