Princess 42

[barryti1]

Hi Guys
I would appreciate the forums opinions on the Princess 42 Flybridge (2005) All comments good or bad,points to look out for welcome

 

[No Regrets]

Saw one at Excel last year, bloody nearly sold the house and bought it there and then, except there was a 9 month wait.

Utterly lovely looking boat, lovely interior, large fly and frankly the nicest at that size we saw.

IMHO

 

[Coupe]

Hi Timmy.

P42 probably the best in class imo.

Don't hold your breath if you are dealing with Fairline Ireland -they still havn't come back to me following SIBS on a P54.

Still, they have given me the chance to look at something else /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

See you in Cork.

 

[henryf]

We have recently taken delivery of a new Princess 42 flybridge which I think I`m right in saying is the same (give or take) as a 2005 model.

In a nutshell delighted.

I looked around long and hard over a period of time with a view to changing our Phantom 42, (now available for sale if anyone is interested!) which we were very happy with, and to be honest the fact the Phantom was so good made finding a replacement all the more difficult.

The Princess doesn`t try to re-invent the wheel, it just tweaks the design a little so that it does every very well. All the bits are in the right places, the quality of engineering installation behind the scenes seems up to scratch (you only really find out stuff like that when you own the boat yourself and can crawl over it a bit).

Engine-wise we`ve got the larger 435hp D6 units which are spot on. Superchargers get you onto the plane then turbo chargers start to do their work and the superchargers cut out. It all makes light work of the 12 tonnes or so. Close quarters handling is a breeze with the electronic controls. The auto synchronising of the engines revs took a bit of getting used to but any new boat will have it`s idiosyncrasies.

Love the separate engine room access from the cockpit meaning you don`t have to open up the saloon floor.

So what about the details. The settee in the lounge is a good size allowing 2 adults to stretch out with ease. The 2 seater on the opposite side acts as an infill if you want to use the lounge area to sleep on or fancy inviting a few "very good" friends round for a cosy night in! The table doesn`t fold down like the one in the Phantom so is a bit bulky to move around. The trade off is magazine storage built in. The heater outlet (located behind the 2 seater sofa) is a bit useless & ideally you need to pull the sofa out to make it work effectively.

The kitchen area is very good with a few nice touches like storage for the sink lids. We went to the Denby shop for plates that fit the storage area and Addis do a cutlery insert that fits the cutlery drawer perfectly (get it from Wilko). You have to remove the factory wooden cutlery holder first with one screw underneath, Princess cutlery will sting you over £500 from memory and we couldn`t find exactly what fitted it despite an afternoon in Villeroy & Boch. Loads of usable storage and a good sized fridge.

Helm position is excellent. The switches for the nav lights etc are a bit prone to being caught accidentally as we discovered on a night crossing to Cowes when someone turned them off by mistake! Bowthruster works well, electric cut offs are easily accessible and the remote gas isolator is a nice little touch.

Both cabins work well, the 2nd cabin can either be used as a twin or a double. Storage is good although we miss not having a pair of wardrobes in the front cabin. That said there is probably more storage than in the Phantom, just spread about a bit.

Both bathrooms are good and they both have "tube" showers which you can actually use in anger without swamping the room in water. We`ve got the new Dometic electric single touch toilets which are really great, very luxurious and (relatively) quiet.

We`ve had a few niggles that have cropped up and we`re not quite there yet but Princess at Swanwick really have been fantastic. Their aftersales is spot on, if you do have any problems you are encouraged to give them a call and they`ll sort you out. I don`t feel as though we`ve been forgotten now the cheque has cleared. You`ll probably find a 2005 boat is fairly well sorted with all the little niggles resolved by now.

Not really that much to report in terms of annoying bits, we`ve used it a bit with trips to Weymouth, the Isle of Wight & so on (based in Portsmouth) in a variety of conditions. The hull is a bit noisier than the Fairline - possibly a slightly lighter lay up ? but certainly the boat doesn`t feel "cheap" and the interior was vastly better than that of the Fairlines we considered (it was a hard jump to Princess having owned 2 Fairlines).

So yes, very pleased so far. The boat fared very well in the comparison MBY (or was it MBM) did with other boats a similar size (it came out the winner!) and that was our impression from looking around. There don`t seem to be that many on the second hand market which probably means they`re sought after (ours was the 200th one built I think so there are a few of them out there).

Hope that helps.

Henry

 

[barryti1]

Henry

That is the most comprehensive answere I have ever been given to any question I have ever asked , possibly in my life !!
I thank you for the time you took to reply. I agree with your comments that she is probably the best 42 foot fly on the market. The downside is there are very few on the second hand market and as such command a higher price than my second choice which would be a Phantom 40. My chequebook does n't stretch to new and I would have a 2006 Phantom 40 for less money than the 2005 Princess. I'm still trying to make up my mind which way to go ??

Timmy

 

[barryti1]

Mick

It would n't be a Squadron 58 tempting you down this way would it ??

 

[Hurricane]

We visited the Princess factory just before Christmas to see our new baby under construction.

I think I'm right in saying that the P42 is their most popular range. Anyway, the factory is VERY impressive - with the production systems that Princess have in place, it makes you wonder how lower volume boats can be built to the same standards. Everything is tuned to a Just in Time concept and no corners are cut - certainly gave me an impression of a quality product.

We have ordered a P67 and I couldnt believe it when I saw ours in a production line with five other identical boats. And that was just the P67s - the have 16 other lines with similar numbers under production. The scale is breathtaking.

I'm sure that a 2005 P42 will be an excellent boat - go for it.

 

[henryf]

Always a pleasure !

I also looked at the Phantom 40, the boys at Essex boat yards showed me round a couple. I struggled with the Phantom 40, possibly because we had the Phantom 42. The 40 was just a bit smaller in every respect than our older 42 and I just couldn`t bring myself to pay more money for less. You`d keep bumping into things as you walked round the boat, I knew where to put my arms and legs but unfortunately the boat had moved! (in comparison to the 42).

I also felt there was a bit too much vinyl and a bit too little wood inside for it to feel a quality item. Little things like a rather cramped entry into the engine room via a shared lazarette / engine room hatch rather than the Princess` separate engine and lazarette hatches sort of sum things up.

I was a Fairline man through & through but they just didn`t cut it for me looking at what was on offer today. The Phantom 48 blew me away at Southampton in 2006 but it was a lot of money and to be honest the new Princess 50 will probably be my first port of call when I come into a few quid. If I was you I`d hold out for a Princess 42, I really think you`d appreciate it in the long term. Don`t get me wrong, a Phantom 40 isn`t a bad boat, it just wasn`t as good.

Henry

 

[Magnum]

The Princess 42 is a superb design and we had many a day's happy cruising on ours.

In fact I'm struggling to think of anything I didn't like. An easy decision for anyone looking at this class of boat.

 

[peterandjeanette]

Very much a difficult decision when I changed boats.

It was a toss up between the Phantom 40 and the Princess 42.There was little to choose between them.

The final decision was made on the flybridge. The Phantom won because :-

a. There was no provision for a paper chart (ok, so I'm a dinosaur) on the P42
b. Whenever the "navigator" has to fetch me another whiskey she can do so without disturbing me. ( i.e. the seat on the Princess is right up against the side of the flybridge and the helmsman has to move to allow access.)
c. The P42 has a large sunbed area. SWMBO and I are passed sunbathing to that extent and we prefer the option of seating/table/fridge/bbq and sink. (The table does collapse down and there are cushions to make up a sunbed if I get lucky and there is a young blonde dollybird on board).

Always a personal decision of course. We're very happy with the P40.

 

[Kaste]

We are researching changing to Phantom 40 or Princess 42 and can't quite make our minds up. For us the decision would be easier if you could put the Phantom flybridge on the P42. Whichever you choose you won't be far wrong. Good luck

 

[henryf]

I`d go along with that. The Fairline Phantom 40 flybridge seems to have a bit more going on up there than the Princess 42. The Fairline we looked at had a griddle and I think a fridge from memory. In the end we were more interested in the accommodation downstairs than the flybridge, (let`s face it our weather throughout the year does mean we spend more time inside). I was also a bit unsure of how fat spitting off the griddle would add to the mix.

Something else to consider is the amazing all round visability from the lower helm in the Princess 42. Open all the curtains & blinds on the saloon side windows, tie back the patio door curtains and sit at the helm. You`ll be amazed how good the visability is & you can go from pontoon to pontoon without needing to go up top. Try it at the boat show (but for christ`s sake don`t tell them I told you to upset their carefully arranged soft furnishings!). I didn`t feel the Phantom 40 gave you that freedom, you needed to be "up top" to see what was going on.

The Princess has a useful cold chiller on the flybridge helm that takes a couple of bottles of wine and a few beers. I can confirm it works very well indeed (tested under duress so you good people don`t have sit there and drink all day !).

Henry

 

[Coupe]

[ QUOTE ]
Mick

It would n't be a Squadron 58 tempting you down this way would it ??

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, I should have said "Princess Ireland". It's easy to get them mixed up to be honest as they are both run from the same marina.

No, not a Squaddy 58 as it's being replaced by the new Squaddy 55. I really like the Princess 54 but the dealer has forgotton about us /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

We have seen something else which is tempting. In the meantime we are very happy with our current boat.

You should be able to talk to Fairline & Princess Ireland and organise a couple of hours out on the Phantom 40 and Princess 42 and see what works for you.

Alternatively, see them both on the water at the Dublin Boatshow in April???

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

I think you should alos put other boats in the picture like Sealine, Azimut 42 Evolution or the new 43, Intermare 42 etc etc

 

[henryf]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you should alos put other boats in the picture like Sealine, Azimut 42 Evolution or the new 43, Intermare 42 etc etc

[/ QUOTE ]

I struggled a bit with the overall quality of the Sealine and the bathroom arrangement in the 42/5 in particular didn`t float my boat. Azimut have always felt a bit "cutting edge design" inside and I`ve always been a bit unsure of the niche producers that aren`t well represented in the UK in terms of volume. At least with Sealine, Princess, Fairline & Sunseeker they are all known quantities and you aren`t having to explain what the boats are come re-sale time. I did consider the Nord West 420 which got rave reviews in the mags but it meant a flight out to Sweden to see one & I got the impression they were sold from someone`s spare room in the UK (probably unfair but certainly no one had stock boats (relatively tiny numbers in the uk) and I doubt the follow up would compare to that enjoyed with Princess)

Henry

 

[Coupe]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you should alos put other boats in the picture like Sealine, Azimut 42 Evolution or the new 43, Intermare 42 etc etc

[/ QUOTE ]

OK...

Had "after sales" issues with Sealine on our last boat - won't be going back.

My problem with Azimut is the difficulty getting aboard from alongside. The bathing platform is a long way in from the dock, then add fenders, then add a bit of wind holding her off etc...

Intermare and others may be difficult to sell on in the UK.

Princess 54 ticked all the boxes (apart from the small en-suite) but I'm not in the habit of chasing a dealer to give away my money.

We may have found something else - should know in May/June. No rush as we are very happy with our current boat /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[LordJohn]

I don't think Sealine are quite in the same league. No offence but I think we need to be objective when giving advice

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think Sealine are quite in the same league. No offence but I think we need to be objective when giving advice

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont think there is much difference between the 2 builders to be honest,
still the Princess is a better built boat you dont need to go to University to know that one
what I just suggested is to have a better look around before deciding instead of making a list 2 builders and stopping there

 

[henryf]

I agree, if only to satisfy your curiosity and to make you feel there wasn`t something better round the corner. We even looked at displacement trawler style boats and steel boats from Holland as well - a note to salesmen, just because someone has looked at a product that bears little relationship to the one they`re looking at with you don`t write them off as time wasters.

Henry

 

[Coupe]

[ QUOTE ]
a note to salesmen, just because someone has looked at a product that bears little relationship to the one they`re looking at with you don`t write them off as time wasters.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yip, agreed. We went to SIBS in 2005 pretty sure we were going to buy a HT Sportscruiser and bought a Flybridge instead.

We went to SIBS in 2007 and looked at a 60ft Fly, 54ft fly, 50ft Fly SD, 60ft Ht Sportscriser. We more or less decided on the 54 Fly and now we have something different in mind /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Punters eh? tsk tsk - Who needs em /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif