Princess 61 vs Squad 58 vs Aicon 56

[Breezman]

Hello everyone.. We are in process of deciding on a boat and having hard time deciding so can use some help from personal knowledge and experience with the hope it will sway us one way or another.

We are a family of 4 two teenage girls)that relocated to Corfu this year. We have many friends here and will rarely go out alone, most weekends will be day trips around the local islands with at least once a month a few nights on board with other families. we have researches and read a lot but still cant decide.
Would love to get input other than layout and cosmetics. Anything I should be looking out for or be careful with?

I like the kitchen layout of the 61 the best.
I like the extra storage and fly of the 58 the best.
I like the bedrooms and extra bathroom on the Aicon the best

05 Princess 61-( looked at the 57 but it seems as the master will be sharing the bathroom with the twin cabin- and very similar in price to the 61 so why would u get the smaller one
06 Squad 58
07 Aicon 56


All seems to be around the same price 350-400K. Thank you in advance...

 

[MapisM]

looked at the 57 but it seems as the master will be sharing the bathroom with the twin cabin - and very similar in price to the 61 so why would u get the smaller one

My very personal answer to this question is that all boats are headaches, and why would you want a larger rather than a smaller one?
Imho, it makes sense to go for the smaller boat that is large enough for your needs, rather than the larger you can afford.

Back to your question, if you are planning to have often guests overnighting in both guest cabins, they would definitely appreciate not having to share the head, as it happens in the Sq 58 - and also in most sub-60 footers, for that matter.
The Prin 61 is the best in this respect, since as I recall she has ensuite heads on both guest cabins.
The Aicon 56 is one of the very few boats at that size with three heads, though it's ensuite only in the master and in the bow cabin.
Anyhow, also the side cabin does have its own head, albeit very small, and in fact typically used more as a day head.
Then again, if you (and your guests) don't mind the shared head for guest cabins, among these three the Sq 58 is the best boats in almost all other respects, imho.

 

[erlweini]

My very personal answer to this question is that all boats are headaches, and why would you want a larger rather than a smaller one?
Imho, it makes sense to go for the smaller boat that is large enough for your needs, rather than the larger you can afford .

Back to your question, if you are planning to have often guests overnighting in both guest cabins, they would definitely appreciate not having to share the head, as it happens in the Sq 58 - and also in most sub-60 footers, for that matter.
The Prin 61 is the best in this respect, since as I recall she has ensuite heads on both guest cabins.
The Aicon 56 is one of the very few boats at that size with three heads, though it's ensuite only in the master and in the bow cabin.
Anyhow, also the side cabin does have its own head, albeit very small, and in fact typically used more as a day head.
Then again, if you (and your guests) don't mind the shared head for guest cabins, among these three the Sq 58 is the best boats in almost all other respects, imho cinema hd .

boats are really headache.

 

[Portofino]

My very personal answer to this question is that all boats are headaches, and why would you want a larger rather than a smaller one?
Imho, it makes sense to go for the smaller boat that is large enough for your needs, rather than the larger you can afford.

Amen to that .

Dawns on you with experience.You just don’t see it in the early days .

 

[Hurricane]

We really liked the Princess 61 and we went to the Southampton Boat Show to negotiate one that was on the sescond hand market at that time.
But we came away with a new Princess 67 instead!.
That said, my point is that the P61 was our choice.

 

[rafiki_]

Don’t know the Aicon but the other 2 are great boats. I don’t think you would be disappointed with either.

 

[jrudge]

I have an 04 squadron 58.

Friend has a p61 ( maybe for sale shortly ) but I don’t know much about them.

I have 2 kids and spend all summer on it. Willaims 325 on the back , water maker and seakeaper stabilised.

it a great boat and I have no plans to change.

at that age the lining will be falling off and will need replacement. The teak will be mostly knackered ( fly in particular ).

there is a good market for them and they sell on well.

any questions just ask

 

[BartW]

we have to welcome ppl that want to invest in a 60ft boat !
( 6m boat owners are equally welcome ! )

I'm not very familiar with those models,
you might give each boat a serious investigation on condition and previous maintenance reports...and include that in your decision process
especially condition of the engines !

but fwiw,
while the SQ58 is a very popular and highly valued model here on this forum,
I'm more a fan of the "princess" brand / styling
I also assume that the princess is bigger.. ?

Aicon I like a bit less, and considering the brand doesn't exist anymore, resale value will drop faster

I apreciate that those are the more "subjective" arguments,
but we all know there is a lot of emotion in buying a boat

copy'ed from the other thread

 

[BartW]

My very personal answer to this question is that all boats are headaches, and why would you want a larger rather than a smaller one?
Imho, it makes sense to go for the smaller boat that is large enough for your needs, rather than the larger you can afford.

P you know we have a different opion on this
a bigger boat doesn't necessarily have "more " things to go wrong, basically they have the same systems,
bigger boats usually have more backup systems,
and most of all: better acces for service ;-)

 

[Breezman]

My very personal answer to this question is that all boats are headaches, and why would you want a larger rather than a smaller one?
Imho, it makes sense to go for the smaller boat that is large enough for your needs, rather than the larger you can afford.

Thank you for the reply.. Funny enough- Those are the smaller boat that are large enough for my needs.

I obviously understand that each boat has its specifics, history, layout... Would there be any known brand related issues and or things to look at for 2004-2007? Engines, electronics, hulls, service, brand stability, etc

 

[prinex]

AIcon 56 older models have a bad reputation (apparently stiffness of the cabin etc) but have probably the best owner cabin. On the Aicon the flybridge is the real issue, is very small. Aicon went belly up quite a few times in his history, there was a 2002 model here in Sanremo and was sold for 230K Euro a few months ago.

SQ58 you cant go wrong I think, only "negative" would be the forward cabin. The giant flybridge is the winner here.

Princess 61 - no idea.

 

[Alicatt]

What about a Squadron 62? around the same price range for a 2000-2001 boat

 

[prinex]

Thing is you do really need a boat this size ? Or would you be better off staying on 41/42 feet ? I have 2 teenage kids (daughter and son) and for the 3-4 times in the year we actually sleep in the boat they share the after cabin (which is full width in our case, a large double bed and a separate smaller one).

Our actual boat (Abbate Primatist 41) can carry 12 people and even full on day trips does not feel cramped (is quite large), in fact 90% of my outings nowadays are carrying a horde of teenagers or carry a horde of middle-age couples (our friends) to the swim bay. We have in fact fridge problems as we cannot carry enough prosecco ("only" 2 fridges on board)

We swing back and forth between the "should we upgrade to 50/55 etc" but at the end the added yearly costs (in our case from 12K Euro yearly to probably 20K Euro) just for having the 3d cabin that get used 4 times a year ... maybe we gain 20cm of boat width but all other dimensions are basically the same.

A 40 feet boat (I have Volvo + feets) burns 80 lt/hours at 23/25 knots. A SQ58 - not sure but we will be probably on the 140 lt/hours for the same speed. I do maybe 25/30 day trips a year plus a big week-long trip, we easily travel around 700 miles each year - 30 hours of planing speed are around 3.5K Euro diesel difference to a larger boats.

Considering you already live in Corfu and can comfy sleep at home - maybe an open / hardtop "fun" boat ?

EDIT: " at least once a month a few nights on board with other families." - I guess even 60" would be too small for that. Maybe there are some 80" which are designed with like 6 cabins ?

 

[Hurricane]

What about a Squadron 62? around the same price range for a 2000-2001 boat

Quite a different boat.
We looked at a couple of them 13 years ago.
SWMBO didn't like the galley down in its own little hovel.
I quite liked it but we then looked at a P61 and preferred that.
So, as I said above, we went to the boat show with the idea of starting a negotiation for a used P61 and came away with a new P67!!

 

[Hurricane]

Thing is you do really need a boat this size ? Or would you be better off staying on 41/42 feet ? I have 2 teenage kids (daughter and son) and for the 3-4 times in the year we actually sleep in the boat they share the after cabin (which is full width in our case, a large double bed and a separate smaller one).

Our actual boat (Abbate Primatist 41) can carry 12 people and even full on day trips does not feel cramped (is quite large), in fact 90% of my outings nowadays are carrying a horde of teenagers or carry a horde of middle-age couples (our friends) to the swim bay. We have in fact fridge problems as we cannot carry enough prosecco ("only" 2 fridges on board)

We swing back and forth between the "should we upgrade to 50/55 etc" but at the end the added yearly costs (in our case from 12K Euro yearly to probably 20K Euro) just for having the 3d cabin that get used 4 times a year ... maybe we gain 20cm of boat width but all other dimensions are basically the same.

A 40 feet boat (I have Volvo + feets) burns 80 lt/hours at 23/25 knots. A SQ58 - not sure but we will be probably on the 140 lt/hours for the same speed. I do maybe 25/30 day trips a year plus a big week-long trip, we easily travel around 700 miles each year - 30 hours of planing speed are around 3.5K Euro diesel difference to a larger boats.

Considering you already live in Corfu and can comfy sleep at home - maybe an open / hardtop "fun" boat ?

EDIT: " at least once a month a few nights on board with other families." - I guess even 60" would be too small for that. Maybe there are some 80" which are designed with like 6 cabins ?

I disagree.
In the Med, you should get the biggest boat that you can afford.
Different if you have a house or villa nearby and all you want is a day boat.
But if you intend doing any serious cruising, space is important.
People usually get stuck on specifying the maximum number of cabins but, more importantly, you should consider HOW you will use the boat.
It maybe that you need lots of sleeping accommodation but there are other things to consider when you "live" on a boat - serious cruising is "living" on a boat.
So, take the SQ58 that is also on the OP's list - that boat has excellent laundry facilities (cabin next to the galley with washing machine etc)
I'm not saying that you do laundry whilst away cruising but somewhere put all the dirty laundry is an excellent idea.
Just throwing the boat size into the argument doesn't help.
Consider handling with just two people - SWMBO and I can handle our P67 on our own but as you get to 80 feet, it becomes more of a consideration.

 

[Portofino]

Thing is you do really need a boat this size ? Or would you be better off staying on 41/42 feet ? I have 2 teenage kids (daughter and son) and for the 3-4 times in the year we actually sleep in the boat they share the after cabin (which is full width in our case, a large double bed and a separate smaller one).

Our actual boat (Abbate Primatist 41) can carry 12 people and even full on day trips does not feel cramped (is quite large), in fact 90% of my outings nowadays are carrying a horde of teenagers or carry a horde of middle-age couples (our friends) to the swim bay. We have in fact fridge problems as we cannot carry enough prosecco ("only" 2 fridges on board)

We swing back and forth between the "should we upgrade to 50/55 etc" but at the end the added yearly costs (in our case from 12K Euro yearly to probably 20K Euro) just for having the 3d cabin that get used 4 times a year ... maybe we gain 20cm of boat width but all other dimensions are basically the same.

A 40 feet boat (I have Volvo + feets) burns 80 lt/hours at 23/25 knots. A SQ58 - not sure but we will be probably on the 140 lt/hours for the same speed. I do maybe 25/30 day trips a year plus a big week-long trip, we easily travel around 700 miles each year - 30 hours of planing speed are around 3.5K Euro diesel difference to a larger boats.

Considering you already live in Corfu and can comfy sleep at home - maybe an open / hardtop "fun" boat ?

EDIT: " at least once a month a few nights on board with other families." - I guess even 60" would be too small for that. Maybe there are some 80" which are designed with like 6 cabins ?

Agree .
The dynamics change if you have land based accommodation or are willing to , more like guest willing to hotel it .
Aside cash in property as opposed to going bigger boat wise imho based on experience balances off the hobby nicely .

BTW I think a sq 58s consumption will be 180 maybe over 200 L/h if it gets pinned over 2000 rpm which I suspect they will to get it moving in the low twenties mid season . Pity FL never went up to a 16 L V8 s , more torque bigger props , = mid the high twenty cruise .

Also the relative savings means you can factor in hotel stays for yourself as you cruise about .
We manage up to 3 weeks at a time ( normally nearer 2 ) living on our boat in a less is more , open al fresco lifestyle .
Smaller boat opens up a wider , better chance of a berth if cruising without a defined plan .Plans change .We set off and just go day by day see where we end up .Mix Anchor or marina either works .

Met a guy who had a big rib .Did a bit of everything.Often went to Corsica on it .Mostly hotel s but occasionally kipped in a pop up tent on the fordeck .Never cooked etc ,eat out every time .
He had a 70 ft FB but told me about the running hassle , the costs etc .
Makes you wonder , I think he knows which is best .

Met a pair of teachers from Belgium they holidayed / lived on a trailer boat so 23 ftr + OB .Spent every summer on it around the CdA .Again mix of lunches aboard with restaurants every evening .

We got to know theses two boats because all of us were Mistral fast on Port Cros .We had our 12 M Porto 35 which had a geny + Aircon .We used to boil water - kettle for them and cool there wine as no shore power .
The rib couple booked into the hotel , but sunbathed on the boat while the weather eased .

Teachers just read books as they did in those days .Folks hand washed swimwear and just hung it around to dry .
I did not get the feeling a washing machine would have influenced the experience for us or anyone else tbh .
Launderette is worked around a beer / wine early evening, or when we were in France our place in Antibes.

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

AAicon went belly up quite a few times in his history

AIcon went only bankrupt once, the Siclari ownership which lasted 2001 to 2012.
While Siclari did everything good in the first years he did everything wrong onward from 2009.
Although to be fair the Italian policies into boating from 2011 onwards did not help, and manage to fail even well managed high quality boat yards as for example Uniesse.

Aicon has since 2018 re-opened under new American ownership (still build in Sicily) and have nearly completed its first new 66 model already sold in ten units I heard.

 

[MapisM]

W, it would be more realistic to blame the government for bad weather, than for anything related to Aicon.
Which was more a subject for criminal courts, in fact.
It beggars belief that someone - among all the Italian brands which were lost in the aftermath of the global financial meltdown - could think to resurrect Aicon. I don't even want to know who's really behind this "American ownership"...

 

[MapisM]

BTW I think a sq 58s consumption will be 180 maybe over 200 L/h if it gets pinned over 2000 rpm which I suspect they will to get it moving in the low twenties mid season .
Pity FL never went up to a 16 L V8 s

The Sq58 was actually available also with the Cat 3406, whose displacement and power is the same as MAN V8s.
And if given the choice, AOTBE I would have definitely preferred a 3406 to a D12 powered Sq58, just for sake of NOT having VP engines, more than anything else.
That said, it's not like the different powerplant made a meaningful difference to the boat performances.
My understanding is that the cruise speed difference was negligible, and at WOT it was just a matter of one to two knots, if that.

 

[QBhoy]

Sounds like a lovely problem to have. Should I be as fortunate, I couldn’t see past the Princess. 100%