Princess 43 Build

[Bojangles]

Congrats 47GC, exciting times ahead. Are you already on Loch Lomond?

 

[47GC]

Congrats 47GC, exciting times ahead. Are you already on Loch Lomond?

We sure are, Bojangles. Berthed at Cameron House. Will be boatless for the season though. Boat is getting lifted out in a few weeks and heading south.

 

[Lozzer]

Congratulations on your new purchase.

When touring the factory make sure you go to all parts. The loom shop I found very interesting as well as the furniture shop.

Exciting times for you. Look forward to following your thread.

 

[spannerman]

The P43 production shed is very interesting, I was at the factory for a course when it was the P42 line and every Monday a new lower hull moulding enters the hall and progresses through engine/tankage/shafts and steering installation, then the bulkheads and plumbing/electrics go in, meanwhile the inverted deck moulding is being fitted out as well as the flybridge moulding, these are married about the middle of the week then the interior, cabinetry, carpets,etc, and hook up of upper and lower systems, then every Friday lunchtime a completed new boat leaves the production line, amazing to see, when you consider that layup of just the hull and deck moulding on a MY95 takes 6 weeks.

 

[Hurricane]

The P43 production shed is very interesting, I was at the factory for a course when it was the P42 line and every Monday a new lower hull moulding enters the hall and progresses through engine/tankage/shafts and steering installation, then the bulkheads and plumbing/electrics go in, meanwhile the inverted deck moulding is being fitted out as well as the flybridge moulding, these are married about the middle of the week then the interior, cabinetry, carpets,etc, and hook up of upper and lower systems, then every Friday lunchtime a completed new boat leaves the production line, amazing to see, when you consider that layup of just the hull and deck moulding on a MY95 takes 6 weeks.

We visited when ours was being built and they showed us the (then) P42 line.
Your post above doesn't really make it clear that there are a number of boats on the line at various stages of production.
As you say a new hull enters the shed at one end.
But before it enters, it is placed onto a cradle.
Cradles have "train style" wheels and run in a track.
Cradles are then bolted together so as the new hull (on its cradle) is pushed in, the finished boat at the other end of the line "pops out".
IIRC, the P42 was too long to fit into the shed where all the P42s are built so they were set on their cradles at an angle (diagonal) so they they fitted.

Difficult to explain so here are some pics of the (then) P67 line.
Pics taken a long time ago but may help to explain
This is the first P67 on the line - note the cradle (blue)

And after bolting the cradles together - note how close they are.
You can also see in this pic the yellow beams that join the cradles together.

All the above was in Newport Street
Be sure to go to the other production areas - some well outside Plymouth.

Here's the loom shop

And here's the jig where (we were told) that all the Princess stainless steel rails are built.
They said that if we ever needed a replacement, they could assemble one into the exact jig that the original one was made.

Then in a different factory, is the joinery
It is massive - this is just one part.
Probably quite different now though

And another area of the joinery

At the time, Princess were the second largest employer in Plymouth.

@47GC
So, you will need a long day to see everything.
Definitely don't miss it - and post some pics on here please - I would like to see how it has changed.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

We visited when ours was being built and they showed us the (then) P42 line.
Your post above doesn't really make it clear that there are a number of boats on the line at various stages of production.
As you say a new hull enters the shed at one end.
But before it enters, it is placed onto a cradle.
Cradles have "train style" wheels and run in a track.
Cradles are then bolted together so as the new hull (on its cradle) is pushed in, the finished boat at the other end of the line "pops out".
IIRC, the P42 was too long to fit into the shed where all the P42s are built so they were set on their cradles at an angle (diagonal) so they they fitted.

I think this pic shows the arrangement you're describing:

(This is from my own P42 factory visit thread from seven years ago - http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?157319-Princess-factory-visit-(lots-of-pics))

 

[47GC]

Wow, thanks guys for posting the pictures. Gives s good insight in to what to expect. Any idea of the number of man hours to build a 42? Be interesting to see if it's the same as the 43. I'd expect that overtime they have managed to find efficiencies.

 

[Hurricane]

Whilst I think about it
Here's some really good advice.
Take a camera and photograph EVERYTHING.
And I mean EVERYTHING.
Don't just get pics of your own boat.
Get pics of the boats in all stages.
Concentrate of every part of the detail.
The pics of the early stages are particularly useful.
Take as many as you can.
I suggest that you use a dedicated camera - not a phone - detail is important.
I even photographed a pot of paint that they were using on the hull - really useful later when I needed to know what they had used.
Particularly photograph the insides - before any furniture or decorative coverings are fitted.
As I say, it doesn't matter which boat you photo - they are all much the same.
So get lots of pics in the various stages of build.

Then when you get home, sort them so that you know where the pics were taken.

These pics will form a perfect record of how the boat is built and you will refer to them all the time.

I did just that and my pics have been invaluable - even 7 or 8 years later.
I even got them out last week to see how our port electric window was fitted and with a bit (a lot) of help from Peter Harwood in Swanwick, I was able to get it running smoothly again.

Pics like the ones I took have helped everywhere.
For example, when I fitted the docking cameras, I needed to know what was behind the ceiling in the cockpit - I have photos showing exactly that.

And these photos will add to the excitement of your whole experience.
I'm still excited about our old girl - even after all these years.
BTW - I'm talking about the boat - not SWMBO!!

 

[spannerman]

We visited when ours was being built and they showed us the (then) P42 line.
Your post above doesn't really make it clear that there are a number of boats on the line at various stages of production.
As you say a new hull enters the shed at one end.
But before it enters, it is placed onto a cradle.
Cradles have "train style" wheels and run in a track.
Cradles are then bolted together so as the new hull (on its cradle) is pushed in, the finished boat at the other end of the line "pops out".
IIRC, the P42 was too long to fit into the shed where all the P42s are built so they were set on their cradles at an angle (diagonal) so they they fitted..

Yes it was organised a bit like a car production line.
Working for the Norwegian importer for Princess I have been round all the production sites in and out of Plymouth many times both on a factory course for dealers and also following our MY95 when it was in build. The CAD/CAM furniture shop was very interesting, also the plasma cutter for the stainless fittings, I remember the loom shop when they told me the loom for the MY95 weighed two tons! The two technical guys Gary and Jim are brilliant, always willing to help with problems that surface on such complex boats. All in all very a slick production operation for one of the UK's best boat marques.

 

[Jamesuk]

Get the blue primts and wiring diagrams to the higest level so any fool can understand them

 

[Anders_P42]

Congrats on a lovely boat. Have you considered a Seakeeper Gyro, seems someone has already fitted one to a P43:

http://www.seakeeper.com/uploads/documents/sea-trials/647/st_princess_43_1xsk5_(4.29.2015).pdf

Anders

 

[jfm]

^^^That's a great suggestion^^^

 

[47GC]

Traveled down to Princess Yachts in Mayfair London last week to meet with James and confirm all the order. Nice day checking through the specification, started sweating when James wheeled the Fendi brochures through for my wife to look at!

So here's what we got coming.*

Princess 43 with Volvo D6
Variable Speed Bow & Stern Thrusters
Steel Grey Hull
Walnut Interior Satin Finish
Electric Double Berth Conversion in Cabin
Flybridge Wet Bar with Electric Griddle
Leather Ice White in Saloon
Jacaranda Carpet Throughout
Guest Heads White Mossic Tiles with Black Worktop
Master Heads White Mossic Tiles with White Top
Transom Hydraulics
7KW Generator
40' 3D TV with upgraded Fusion AV700i
Raymarine E125 Chart Plotter Lower & Upper Helm
Volvo Interface to Raymarine
Eberspacher Heating
System 2 Y Valve Holding Tank

Some other techie bits discussed which I'll go into some more detail later once we get further down the line.
If you can think of anything I've missed let me know?

 

[Nigelpickin]

Traveled down to Princess Yachts in Mayfair London last week to meet with James and confirm all the order. Nice day checking through the specification, started sweating when James wheeled the Fendi brochures through for my wife to look at!

So here's what we got coming.*

Princess 43 with Volvo D6
Variable Speed Bow & Stern Thrusters
Steel Grey Hull
Walnut Interior Satin Finish
Electric Double Berth Conversion in Cabin
Flybridge Wet Bar with Electric Griddle
Leather Ice White in Saloon
Jacaranda Carpet Throughout
Guest Heads White Mossic Tiles with Black Worktop
Master Heads White Mossic Tiles with White Top
Transom Hydraulics
7KW Generator
40' 3D TV with upgraded Fusion AV700i
Raymarine E125 Chart Plotter Lower & Upper Helm
Volvo Interface to Raymarine
Eberspacher Heating
System 2 Y Valve Holding Tank

Some other techie bits discussed which I'll go into some more detail later once we get further down the line.
If you can think of anything I've missed let me know?

Sounds awesome!
Is it D6 IPS? Bow and stern thruster might be a little ott if so....bow would suffice.
Personall would not bother with the fusion and go for a dealer or post delivery fit of something fit for purpose....it's not exactly leading edge stuff.

Genset should be fine if you are not fitting a/c

Bet you can't wait

 

[47GC]

Sounds awesome!
Is it D6 IPS? Bow and stern thruster might be a little ott if so....bow would suffice.
Personall would not bother with the fusion and go for a dealer or post delivery fit of something fit for purpose....it's not exactly leading edge stuff.

Genset should be fine if you are not fitting a/c

Bet you can't wait

Just the standard shafts. No option on the 43 for IPS, which is just fine as I don't really like the IPS units. I think maintenance on those units would be high. Don't have any data of course to support that thought but just a gut feel. The reason I selected the upgrade was really to get a higher spec bow thruster and I occasionally sail on my own so having a hold function might be useful.

We're getting a few video/audio upgrades done and nearer delivery James from BCU is going to put me in contact with his electrical guy to spec it all out so that may involve head unit upgrade. Is the fusion 700 that bad, need to check the specs.

 

[jfm]

Nice spec.

I would add a connection from fusion to the Raymarine Ethernet. Just a plug and play cable. Then you can control the music volume from either of the raymarine screens, and if you get the raymarine app you can control from your iThing, which is handy if you're listening on one deck but the fusion 700 is on another deck

I dunno how much extra £££ the variable speed thrusters were. I have them on my last 2 boats and to be honest I mostly use the thrusters with bursts of full power rather than long periods of partial power. So I wouldn't waste much money on a variable speed function (though, er, I did!)

Other things might be:
Extra length anchor chain(?)
Radar
White deck caulking
Butyl lined WC waste pipe instead of the crummy white PVC stuff they usually fit
Icemaker
Dishwasher
Check the oven is ok and not a "sharp" or "Panasonic" microwave sort of thing
Upgrade the battery charger from the skimpy 40amp job to 80 or 100 Amps (same footprint I think)

I like your carpet choice - I specced jacaranda rajasthan (in ivory) on my current boat and love it, and it is keeping very well. Good choice on the wood too - I can't see the attraction of the rovere oak personally.

I'm no lover of the electric berth conversion set up that they fit. It leaves the edging of the bed in place (the rim around the mattress) so there is a lump down the middle of the double bed, and the corner radii make it look "converted" when you convert it. I steered clear of this and had the edges removable when in double bed mode and the two halves closer together, so it is perfectly comfortable with no ridge. I also had the radii removed. Not sure if they would agree to make these changes though - no big deal

Very nice boat anyway - I hope all goes well and you'll get great support from the excellent BCU team

 

[jfm]

Each to own but I'm happy with Fusion 700. I'm no audiophile but the integration with nav screens is an incredibly useful function. You can adjust volume during dinner from your iPhone - soften it if it is hampering conversation and wind it up for the best bit of the track. I think the head unit is better than the speakers though and I would fit a sub plus maybe swap out the speakers later

 

[jrudge]

Does the boat have ac ? From a personal perspective I would not have a boat without it. I know I am in the med , but just a view.

Seakeeper. At least consider this. Retro fit is expensive. The fitting it about the same price as the unit. If you can get a good deal on it ( if and princess may well be too greedy ) it would be worth considering in my book.

We are of course helping you spend money but gyro you would get most of it back on sale and ac makes the boat nicer and gives you med option

Agree that variable thrusters prob not that useful in reality. Electric berths. If cheap ( ha ha) probably fun but not something someone if going to pay you more for when you sell

 

[Hurricane]

What about Air Conditioning
You may want to cruise warmer waters sometime in the future?????

 

[47GC]

Each to own but I'm happy with Fusion 700. I'm no audiophile but the integration with nav screens is an incredibly useful function. You can adjust volume during dinner from your iPhone - soften it if it is hampering conversation and wind it up for the best bit of the track. I think the head unit is better than the speakers though and I would fit a sub plus maybe swap out the speakers later

JFM,
If you don't mind explaining, what spec of camera did you use and where did you mount it for the AnCam. Quite fancy connecting that to the chart plotter.