Princess boats - credit where credit`s due.

Well I for one and stupid enough to think a V85 could be within my life's grasp so I guess it must be a question of perspective.
I dont think, and neither do they, that I am buying a V85 but I like the fact that they make it and whist twatting around in a V42 I can dream of the V85, everyones happy!
 
I don`t think Princess are foolish enough to think they can impress you with their top of the range trinkets and then sell you second best.

Don`t confuse being proud of your flagship products and wanting to show them to everyone with some form of smoke and mirrors sales technique.

Just for the record it`s amazing to see the DNA running through the range. My little 42 shares many of the same qualities and finishes of those more expensive vessels. If anything I`d say it`s actually harder to build a smaller boat than a larger one. At least it is to do the job well. On an 85 footer there`s space a plenty to play with. When you`ve only got a small space to play with you really need to sharpen the pencils and get your designers to earn their money.

Anyway, good to hear I`m not alone in my feelings.

We ought to have a Princess run out somewhere later on in the year.

Keep smiling

Henry /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Erm, true. I think now is the time to move gently backwards into my burrow and sit out the rest of the winter in shame!

Seriously though, I could have sworn I looked at two boats of a similar size. Mind, I was also keeping an eye out for my elderly father who was making moves on some of the eye candy while I was in the boats. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Anyway, all of the above were very nice indeed, and should my numbers come up I will go for another look.
 
What amazed me was Princess getting Frank Sinatra. You'd have thought he'd be supporting one of the builders from the old country really. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
The word on the street was that he may not have been the real Frank Sinatra but I`m assured next year Elvis is already booked and confirmed !! They`ve just got to find a way of getting him back from the moon where he`s living in a double decker bus.

Henry /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Did you two also get the chance to 'enjoy' the karoake after Frank? It proved quite tricky to chat while someone was bellowing out an enthusiastic approximation of Bohemian Rhapsody...! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cheers
Jimmy
 
Err.... I believe I might have sung Achy Breaky Heart just prior to popping out for Chinese /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Henry /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Ha! We were closetted away on one of the V boats with the roof shut! I think next year we're just going to have to give into it and join in at the bar. Full marks for effort though.

Cheers
Jimmy
 
I remember, over the last 4 or 5 years going to LIBS and visiting the Princess stand.

Working up through the models SWMBO and I agreed that the P67 was outstanding and it was always the one we ended up on. I also remember saying that it was just a pipe dream and we always moved on.

Little did I think at the time that we'd actually own one.

So, letting us pour over all their models a few years ago and even thinking ourselves that we'd NEVER buy something that big was a sales tacktic that, one way or another, has worked for them - we bought one.
 
The P62 blew me away (I`m obviously a meaner man than you, even when dreaming). I just imagined having a couple of good friends on board and using the galley area as a wet bar. The boys sitting at the dining table talking a load of bollox about racing and the girls nattering away in the lower lounge. The kids either crabbing off the back of the boat, playing in the dinghy, hidden down below causing havoc in the lovely full beam owners cabin or watching a movie with some pop corn in there !

In reality the P50 offers a slightly slimmed down version of the above for a mere peasant such as I - one day !! I`m trying to buy a bit more property at the moment so that might come good in a while. There`s a potential for a real wild roll of the dice overseas which will either end up a a lovely place to build expensive sand castles or a very shrew move. It`s not expensive so not much worse than a bad day on the ponies if that`s your thing.

Re: the Porkers, we saw a massive price drop over 2 - 3 months toward the end of 2008. 20 calls a day with people wanting to off load cars, particularly later ones. I think that vertical drop is over now, so much so that we are actively buying.

I think we`ve sold 14 cars since Jan 2nd from memory. Dollar wise were still taking the pain of some stock which dropped in value whilst we had it in stock so the figures themselves won`t be anything to write home about but the main thing for us is that there is a market to trade in. Providing it`s stable with the usual steady depreciation we can sort the rest out for ourselves and I think we`re there or there abouts. A few dealers who have yet to see confidence return to their showrooms are still a bit wobbly as are people selling very late stock. There are also a few dealerships still reeling from the sudden price drop in values in the last 1/3 of 2008 and some of them are probably dead men walking depending on their financial leverage so don`t be surprised to see a few more casualties.

Certainly we`re confident enough to reject bids that just don`t make sense. A while ago you`d consider just taking the money for fear that in two weeks time you`d kick yourself. That said it`s still massively price sensitive out there and you need to be prepared to go the extra mile. So yes, as a buyer now is undoubtedly a good time. Eventually enough people will start buying again and you`ll lose the edge.

At the moment we`re finding a lot of sellers (to us) aren`t basing their asking figures on the prices they see cars advertised for. I`ve lost count of the number of times I`ve referred someone to the website so they can see a car we`re selling for less than they asked us for in a trade purchase !

If you are thinking of a Porsche give me a shout on the phone and I`ll have a chat without any strings or pressure.

Anyway - back on topic, was someone saying they were also into boats ? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif


As ever, keep smiling.


Henry /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Hi Henryf as you cn see I am a Princess fan possessing as I do I a humble old 560, not a new curvy one like you and hurricane.

However one day maybe I could afford a new or newer one I would be happy with the P54. What did you think of this model?
 
hello Hurricane fair point and I agree with what you say, which I sometimes do too
but the way JB worded the post, it looked totally different to this, it is like the salesman told him there is not much more seeing on the V42 here let me show you around the V85 so you see what Princess is about, I dont think this is good from a Salesman
it was not like that direct but indirect it delivers this message to me
it is fair to let one see all there models nothing wrong with this...
 
Pete, FWIW, I've just been offered about 50% of what I paid for my 996 Carrera 4S 18 months ago as a p/x against another car. I'm not blaming the dealer, it's just a reflection of the market. So, yes, IMHO it is a good time to buy a 911, particularly the 996 and 997 models although not so much the older 993 models which are still sought after. Early 996's have now dropped below £20k. Be aware though that the 996/997 models are not as bombproof as earlier Porkers so a detailed inspection and a cast iron warranty is definitely a good idea
 
The 54 is a lovely boat. In many respects it`s a grown up 50 now they have revamped it (the 50 not the 54). Both have that gorgeous full beam owner`s cabin and raised dining area at the front of the saloon but where the 54 wins over is that little bit of extra space.

The third cabin is a proper twin rather than bunk beds, having said that I did try the lower bunk out for size on the 50 and it worked. I`m 6`2" tall and a finely toned 95kg (around 14.5 - 15 stone). The steps down to the living area are that bit bigger on the 54 and engines move up from the 50`s D9`s to D12`s.

Given the 50 is very much a new kid on the block and stealing all the limelight it would be interesting to see how good a deal you`d get on a 54 against the more in demand 50. I bet with a following wind, a smile and bringing your own Jaffa cakes to the boardroom you`d narrow the theoretical financial gap between the two models.

If you do buy one and wanted someone to run it in for a season, you know, as a mate, I might have a window in my diary for this season. Or next. Or even 2011 !

Ah yes. I can see myself now.........

Henry /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
If we are looking at the designs though, I have a big problem with some of the latest offerings.

Just like the introduction over the last few years of these fab mid owners cabins - most boat builders have started to remove the internal stairs to create space for upper gallies/dinetttes etc.

IMO this is a backward step for those who actually cruise their boats. Not only is it more sociable to have an internal staircase but its safer when things get a bit rough or when you are on a longer cruise. This was one of the reasone that we rejected the P62 in favour of the P67.

Your point on the P50 vs the P54 - IMO the P54 is by far the best "all rounder" - the P50 is just a little small - they've squeezed a lot into a small space. On the other hand, I didnt think that the P58 offered significantly more than the P54 which seemed to me to have all the right proportions.
 
Agree entirely. Until you've had a boat with internal flybridge steps, you don't realise how useful they are and I'd be reluctant to go back to a boat without them now. I did talk to a Prinnie salesman about this issue at LIBS and he said that there was little demand for them but he was probably bullshitting
Ferretti have done the same thing. On their F510, the internal fly steps are optional but they moved them to the back of the saloon within a few feet of the external steps which is plain stupid IMHO
 
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