Princess 42, owner`s views

[henryf]

Currently have a `97/98 Fairline Phantom 42, been a great boat, had it for 5 or 6 years & from a usability perspective no real issues at all. Have a passarelle to lift my jet ski on the back (250kg), find we can fit in anywhere especially in smaller places like Bembridge, by the same token large enough to pop over to France or the channel islands comfortably. Looking to buy a new boat and considering a Princess 42. The phantom 40 seems a bit smaller than our 42, the 48 lovely but a good chunk of money, (ditto the princess 50, also a delightful craft).

Any Princess 42 owners on here, things you like or dislike?

On the face of it the cream of the crop (although we are looking at all the options - doesn`t have to be a flybridge).

Look forward to hearing your views.

Henry

 

[Whitelighter]

If you like the p42 but want something bang up to date, the Princess V45 is absolutley lovely - and feels bigger than her size to boot!

 

[Nautical]

Traitor!............ /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Nautorius]

Do you need/want a Flybridge?

Why not consider a Galeon like the 440 Fly ? You get a lot more boat for your money than a Princess?

Cheers

paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Whitelighter]

No no - you see, sublty sell him on a sports boat, then when he realises he can't get a V45 for years - BAM - straight into an Absolute

 

[henryf]

I have looked at the sports boats, (we had a Targa 35 before the Phantom 42) but given we aren`t great ones for for lying naked under the sun (and keep the boat in Portsmouth) the flybridge seems to make sense in terms of internal space.

I do keep looking at things like a Nimbus or other "pilot" style boats but haven`t seen one in the flesh. Even looked at Dutch steel boats (a couple of real gems at Southampton) but can`t be doing with 8-10 knots. Love the thought of passage making though.

Henry

 

[Nautorius]

Have a look at the Nimbus 380 Commander or 410 Commander! That might fit the bill as well. Here

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[cataldo]

hi,we have a 1997 princess 440 for sale,maybe its too old.

 

[Whitelighter]

Nice Avatar.

 

[bvickers]

We have the Princess 45 flybridge which we bought new nearly six years ago (our 4th boat). She has been a fantastic boat; very little has gone wrong with her and the service and support from Princess hass been excellent. The boat has been clearly well thought out and even behind the scenes the finish and standard of construction is very good. I can't talk about the 42 per se, but I can certainly recommend Princess as a brand.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Princess 42 is an excellent boat. Best in class IMHO. A poster hereabouts called magnum used to own one. Maybe worth dropping him a PM. If you're set on buying new, the Azimut AZ40 and AZ42 are worth a look too
But why not look at slightly used? For similar money, you could get a used Fairline Phantom 46, AZ46 or Princess 45 all still in first class condition

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

We're really keen on the P42, but I'm still saving up... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

We looked at all the usual suspects in this size at SIBS last year, and the Princess got the points on all-round design and quality and (for me) the best in class flybridge layout, with the moveable seat back so that you can easily have a decent social seating area, or a big sunpad with reduced seating.

The only slight negative I could come up with was that the headroom in the showers was a bit tight for me (I'm 6'3); this wasn't a problem for example in the T37 that I have just sold. But despite this if I had 350k burning a hole in my pocket, the P42 is where I'd put it.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[henryf]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice Avatar.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for that, a bad day in my other office !

Not necessarily hooked on buying brand new and are speaking to Essex Boatyards who have a Phantom 46 but too expensive (brokerage rather than their own stock). The only thing about buying new is that you should be able to get a reasonable discount, when being sold on 2nd hand the price is based on list new, including extras. The result is that there have been times when I could have bought new for less money. This is particularly the case where unwanted extras have been fitted. £30k of air-con is lovely but when you`re based in Portsmouth hardly essential to us. Better a decent heater !

You also find most of the boats are brokerage and only for sale if the owner can get huge money. Better to buy a stock boat from someone like Essex or Paul Grange at Grange international wo both seem to have cheque books.

Looked at the Princess 45 but basically a 42 with a 3rd cabin (which we don`t need). A couple of inches difference and 800kg (mostly difference between D6 &D9 engines).

Henry

 

[Nick_H]

A couple along the pontoon from us bought a new P42, I only discussed it briefly with them but after the first few months they were still very happy with their choice.

The P42 seems to win the best in class title at that size range in some of the mags, which may help re-sale, particularly with new boaters who maybe place more emphasis on magazine reviews. Its also a reasonably new model so will be around for a while, which again will help it to hold its value.

 

[Whitelighter]

What is it, a 996 Cup racer?

 

[henryf]

[ QUOTE ]
What is it, a 996 Cup racer?

[/ QUOTE ]

A GT3 Cup car. Used mostly for longer races of between 1 & 24 hours rather than the sprint races of the Carrera cup. Last couple of seasons I`ve been racing in the Britcar series, this year having a year back with the Porsche club & having a ball. Off to Spa next weekend.

Henry

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

one of these came in Malta at the end of last year and personally I was I impressed by the huge cockpit space, which for MED users is a big consideration

I would give a big consideration for the interior styling and most beautiful exterior lines + superb fittings to the Azimut 43 which has very limited compeition

she is also what I call the New Generation Flybridge Crusiers

have a look at www.azimutyachts.net

 

[henryf]

I have looked at the Atimut range over the years and it`s never really grabbed me. At last year`s Southampton show we looked on a couple which were lovely but a bit on the large (and expensive) side.

Obviously now that Peters are doing them there will be a few coming into the country. I`m always a little worried though that their styling makes them dated very quickly.

I don`t know what Peters have in stock to view, I`ll have to give them a call. What`s the crack with the 42E and 43 (or is it the other way round), seems close in size for 2 different boats from the same stable.

At the moment the Phantom 40 looks out because it just a bit smaller all round than our 42. The 46 is in the running (2nd hand), and there is a very nice one with D9`s and good spec available but the Princess 42 is still probably favorite (although haven`t seen one in the flesh). Struggling a bit with the dealers who are very pleasant but a bit slow to come back with prices and £15k behind Essex Boatyard on the p/x for our Phantom. What a difference it makes dealing with a company who are happy to sell your boat rather than just taking a bid from the trade. If only Essex had a Princess dealership we`d be sorted, easily the best approach from anyone we`ve had. They`re there to deal.

As for a second hand Princess 45, not much use to us really. Pretty much the same size as a 42 but with a 3rd cabin (which we don`t need).

The only problem we have come up against with the Princess is the lifting limit of 150kg on the Princess supplied passarelle, no good for a toy and less than the 250kg capacity of our Phantom 42. Current jet ski weighs a bit under 250kg and jet ribs a bit over.

Henry