New build Princess F55 flybridge

[Elessar]

That’s just not correct Elessar. Garmin has reset xte and route ETA+ TTG + distance to run.

Then that’s great. It’s was said above that it didn’t!
I said it was a surprising omission.

 

[colhel]

Another from your delivery trip Henry. A bit too far a decent pic but close enough to smell the potpourri

 

[Greg2]

I will post up exactly what the standard audio pack gives you but they are all Fusion head units and you get a lot of them.

I actually like the Fusion kit having fitted it to two boats and on the current boat included an amplifier so that I could add speakers to the flybridge. It means that we have three independent zones from one head unit in the saloon, which suits us. I can imagine the cost adding up if there are separate head units in various locations.

I tend to agree that portable smart speakers are a good option for outside spaces - you can get pretty good sound for a reasonable price. We considered it but went for fixed as we thought it was a better option for our style and size of boat.

A sensible move walking out of the Bang & Olufsen outlet empty handed btw
.

 

[jrudge]

I still can’t comprehend what £35k of audio would look like ! Bear in mind this is in addition to the standard fit which seems to be a load of fusion units !

I appreciate princess will make a profit on it but ….

That said Fairline did charge some £20k for a rear sun blind !

 

[henryf]

I think the number of zones / head units means multiplying each one by a few £k soon mounts up. I’m not saying it’s good value but simply that’s how it creeps up.

 

[Greg2]

I think the number of zones / head units means multiplying each one by a few £k soon mounts up. I’m not saying it’s good value but simply that’s how it creeps up.

If I understand it correctly the standard package is Fusion units? That being the case what would the £35k upgrade have provided?

 

[stelican]

Deleted

 

[henryf]

If I understand it correctly the standard package is Fusion units? That being the case what would the £35k upgrade have provided?

I think I’m correct in saying they fit Naim Audio products for the upgrade. I stand to be corrected though. when I’m next down I will detail exactly what the standard kit entails. I’ve yet to read the Fusion instruction manuals - well I’m a bloke, it’s illegal to to

Someone had already named each zone for us.

 

[jrudge]

Fusion do multi zone quite well I think - usually 2 independent zones which works well for most.

I am building a house at present and for much of it I use ceiling mounted Alexa and hidden amps. The main problem that solves is usability. I have pre idly had Yamaha multiroom and whilst clever it is based on an app which most other people in the household did not understand or had no interest in. You can just say Alexa play x in the kitchen and it does it. The wife test !

I am also sceptical that in the real world you want audio playing in all cabins for example as opposed to saloon / cockpit. Just like in a house having a party you really don’t need music in bedrooms !

 

[colhel]

The founder of Naim Audio used to drink the pub where I had a part time job many years ago. I remember him showing me a fold up bicycle one of his other companies we're just to manufacture (Bromptom). He also had a stake in a boat building business, Hunter Yachts I think, and invented a new type of sail which was more like an aircraft wing.
The original headquarters were in the centre of Salisbury and is now a fish and chip shop.
Sadly the founder,Julian Vereker died about 25 years ago in his mid fifties.
I would think a Naim Audio upgrade would be significant and pricey

 

[henryf]

Fusion do multi zone quite well I think - usually 2 independent zones which works well for most.

I am building a house at present and for much of it I use ceiling mounted Alexa and hidden amps. The main problem that solves is usability. I have pre idly had Yamaha multiroom and whilst clever it is based on an app which most other people in the household did not understand or had no interest in. You can just say Alexa play x in the kitchen and it does it. The wife test !

I am also sceptical that in the real world you want audio playing in all cabins for example as opposed to saloon / cockpit. Just like in a house having a party you really don’t need music in bedrooms !

I totally agree with you. The Princess solution does, at first glance seem overly complicated but let me have a play and get back to you. I can see that you would have different audio feeds in saloon and bedrooms when watching the TV and using audio then possibly having a different music feed outside wherever people are sitting.

 

[henryf]

The founder of Naim Audio used to drink the pub where I had a part time job many years ago. I remember him showing me a fold up bicycle one of his other companies we're just to manufacture (Bromptom). He also had a stake in a boat building business, Hunter Yachts I think, and invented a new type of sail which was more like an aircraft wing.
The original headquarters were in the centre of Salisbury and is now a fish and chip shop.
Sadly the founder,Julian Vereker died about 25 years ago in his mid fifties.
I would think a Naim Audio upgrade would be significant and pricey

I had a quick look and some of their amps & pre-amps are £25,000

They have managed to become factory options in many high end vehicle aplications.

 

[Elessar]

I like the fusion system in many ways. Mine has four zones which works for me (I use 3, saloon, cockpit and fly) and the party bus system allows you to connect multiple systems so you can connect to a friends boat when rafted at anchor for example. All good in theory but it’s so complicated to set up I’ve never made it work.

Basically it frustrates me enormously because it is forever having software glitches, and the interface isn’t as intuitive as it should be.

I keep it because I’ve not found anything else that does the zones so well (when it works)

By the way in the saloon I have domestic bookshelf speakers from richer sounds supplemented by a subwoofer. It sounds great.

 

[hinch]

I was in your shoes at Southampton boat show 2021. I felt Galeon was trying a bit too hard. I really can’t see us unfolding everything when we’re at anchor and in the marina you won’t have space to. Spend a lot of time looking at stuff beyond the shiny surfaces. Go into engineering spaces, make sure every wire and bit of pipe is labelled up so you know what it does, see how stuff is fitted and so on.

The Manhattan 55 was a coming of age boat for Sunseeker in my humble opinion. They finally matched the interior volume of Princess and it has proved very popular with Sunseeker customers.

I visited the factory many years ago and I think they build a good boat, all the wiring was labelled up and so on. I like the crew cabin entry on the Manhattan, better than the Princess.

What tipped our decision in the end was the practical usability. Ropes always seem to rub on gel coat with the M55, walking down the side decks to the bow didn’t feel as safe, you get pushed out by a styling bulge and there are no hand rails. I felt the overall styling was a bit too loud for us. The Princess felt a bit more classically good looking rather than flashy but that’s personal not objective.

Ultimately I want to be able to use the boat safely and ensure both crew and charter guests are safe, the side decks on the M55 worried me and everyone wants to go on the forward seating area.

Finally I really dislike having people in front of me when helming from the flybridge. I preferred the flybridge layout on the F55.

Sunseeker tried really hard to sell to us and it was definitely on the cards but I’m pleased we went the way we did. Purely our thoughts though, you will know what works for you.

It’s also worth saying that Fairline have a new 55 footer planned for the end of this year. The current boat was too small inside but if they do the same as Sunseeker did with the M55 it might be worth a look.

Finally we saw the new Ferretti 55 at Düsseldorf. A big improvement on the old model. Saloon is a bit small, bathrooms are small and the view from the lower helm position is restricted but an interesting option. Personally I’d have still gone with the F55 but if you get a chance take a look. It’s a bit more angular inside than the Princess but I believe they are well built according to the international commentators on here.

interesting as the side decks on the M55 i thought were better than the F55 being a bit on the tubby side the more solid outer rail on the m55 that came further upto my butt height felt safer and with an extra rail along the top of the window full length really made it feel better for me to hang onto (the rail is extra non standard)
the M55 engineering spaces felt huge compared to the F55 I could actually stand up almost full height inside although I do suspect princess have the upper hand in wiring/labeling etc I did spot a couple of area's that I know princess are better on, the crew cabin is a bit of a let down but i'll probably be keeping it in the UK so won't be overnight crewed that often.

The Galeon I suspect you're right but I do want to check them out just for completeness and the near 500k cheaper, even if the side decks never get folded down is it still a good boat?) type thing.

I'm less of a fairline fan but someone mentioned Pearl I should look at too ? don't know much about them apart from aren't they made by same people who make bennetau and Jeanneau ?

Having never owned a flybridge before I don't really have any opinion about people but tbh I won't be the one skippering it most of the time anyway as it'll probably be on charter with a skipper on it that isn't me and I'll use it mostly off season.

I am a massive princess fan but the F55 didn't sit well with me, maybe if i was going a little larger, but having said that I still haven't ruled it out i'm still researching.

 

[TonyR123]

I too "thought" about the audio upgrade however the fusion system is supposed to be more user friendly than the naim system and that alone swayed me to stick with fusion (and the price). Cant have the missus complaining the audio is in anyway difficult to use. Apparently when fitting the speakers it must be done to naim specs or they refuse to supply the equipment. So speaker location any sound proofing/deadening behind the speaker, air gaps, etc.

 

[TonyR123]

Hmmm. That is a standard Planus Eric, but a discontinued model called Elite. I presume that Planus must still make it for the trade, even though it isn't on website. It has visible screws but its main problem (and I guess reason was discontinued) is that the white ceramic ledge at the back of the seat hinges isn't deep enough when you add catalogue Sugatsune soft-close hinges that everyone wants these days, as in Henry's pic . When I say not deep enough, what happens is that the seat won't go past 90 degrees so won't stay up. Princess overcome this (after a fashion) with a little wooden spacer to stand the WC off the wall

Looking at the v55 I cannot see any spacer on the toilets? Is that spacer only fitted if soft close toilet seats are spec'ed? I had no option for soft close seats.

 

[MapisM]

Having never owned a flybridge before I don't really have any opinion about people...

If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you consider any Italian builder, which in this segment produce some boats widely regarded as among the best?
Just for disclosure, I'm Italian myself, but that's not the reason for my curiosity.
Also ruling out Fairline when looking for a flybridge of this size seems odd, in fact.

 

[henryf]

interesting as the side decks on the M55 i thought were better than the F55 being a bit on the tubby side the more solid outer rail on the m55 that came further upto my butt height felt safer and with an extra rail along the top of the window full length really made it feel better for me to hang onto (the rail is extra non standard)
the M55 engineering spaces felt huge compared to the F55 I could actually stand up almost full height inside although I do suspect princess have the upper hand in wiring/labeling etc I did spot a couple of area's that I know princess are better on, the crew cabin is a bit of a let down but i'll probably be keeping it in the UK so won't be overnight crewed that often.

The Galeon I suspect you're right but I do want to check them out just for completeness and the near 500k cheaper, even if the side decks never get folded down is it still a good boat?) type thing.

I'm less of a fairline fan but someone mentioned Pearl I should look at too ? don't know much about them apart from aren't they made by same people who make bennetau and Jeanneau ?

Having never owned a flybridge before I don't really have any opinion about people but tbh I won't be the one skippering it most of the time anyway as it'll probably be on charter with a skipper on it that isn't me and I'll use it mostly off season.

I am a massive princess fan but the F55 didn't sit well with me, maybe if i was going a little larger, but having said that I still haven't ruled it out i'm still researching.

Really interesting to hear your thoughts particularly on the side decks. The rails come further back on the Princess so you’re never exposed and the was a definite bulge forcing me out on the M55.

We use our boat in anger and need it to cope with all eventualities not just marina to marina. I’m also really conscious of crew and guest safety.

Pearl is nothing to do with the French guys, a totally independent set up who get their manufacturing done mostly in China / Taiwan although the company is based in the Midlands. I think they offer an interesting option but at a slightly larger size than the 55 footers.

If you ever want to have a chat and we are on the boat feel free to get in touch. Whilst I’m clearly a Princess fan I do look and have looked elsewhere at length both here in the UK and also in Europe.

Henry

 

[henryf]

If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you consider any Italian builder, which in this segment produce some boats widely regarded as among the best?
Just for disclosure, I'm Italian myself, but that's not the reason for my curiosity.
Also ruling out Fairline when looking for a flybridge of this size seems odd, in fact.

Let me answer for our train of thought. For a given cost I felt the Italian guys were more compromised inside and in some cases I really struggled with the styling. The new Ferretti 55 footer is a big improvement but still tight when it comes to saloon and bathrooms. The lower helm visibility is, err… interesting

As for Fairline they do a lovely fit out and will make 4 cabins if you ask but the interior volume at 55 feet still has a toe in the 1990s. I’m hoping the new 55 footer they have coming out at Southampton finally breaks the mould and allows them to compete head to head again. They lost out on development when they went through their sticky period.

 

[henryf]

Looking at the v55 I cannot see any spacer on the toilets? Is that spacer only fitted if soft close toilet seats are spec'ed? I had no option for soft close seats.

We didn’t have an option but they were soft close as standard.