P330 or Fairline Cornice

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Dazzajohm

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Depends what’s important to you:

Both are shaft drive, both have solid well regarded engines. Assuming both are in equal serviceable condition they are much of a muchness.

The princess has aircon but do you need it daily and it can be troublesome. 6 berth Princess has very very original navigation stuff which will fail at some point and will be exkebsjvecto replace if you decide all of it is important.

Fajrline has new nav kit, has been updated and looks more modern. Two cabins plus saloon but no a/c or heat.

If it were me my choice would be the fairljne based on the updates and general appearance again with the caveat that the mechanicals are sound on both boats
 
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Thanks guys,

The difference between the boats is the cornice has a lovely interior however the outside isn't as good as I would have liked even for a boat of this age with quite a few chips, unfilled holes where things have been removed over time and holes that have been filled but not gel coated over etc. The princess was in great condition on the outside, far better than I would expect on a boat of his age but some of the linings inside had some tears and holes etc. Personally I think I would prefer a boat which has better bodywork. Obviously if I decide to go any further I'll get a survey done, at least on the engines.
 
Forward berth on the Princess is really quite small I think. One popped up on the market locally and although we are mid-purchase of an S34 I was initially interested. SWMBO commented on the photos online that the forward double berth looked small and I idly asked our surveyor if he knew anything about them an he basically said they are great if you don’t want to sleep with your wife! :)

Not physically looked at one so something to check out and I have no idea how it compares to the Corniche.
 
Greg2 said:
Forward berth on the Princess is really quite small I think. One popped up on the market locally and although we are mid-purchase of an S34 I was initially interested. SWMBO commented on the photos online that the forward double berth looked small and I idly asked our surveyor if he knew anything about them an he basically said they are great if you don’t want to sleep with your wife! :)

Not physically looked at one so something to check out and I have no idea how it compares to the Corniche.
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Having looked at both in person today I would say the fwd cabin was bigger on the princess but only just.
 
For me it would be the Princess, looks like it just came out of the factory
I know the Fairline has more modern nav gear but you can buy a chart plotter these days for not a lot

Take them both out for a spin, the favourite will then become clear

Hopefully
 
Princess has Simrad NSS7 and I would think digital radar but can’t see if it’s 3G or 4G......not exactly old hat!
 
If you ever want to helm from below the Princess possibly should be the boat of choice, Corniche really does like to progress with its bow in the air even then some folks bolt another 70 kilos of davit/dinghy/outboard on the stern !
 
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oldgit said:
If you ever want to helm from below the Princess possibly should be the boat of choice, Corniche really does like to progress with its bow in the air even then some folks bolt another 70 kilos of davit/dinghy/outboard on the stern !
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So it's only the Corniche which will plane bow up? The Princess doesn't?
 
oldgit said:
If you ever want to helm from below the Princess possibly should be the boat of choice, Corniche really does like to progress with its bow in the air even then some folks bolt another 70 kilos of davit/dinghy/outboard on the stern !
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Hello,
You are correct the Corniche does ride bow up and to add to that aesthetically it has those flared chines that everyone paints blue�� This year I painted that bit with white racing antifoul and more importantly moved the hot water cylinder (65kg) from its original position 1/3 way from the stern to a position in a bilge 1/3 way from the bow. She now sits beautifully and we recently got back from a 450 mile jaunt from Suffolk to Dorset and I rarely used the trim tabs to get its nose down. Less of a dead leg in the hot water supply to the galley as well now. All in all very pleased.

Cheers, Col.
 
Dazzajohm said:
So it's only the Corniche which will plane bow up? The Princess doesn't?
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All these boats plane with the bow pointing skywards, the Corniches just do it a bit more than most ....
Some builders fit a little glassfibre or metal "bustle" to the stern of the boat to try and reduce the effect by increasing waterline length,usually only visible when boat is out of water.
Difficult to see anything immediately under bow of boat or for some distance ahead, a bit disconcerting especially in inclement conditions.
Our club commodore had Corniche for many many happy years and loved it, however recently changed to a 330 and did comment on improved forward vis.
 
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Actually Corniche with tabs rode rather at level. About 3 degrees angle at low planning speeds. Both are just okayish with twin 200hp.
Corniche had the old Olesinski hull, with 15 degrees deadrise aft, no propeller tunnels and most important was rather full at fore foot which made head seas a bit of a miss hit and a bit of a bumpy ride.
Similar hulls by Olesinski was used on the Princess 415 and 36 Riviera, all of similar vintage.
The Princess 330 rode a bit better IMO and also performed better at head seas. Lines of Corniche are sweeter tough and stood the test of time better, the higher free-board hull helping not little in this.
I think Fairline of that age had an extra edge in fittings inside.
 
PowerYachtBlog said:
Actually Corniche with tabs rode rather at level. About 3 degrees angle at low planning speeds. Both are just okayish with twin 200hp.
Corniche had the old Olesinski hull, with 15 degrees deadrise aft, no propeller tunnels and most important was rather full at fore foot which made head seas a bit of a miss hit and a bit of a bumpy ride.
Similar hulls by Olesinski was used on the Princess 415 and 36 Riviera, all of similar vintage.
The Princess 330 rode a bit better IMO and also performed better at head seas. Lines of Corniche are sweeter tough and stood the test of time better, the higher free-board hull helping not little in this.
I think Fairline of that age had an extra edge in fittings inside.
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Having owned 2 corniches I’d agree , the Fairline had more wood inside over the plastic faced plywood .
 
PowerYachtBlog said:
Actually Corniche with tabs rode rather at level. About 3 degrees angle at low planning speeds. Both are just okayish with twin 200hp.
Corniche had the old Olesinski hull, with 15 degrees deadrise aft, no propeller tunnels and most important was rather full at fore foot which made head seas a bit of a miss hit and a bit of a bumpy ride.
Similar hulls by Olesinski was used on the Princess 415 and 36 Riviera, all of similar vintage.
The Princess 330 rode a bit better IMO and also performed better at head seas. Lines of Corniche are sweeter tough and stood the test of time better, the higher free-board hull helping not little in this.
I think Fairline of that age had an extra edge in fittings inside.
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We will have to disagree about which one has stood the test of time better, the 330 presents a trim well balanced nicely proportioned more modern looking looking boat
The Corniche basically resembles an over filled tub of lard. :):):)
 
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