Prestige 46

[Renegade_Master]

I was aboard a Prestige 46 today. I was looking forward to viewing the boat since I read the article awhile back in MBY I think.

I was very impressed with the design and overall finnish. You do seem to get a lot for your money. One thing I noticed was, compared with a new Phantom 40 I was recently on, the main cabin is so bright and airy. Loads of window area.
Had a nice flybridge too, plus three cabins & two heads.

Will report on the handling and performance after the weekend as we are doing an ICC course for the four owners.

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[jfm]

It's a very nice boat imho. Bit unfair comparing to a p40 though, it's a much bigger boat. That said, I agree your sentiment, I find the saloons in the p40,43 and 46 claustrophobic, too dark and not enuf window area, they feel cramped as you say. The bathrooms are much better in the fairlines than Jonno though. And it seems to me these days fairlines have outstandingly good hulls, they seem to get better mpg and top speed for the same engine than (all?)competitors

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

Me too, I was rather dissapointed by the cramped feel of the Phantom 46 in particular, the major reason why we went for an AZ46 which feels half a size bigger. I think Fairline really stretch the length designations of their boats because the LOA includes the vast bathing platform - fair enough I suppose because the hull stretches to the back of the bathing platform but the accomodation does'nt reflect the LOA. Maybe this is the reason they get more speed and mpg - the boats are smaller and lighter than the competitors' offerings in the same class?
I looked at the Prestige 46 as well but I was'nt too impressed by the poky flybridge and what seemed to me a relatively small saloon and I thought the price was ambitious. Also I think a boat like this will fall out of bed depreciation-wise because Jeanneau just dont have a glitzy image
Actually the boat I was impressed with was the Beneteau 13.80 from the same stable. About £100k less and just as big, better llooking IMHO too

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[Renegade_Master]

Yup cant disagree about the hulls on Fairlines jfm

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[Kevin]

I noticed that on the fairlines they have a 4 foot bathing platform and rightly or wrongly include that as the model name the 31 foot targa thingy really is only about 28 foot boat and like you say do make them feel cramped compared to similarlarly badged competition, a number of manufacturers do this, fair enough if its the LOA they are using but perhaps the model names shouldnt be based on this. I know of one manufacturer who has the model name as the boats actual length and the LOA is normally 2/3 feet longer, seems a better way to do it to me but obv. doesnt look as good in brochures! ultimatly it makes little difference what the name badge says im sure people go onboard and choose the one which suits them irrespective of the badge on it but I do think that perhaps Fairline shoot themselves in the foot as it is possible people do look at equivelents and come away thinking fairline dont make the most of their boat dimensions.

Kevin

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I'm not sure they shoot themselves in the foot because most buyers will want to be seen in as 'big' a boat as possible. Better to say you own a 46 footer than 'yes, they call it a 42 footer but really its 48ft long' so I think Fairline are being quite canny but I think you're right in that most buyers will be able to compare boats irrespective of what it says on the side
Actually, I think Brit builders have some kind of agreement on how they measure LOA but it obviously does'nt extend to what names they designate to particular models

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[Kevin]

Yes you could be right about Fairline being canny but they then would have to be presuming that nobody actually knows that their badges are overstretching the 'usable length' by a fair bit, which surely is obvious for all to see.

They are charging full LOA prices based on Model names compared to their competitors and so I would feel hard done by to find its actually equivelent to other manufacturers smaller and probably cheaper models in respect of usable dimensions! This isnt a Fairline bashing by the way!! just using them as an example!! I think Cruiser yachts are even worse -smiley face-

Are boaters really that sad that the model badge on the side is what counts, do fairline 34 owners look down on fairline 31 /29 etc? surely by doing that we are lowering ourselves to the level of car 'lovers' and their coveted bonnet and boot badges, please say that isnt the case!!!

Kevin

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Good lord, its worse. There are many on this forum who would'nt be seen dead in a Sealine instead of a Fairline or a Bayliner instead of a Sunseeker. Its all about image rather than substance but it just goes to prove one of the truisms of marketing in that perception is more important than reality

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[Renegade_Master]

Mike I put up a thread a little while ago called "Brand name snobbery" and yes despite the evidence for example that Sealine build some very good boats there are the die hards that insist on a Barnard Olisenski hull i.e. Princess & Fairline.

Bit like the BMW/MERC types who would not have a Jap car, all crap nothing wrong with Jap cars as there is nowt wrong with Sealines.

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[oldgit]

Re: Perceptions or observations ?

Um Have Sealine sorted that rumoured hull design problem which causes chine walking on one of splendidly fashionable craft or did I imagine that post earlier this month and does memory serve me badly when I recall problems with early boats having hull lamination problems.Suppose the 3 year old 46T we saw down at the Hamble not that long ago where the rain had seeped through the flybridge floor and trashed the saloon roof lining was a one off as well.Still you pays your money and takes your choice.

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[Renegade_Master]

Re: Perceptions or observations ?

Oy you Brooms and now Sealines (never Princesses my precious) You show me a boat that does not leak from somewhere sometime in its life.

You will recall that even my Broom had leaked through the cabin roof from the engine removal panel. Just down to old mastic that.

And as for handling well this week we employed the services of an instructor to help as Phil was away on assisted passage. Now this chap is a life long boater, 20yrs sub mariner and on naval ships, Yachtmaster and instructor in Sail & Power.
Hes just completed bringing a yacht from St Lucia to Croatia, once again crossing the Atlantic as he has done many times.

Now hes taken the students across to Morocco in a SEALINE shock horror.....

Does he hesitate in bringing 4 students across the Gib Straits from Morocco back to Duquesa on the night Nav, with F5-6 on the beam, arriving at 1.30am.

Not a bit.

When I quizzed him yesterday about how he found the boat he said it handled the rough bits fine, and none of the students were concerned at all, even though it was rather wet on the fly from the beam seas. He said first it was on the port beam and then following and he had no probs. So there



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[Renegade_Master]

Re: Perceptions or observations ?

Oy you Brooms and now Sealines (never Princesses my precious) You show me a boat that does not leak from somewhere sometime in its life.

You will recall that even my Broom had leaked through the cabin roof from the engine removal panel. Just down to old mastic that.

And as for handling well this week we employed the services of an instructor to help as Phil was away on assisted passage. Now this chap is a life long boater, 20yrs sub mariner and on naval ships, Yachtmaster and instructor in Sail & Power.
Hes just completed bringing a yacht from St Lucia to Croatia, once again crossing the Atlantic as he has done many times.

Now hes taken the students across to Morocco in a SEALINE shock horror.....

Does he hesitate in bringing 4 students across the Gib Straits from Morocco back to Duquesa on the night Nav, with F5-6 on the beam, arriving at 1.30am.

Not a bit.

When I quizzed him yesterday about how he found the boat he said it handled the rough bits fine, and none of the students were concerned at all, even though it was rather wet on the fly from the beam seas. He said first it was on the port beam and then following and he had no probs. So there

Old Princesses for old Queens...................


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[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: Perceptions or observations ?

Cant remember the post about chine walking and tried searching but no luck. Can you point me at it?
I can only speak from experience. I ran Sealines 410 and 37 each for 2 seasons in the UK for about 200hrs each and they were nigh on faultless except for some dodgy headlinings which Sealine insist on attaching with Velcro and cheap n' nasty helm seat adjusters which I hated
Last season I ran a Fairline Targa 48 in the Med for about 50hrs. It leaked fresh water from somewhere which we never found, a number of minor internal bulkheads separated from the hull, the shower doors kept falling off, handholds in the galley and heads kept falling off because they were secured with tiny self tappers, the laminated timber helm panel peeled badly, the helm seat fell off (self tappers again), the windscreen frame separated from the deck because it was'nt supported properly, most of the soundproofing in the engine bay fell off because it was'nt glued properly, one exhaust elbow failed due to poor welding. I'm not even going to mention the equipment failures because you're going to tell me they're not Fairline's fault
Now which is the quality product?

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[oldgit]

Re:Hell hath no fury like a Sel........owner.

Um Observers post on 2/6/2004 mentions the C word.Any how I was most impressed with the internal space on the 36 owned by Clive and in a spirit of magnamimity will say that Suncoasts boat is the least worst looking of all the range./forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[Jim44]

Re:Hell hath no fury like a Sel........owner.

Do you know what you are talking about?? Have you ever owned a Sealine?

They all look very similar so if you think the F36 is "ok" looking are you saying that they all look "ok"?


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[oldgit]

Re:Oops .......

No,have never owned a Sealine or many many other makes of craft for that matter,but always curious as to the reactions of boat owners regarding any comments not agreeing with their point of view.For instance the urge to own a Broom has always been lost on me until now,when I see the advantages of good build quality,amazing amount of space and ease of use.The latest are no prettier than the early ones,but the boat was designed for a purpose,not to look pretty.Broom owners say if you do not like the boat,tough thats your problem,give it a few years sonny and you will understand what we are on about.
Fairline Targas and the like.What is the point of a boat that has a tent on top that takes hours to get on and off in a climate like ours.OK,so its looks good with the top down.Anyway,judging by the numbers always up for sale,they all get flogged on pretty quickly as people come to their senses.
The Sealine with its very interesting and brave design brief has attracted a whole new class of boaters on the water and who can argue with that.However the responce of some Sealine owners to critical comment,appears a tad oversensitive.

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[oldgit]

As a Broom convert(but just not yet)

If I was about 30 years old,leaking a bit,would be the last of my worries.But not surely very acceptable on a very expensive 3 year old luxury boat.

<hr width=100% size=1>If it aint broke fix it till it is.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re:Hell hath no fury like a Sel........owner.

I dont have any axe to grind regarding Sealine one way or another as I've owned a number of different secondhand boats in my time including 2 x Fairlines, 2 x Princesses, 3 x Sealines, 1 x Broom, 1 x Searay and 1 x Azimut. All I'm saying is that they are all much of a muchness except the Broom which is definitely a class above in quality and IMHO, practicality
Thanks for pointing me to Observer's post on the S41. I must say that it does'nt surprise me. A Sealine salesman told me once they were having problems with the hull but he mentioned a reluctance to plane rather than chine walking. The S41 is one of those boats that looks good at Boat Shows. Vast accomodation, vast cockpit and attractive price but the fact that such a large boat has sterndrives rather than shaftdrives has always put me off

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[[2068]]

Re:Hell hath no fury like a Sel........owner.

An S41 with the KAD44's is underpowered, which is the root cause of the planing problem, but at the time, they were VolvoMort's most powerful outdrive offering. The renamed "S42" with the D6-310/DPG combo should be a lot better, although I have no first hand knowledge.

dv.

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