Phantom 48 vs Princess p54 vs Aicon 54

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salem0000

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I'm looking to buy a new yacht, I narrowed down my choices to Phantom 48, Princess p54, Aicon 54. any advice on which one to buy if price is not an issue, and if you can explain why?

thanking you in advance.
 
Hi and welcome, you are certainly looking at nice range of boats.

However you have quite a step up from the Phanthom 48 to the P54 and Aicon 54.

In short, Phanthom offers the better hull, Princess the better interior and Aicon built like a tank but no lightweight when it comes to handling (bit tractor like).

I would see an Aicon in the flesh first cus the one I saw was no 1 or 2 and a bit rough round the edges finish wise, having said that the 64 which has been in production for a while is up there with the best of them. If you are basing in the Med Aicon have just built a new customer service centre which looks very state of the art. Uk wise don't know but the dealer is well established with other quality brands.

Princess's new 54 certainly looks the business and makes great use of the interior space and has a full beam owners suite which if you liveaboard is a huge boon to comfort.

Fairline P48 is really unfairly compared here as it smaller but very well built and an excellent hull plus theu have managed a full beam owners cabin if smaller than the Princess lots of practical touches for the real cruising man and a boat you know will always get you home. Have'nt seen one yet but if the same build wise as the rest of the range bob on.

Personally I like Fairline's Phanthom range, for a UK based boat they are hard to beat, more practical and usable than glamourous (unless you move up to a squaddie). Prices hold well and dealers always willing to take a trade on one.

One boat you have left out but more expensive is the Sunseeker Man 50, very roomy boat and probably the best saloon and also a full beam owners suite although the third cabin is a bit pokey.

Of course you could start looking a more Italian stuff but that is a whole new world of boats, Azimut & Ferretti main contenders here and a step up in quality stakes but you pay more.

You need to tell us more about your intended use, cruising grounds and important factors for you. Example the Aicon comes with big mutha engines whereas the P48 is with more reasonable motors so big diff in fuel burn.
 
ooh er, bit different then than UK and med! better make sure you specify a whooping big aircon unit, most offer 'Tropical' units so not a problem.

Tell us more about what you want from the boat, day cruising, speed and looks, liveaboard etc. I imagine more day cruising as there is not many places to go that have any facilities and you need to check whether you can get a berth they are like hens teeth there at the moment although big plans for new construction.

If more day crusiing, perhaps more of a hard top sports cruiser woud suit, more lounging space and more shelter from the blazing heat with push button opening/ closing roof.
 
"If more day crusiing, perhaps more of a hard top sports cruiser woud suit, more lounging space and more shelter from the blazing heat with push button opening/ closing roof. "

Style "Absolute 54"? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Looks very nice !
 
your right, big aircon is a must. a day cruising is my main use. I like the flybridge boat better. and I need to pick one of the three boat mentioned earlier.
 
56' actually but whose counting /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks though, lot of blood, sweat and tears to get this far only three weeks to the launch, fingers crossed all goes well with the sea trials.
 
personal choice would be wait for the Phanthom 48, but I am biased having owned the marque before, had my niggles but overall was a happy camper. Nothing wrong with the other two, in fact which ever you choose you will end up with a good boat.

If possible get a larger Bimini top made, med sized ones tend to be a bit on the small size, you want every inch on the flybridge shaded or you will fry!
 
[ QUOTE ]
In short, Phanthom offers the better hull

[/ QUOTE ]

Mmm, thats a contentious statement particularly since they both have the same designer, Olesinski. Given then that both hulls are likely to be similar in design, IMHO the better hull would be the Princess simply because its longer and heavier
Given the fact that the boat is to be used in Dubai, I guess fuel consumption is not a consideration so, if it were me, I'd go for the max bang for the bucks always assuming there's local service to fix the boat. So on that basis the mid cabin of the P54 and the bigger hull swings it for me
 
Fair enough, but personal choice and all that, for me P50 better screwed together boat (not seen the 48 yet but assume all things equal)

Same hull designer but not exactly the same P50 has finer entry and deeper V in the aft section hence the need for D12's 715's on the P50 to match the performance of D9's 575's on the Princess 50.
 
Friends own an Aicon 54 in Florida and I was not that impressed with the fit and finish. The 'one-touch' electric sliding patio door was fun but the helm layout (the bit that really matters) was awful. It looked and felt cheap compared to more quality fayre put out by Princess or Fairline.
 
Can't agree with you on Fairline. My Targa 48, albeit not one of the latest builds, was pretty shoddily built. The finish looks good on the surface but maybe some of it only skin deep
 
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