Princess 32

M

Mark Rodgers

New Member
Joined
4 Jul 2012
Messages
3
Visit site
Hi Everyone

I am considering buying a tired old Princess 32 as a restoration project. I am new to boating so learning for the first time..

The Princess32, I am looking at has petrol engines which no longer work. I will need to replace them and wondered which diesel engines would be the best option and who might sell them??

The Pram hood needs replacing and was considering putting a solid one in as anyone done this and were would be the place to start.

where would I get reconditioned Princess 32 parts from...(if they exist) cant seem to find any information on the internet so far!

and what navigation and radio suite would you all advise..

I know this sounds a lot of work, the purchase cost is very small due to the work required. It will be lifted and checked before I commit to buy..

Any help or pointers will be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance



Mark
 
Nice boat, friend had one with 140hp volvos and it went really well.

If your going to use it inland then fit a pair of ford transit engines of 75hp, you can buy the marinisation kits from landing marine, or look on websites like apolloduck or boats and outboards for old sterndrives and engines.

You will find no doubt the hull will have some osmosis so factor that in when buying.

A really nice one will fetch 18k.
 
Since you refer to "petrol engines", I assume that it has twin outdrives and would therefore require two replacement engines which will be quite expensive. Bear in mind that, even in excellent condition, a Princess 32 would be worth under £20,000. The type and power of engines you would need depend on how you plan to use the boat. Most people prefer diesel engines as they are consider safer (see numerous other threads) and petrol can be hard to find. Our Princess 32 has twin diesels originally rated at 106 hp. These are just able to get her onto the plane.

The Princess 32 has a relatively large cockpit which is an attractive feature in good weather while still giving some permanent shelter in the wheelhouse. If you fit a hard top instead of the canopy you will lose this. It will also make the boat more difficult to work when mooring or going through locks.

You are very unlikely to find and spare parts specifically made for the Princess 32. Like most boats, the GRP mouldings are specific to the type of boat, although the hull was used for a number of other makes too. Most of the other parts are generic boat fittings and should not cause much difficulty.

Navigation and radio equipment really depends on where you plan to use your boat.

Good luck with you project but do not underestimate how much you "cheap boat" will cost you!
 
If you are DIY minded then a cheap boat can be just that. A lot of forum members have no idea of how low costs can be when there is no labour charge and you know where to source equipment and materials. As VP says Transit engines could be ideal. Between £200 and £500 from breakers depending on age and condition. Probably about £600-£800 per engine for marinising parts from Lancing.
First rule of restoration: Only go to the chandlers as a very last resort!
Second rule: Buy screws etc. in bulk from local specialists.
 
Cheap and easy to re-engine, if you don't want to go fast. If you're inland, i'd go for a pair of Peugeot XUD 9 normally aspirated engines. Lighter and quieter than the Transit engines Paul mentioned.

Fitted to Peugeot 306/405 etc and a bunch of Citroens. Lancing also do the marinising bits for these. Had a pair in a P32 myself, went well enough at displacement speeds, even at sea. Not to noisy and used something like 7 litres of fuel an hour at 7-8 knots.
 
I did similar to a P33 last year. Took 6 months, and did not have to re engine.

I would think carefully before taking the plunge.If you are inland, then with the speed limits in place it makes no sense in fitting engines which vastly exceed the speed limits and use twice as much fuel as is needed.

For example, my P33 has twin Ford engines, 4 litre lorry engines, which have done 4000 hrs and only produce 80 bhp. Generally we run on one engine, which gives 8 knots without any problem.

A Transit, Peugeot or similar engine seems fine, as there are plenty second hand, and you can marinise them via Bowman or Lancing Marine. If you are lucky you can reuse the gearboxes from the petrol engines, which saves the job of having to re-gearbox, and refit either stern drives or shafts, and of course the controls.

Lancing Marine do an excellent couple of brochures which show which bits fit which engines, and what gearboxes fit what etc.
 
Some good advice given above.... unless that P32 is being sold for a couple of thousand ,you will never ever get a return on all the time and money you will be putting into the boat.A moving useable example of that boat can probably be purchased for around 10K or maybe bit more.
Also remember that wether in water being used or ashore and renovated it is going to cost around £50 a week.
You are almost certainly doing the seller a favour by taking it off his hands,there are certainly thousands of old boats rotting away which the owners(and boat yards) would dearly like to see the back of.
It is buyers market,you can get yourself a decent boat at the right money with care.
Do NOT buy somebody elses trouble. :)
 
I have had a p32 for the last 6 years.We have had a lot of good times on her.most of it costal . The back is a great open space in the summer a new canopy can be made from £800 up depending on the qualty.As has been said you can re engine with used Transit diesels i have done this myself on my friends 32 with the help of Lancing great people very helpfull.thay are a great boat for not loads of £££££££ .If you are good at d i y and have some engering knowalge then go for it i did and have never regreted it.
 
Dont' by it. By the time you get it in the water you will have spent more on it than you can recoup in selling it. You will be are much better off looking for a boat in better condition that you can use right now and do minor modifications on the way getting some fun and pleasure on the way. There are some whose only pleasure is in the restoration process if this is you I recommend you take up another popular route where you might get some gain at the end. Restoring a boat is great fun but it has to cost peanuts and spend bill has to be peanuts. Consider taking out the engines and fitting a 30hp honda on the back forget re-engining with something close to the original.
 
Red said:
Dont' by it. By the time you get it in the water you will have spent more on it than you can recoup in selling it. You will be are much better off looking for a boat in better condition that you can use right now and do minor modifications on the way getting some fun and pleasure on the way. There are some whose only pleasure is in the restoration process if this is you I recommend you take up another popular route where you might get some gain at the end. Restoring a boat is great fun but it has to cost peanuts and spend bill has to be peanuts. Consider taking out the engines and fitting a 30hp honda on the back forget re-engining with something close to the original.
Click to expand...

I'm sure the boat would be uncontrollable with a single 30 hp outboard on the back, the sheer weight and windage of a 32 ft 4 plus ton boat would be a real handful.
 
Nah - Fairline were building their 29's with outboards, so to were Norman and Viking. Easy to handle, no noise, easy to service and use little fuel. Best part is no Volvo spare parts...
 
Red said:
Dont' by it. By the time you get it in the water you will have spent more on it than you can recoup in selling it. You will be are much better off looking for a boat in better condition that you can use right now and do minor modifications on the way getting some fun and pleasure on the way. There are some whose only pleasure is in the restoration process if this is you I recommend you take up another popular route where you might get some gain at the end. Restoring a boat is great fun but it has to cost peanuts and spend bill has to be peanuts. Consider taking out the engines and fitting a 30hp honda on the back forget re-engining with something close to the original.
Click to expand...

:D:D:D:D:D
 
You need to tell us the price you are expecting to pay. That is the clincher. If it's 6K or less then it's a real bargain. It also depends on the level of equipment and what is still useable.
Boating isn't all about money and what you will recoup. There is the immense personal satisfaction of owning a boat that you have rebuilt. The majority of Forumites are not DIY orientated and buy and sell boats like cars so have no understanding of this aspect of boat owning. (Nothing wrong with that if that is your preference!). But their comments can give a very false impression.
If there is an ad' you can post a link to that will allow a much more in-depth consideration to be made.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

D
Sailing to Ireland from the UK
Replies
14
Views
466
lustyd
L
J
D4 260 Gremlins
Replies
7
Views
391
JumboTed
J

Share this page

Top