prestige 500?

[Steruth1]

Evening , has anyone any experience or views on the above, i am considering buying one in the next 6 months or so.

any other suggestions?

thanks

 

[Nigelpickin]

Evening , has anyone any experience or views on the above, i am considering buying one in the next 6 months or so.

any other suggestions?

thanks

Happy to step up as a resident owner (500s) and Provide feedback.

If you click on my profile and view threads started there is some specific content and links to videos from the first 14 months of ownership...

Happy to answer specific questions you may have so fire away

As far as other suggestions, there are some really strong contenders in the 50 foot segment and there will be various considerations specific to any prospective buyer. What you will probably know by now is that in terms of component quality, Prestige sit on a lower tier to say Princess & Fairline, (you are probably just about to be given the heads up on that by other forumites), so you need to do thorough comparisons to get a grasp of the tangibles that you actually care about.

From our point of view, we are not Fairprinseeker customers, we don't enjoy these boats from a taste perspective and crucially, our boat was always going to be a live aboard for six months of the year, so space and layout were hugely important.

I would offer pros and cons based on my experience and leave it you to ask specifics...

Pros
Price. I would say > 20 percent less expensive than the UK brands I have mentioned. (But I know that price does not describe value for money)

Good build quality, I witnessed QA first hand at the Prestige factory and they really interogate every aspect of the build.

Popularity. At the three year mark Prestige are on around 400 hulls for the 500 series...pretty much all the niggles have been identified and ironed out, (model was very slightly face lifted in 2014).

Support. There are plenty of Brand ambassadors on this forum, right across the sector but I really can't sing the praises of Ancasta, (dealer) or Jeanneau loudly enough. Every fault that we have had, (and there will always be some on a new boat), has been dealt with immediately and with no quibble or attempt to pass on to a third party or reduce costs. It really has been a first class service.

Great sea keeping. The hull and ips are set up for comfort rather than quick turning speed, the hull is not often caught out by wave sine and the d600's are set forward giving a really good centre of weight to the boat, keeps the boat on the plane at lower speeds and generally provides an undramatic life on the water.

Joystick. Just great and versus the cummins version, so much better. IMHO.


And then, space, light, look, ease off access for all boats systems.

Cons
Lacks the wealth/bling factor of some competitors.

Some lightweight components, (mattresses, carpentry, candy washer).

Alpi wood. It's generic but go for the light oak if you are buying a new boat if you want a fresher finish.

Resale value, a lot of these boats will have been bought well below list so make sure to haggle hard!

There's loads more to say but succinctly, if you crave a Fairline or Sunseeker but can't quite afford one, don't buy a Prestige....you'll only end up trading through in a season or two.

If you want a super smart, practicle, fully kitted out, proper boat then I would thoroughly recommend the 500 in either guise.

Warm regards

Edit, use of the word proper is not to imply that other boats mentioned are not proper. It's just a turn of phrase

 

[jrudge]

We looked at one of these a few years ago. It was the fly with the clever window that vanished into the floor. We liked it.

It was via Walton Marine at the boat show and as above the discount was pretty significant ( I can't remember how much but it was a good chunk off list).

 

[Steruth1]

Thanks Nigel, i will come back with some more questions but great information and i will look at your treads tonight
.

 

[Nigelpickin]

Thanks Nigel, i will come back with some more questions but great information and i will look at your treads tonight
.

No problem, I'm surprised that you've had no contributions re other brands...I would certainly recomend a look at boats.co.uk when you have a view on price point and I know that PMY are pretty keen with nearly new.

At the kind of money you'll be paying I guess you have a reasonable idea of what's within your reach and whether you are looking at new or brokerage...?

 

[powerskipper]

Evening , has anyone any experience or views on the above, i am considering buying one in the next 6 months or so.

any other suggestions?

thanks

I have taught on the 500 and 550 , nice boats, as with all IPS i recommend a bow thruster. they are quite slab sided so you do need to be wind aware, the 500 I taught on had bow and stern thrusters and as it was the persons first boat ,it did help at times. Agree with sea keeping, the 500 came on our cruise in company last year and she was a nice ride at sea.

 

[Nigelpickin]

Totes agree re bow thruster, it's a high sided lump. IPS joystick will move sideways into a 25knt wind with relative ease but try to edge the bow through the wind at that speed and you need the thruster to get the job done.
Nice that it comes as standard fit with the boat.