Princess 42 - Airdraft?

oceanfroggie

oceanfroggie

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Does anybody know the minimum Airdraft of a Princess 42, in particular with as much folded down as possible to reduce height?

Thanks in advance. OF
 
I've got one, but I haven't a clue, sorry. Only the two whip antennas fold down, the light mast is static. If you really, really need to know I can measure it for you next time I'm down at the boat (day after tomorrow probably).

Cheers
Jimmy
 
I'm trying to figure out if a P42 could fit under the guillotine lock gates of the Ardnacrusha hydro electric dam. I'm assuming the gear on top of the radar arch could be hinged or modified to hinge (ie raydome, lights, antenna, etc). Thanks but don't go to any trouble, if anybody has the figure I'd love to know it, as looking at P42s is a waste of time for us if they won't fit through this dam. I think the max airdaft is 3.7m, most cruisers passing through have to drop their masts and/or radar arches. Some larger fairlines and princesses do not fit under.
 
if you just fold the stainless goalpost and the radar (clever cantilever hinges) you get 3.65m. If you fold arch, highest fixed structure is 3.25m, unless you flood the bilges in which case it will drop a bit more.....
 
That sounds about right. The info is contained in our handbook for the boat (which obviously is on the boat at the moment)!

I am racking my brains because I looked up that info when I was in Weymouth and wanting to pass under the bridge. From memory I seem to think a figure of 3.4m to the top of the radar arch metalwork (onto which the radome is secured) sounds right.

It would be a relatively simple mod to have a folding metal structure designed and fitted. Certainly Princess at Swanwick could arrange that work for you as they commissioned and fitted the steelwork onto which my radome is attached.

Good luck.

Henry /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Thanks Lozzer and everybody. It seems 3.65m with the gear, dome and hoop folded back but the radar arch up. Can the radar arch also hinge down or back on the P42 (ie standard or as an option)? If so does anybody have this setup and how easy is it to operate (ie manully or hydraulically)? 3.65m would be very marginal for Ardnacrusha and Killaloe bridge, but if the height can easily be reduced to 3.25m then a P42 could easily access the sea from Killaloe. I presume 3.25m would then be the height to the top of the FB wind screen.
 
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But it doesnt have an aft cabin OF
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[ QUOTE ]
. Can the radar arch also hinge down or back on the P42 (ie standard or as an option)? If so does anybody have this setup and how easy is it to operate (ie manully or hydraulically)? .

[/ QUOTE ]

They are not factory designed to fold.
I have seen a lot of the older princessss /fairlines with folding arches, almost all the ones in our club have been hinged with the exception to the P360s and P42.
I was quoted £6000 fo fold a corniche.
I organised it myself for £1000.

When you design it you quickly learn the problem that once hinged it will not lay flat. As it is himged it opens like a pair of scissors, although you have moved the top down 3 ft, half the hinge now sticks up a foot.

The old Princesssssssssss and fairlines had huge goal post arches and it was worth dropping 2 ft.

But the P42 arch is much lower to start with and set back, it is not much higher than the screen.

£6000 might save you 20 cm if you are lucky.

You most likely have a radar on top of the 365cm ?

one option is to hinge the radar and light mast on a double hinge so it drops below the arch.

4c1acc1653381987d0cbf16e49138cd9.jpg


Note how high the hinge sticks up in the air due to the width of the arch
 
Crunch - ouch! Yes Killaloe Bridge varies between 3.6m and 3.7m so 3.63m is just too marginal, if the arch down brings the height under 3.4m then it would be a comforteable fit under, and through the hydro electric dams 102ft lock. We had a flybridge which was 3.6m high everything down and it was possible most of the time, but too marginal for comfort and I wouldn't want to go back there. 3.4m would do.

PS: That video suggests he didn't steer for the centre of the bridge arch which seemed just high enough.
 
I think it's all too tight for the P42. I just measured mine, and it's 3.65m to the top of the radar arch (ie the base of the radome cakestand and the goalpost) - and it's very unlikely any folding arrangement for the radome and goalpost would make them completely flat.

For what it's worth, the as-supplied height of the goalpost is 1.4m - so the gross height of the P42 (excluding the aerials) is 5.05m.

Cheers
Jimmy
 
Thanks Jimmy. The arch is very low profile anyway on the P42 rather than the "goal posts" of old, but still looks to be at least 25cm higher than the front of the windshield. I'll contact P in UK about the feasability and cost of a hinging system, as I've had no response from the Irish dealer. Dropping the aft section of the arch aft 90 degrees might reduce the overall height to 3.30m if the hinge geometery and hydraulics can work out. Not convinced it will really work on a P42.
 
Hmm... I think it's going to be tight - if you have a look at the profile shot of my P42 here then you can see that the radar arch really is not much higher than the screen at all.

Still - to get the definitive answer you need to talk to PMYS at Swanwick - I'll PM you some details.

Cheers
Jimmy
 
Apologies for digging up old post - I was asking a similar question on the Thames forum but had no response. So - the P42 (of current interest as well as the P40) could max-out a 3.65m air-draft? The Thames bridge which concerns me is (I believe) 3.8m - so if oceanfroggie or a n other has further info, I’d be very grateful.
 
There was recently a P 420 sold on the upper Thames.
One of the claimed advantages of the boat was its ability to access all of the upper Thames excepting that low bridge at Oxford.
Princess 420
Height Above Waterline to top of GRP radar arch: 11ft 6in / 3.51m
Height Above Waterline to Top of Fixed Structure (Excluding radar arch and light mast): 11ft 0in
Unfortunately nothing on the Princess Heritage site about the P42.
Suspect a very similar AD for both ?
 
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