Princess P52 flybridge

Nick_H said:
No, I haven't seen it in the flesh, but have seen your excellent photos and the video walk rounds. Maybe it would feel different when I walked on to it. Having said that, you haven't walked round your alternative layout either, and if you had I wonder what you'd have thought of the tiny saloon, where you can only squeeze 4 people on the sofa. That would stop me buying the boat.
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It would stop me too. The fundamental problem is that the galley/dinette area in henryf's design is too large compared to the saloon seating area and thats as a result of having the galley on the same side as saloon seating. Unlike others, I like to have a dinette for eating separate from the saloon seating (one of the reason's we bought a Ferretti) but I wouldn't trade that for a smaller saloon seating area. Personally, the only modification I would make to the standard Princess layout would be to turn the bench seat on the s/b side into a U shaped dinette area with a hi/lo table and call that the eating area, which could probably seat 6 with the extra stools supplied. Then I would swap the large table for the port side saloon seating for a low coffee table and that would be the loafing area.
With regard to the flybridge layout, I like to berth the boat seated at the helm seat until the final manouvres as I find it easier to move sensitive electronic throttles from a seated position rather than a standing position. For me it is essential to be able to look aft and see the stern of the boat through the hole for the f/b steps so any layout that didn't offer that would be an issue. Yes, you can have cockpit controls and remote controls but I don't think many buyers of a mid range boat like the P52 are going to want to pay extra for them
 
You could tweak the relationship between the Galley and the saloon sitting area, particularly if you are prepared to give up the full height fridge freezer.

I haven't pinched very much seating space from the original layout. You could even play around with the cabinet which replaces the sofa. A sofa with drawers underneath would store the glasses, drinks bottles etc. Personally I would keep things as per the design and use free-standing furniture taking advantage of the extra space created by no table and a thinner unit on the starboard side.

Henry :)
 
Showing a larger saloon

p52largersaloon_zps89ace9cd.jpg


Henry :)
 
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henryf said:
I wonder if the starboard preference is because you're all right handed ?
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It's a standard seafarer's thing. You give way to boats crossing from your right and so there's a traditional preference for a central or stbd helm to give you better view. I agree this is more theory than reality because obviously the view out from a flybridge ain't exactly restricted...
 
LionsDen said:
IMHO the 52 is a re-worked 54 as is the same size and ot a 50 - so shouln't we be looking at the 52 from this direction guys - Just a thought :cool:
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I don't think the exact size is an issue. For me it's the direct replacement to a P50 and hence the interest. Now of course it could be that we will see a P48 at some stage in the future. IPS drives full beam owners cabin, third cabin with a couple of bunks - but who wants their next boat to have a smaller number on the side (unless you're changing from feet to metres).

I'm also thinking out loud about the whole aft galley concept.

Henry
 
Henry for me its definatelly a P54 replacement as 4' bigger than a P50 irrespective off what the number on the side states - A P42 is really a P45 as I keep telling myself - need to get some new numbers for my floaty boaty :cool:

I like your alternative design by the way - Best get it Patented before someone else does ;)
 
jfm said:
It's a standard seafarer's thing. You give way to boats crossing from your right and so there's a traditional preference for a central or stbd helm to give you better view. I agree this is more theory than reality because obviously the view out from a flybridge ain't exactly restricted...
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Personally I agree with that but the alternative view is that the helm should be on the port side to give the best view of other vessels passing in the opposite direction port to port!
 
Deleted User said:
Personally I agree with that but the alternative view is that the helm should be on the port side to give the best view of other vessels passing in the opposite direction port to port!
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Yeah I've heard that too Mike. Proves you can never win a boaty argument, so just open another bottle of wine :D
 
LionsDen said:
Henry for me its definatelly a P54 replacement as 4' bigger than a P50 irrespective off what the number on the side states
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Boats are getting longer LOA for the same hull length because they're all fitting hi-lo platforms, which of course have to overhang the hull. Nomenclature seems to broadly relate to hull length for most builders, at least until the first update when the marketing dep't seem to get their way.
 
I don't understand the line about the sun bed on the fly bridge? The panel slides out to convert between seating and a day bed which is good in my opinion so you can have your extra seating if you need it. If you want full sun then go and lie on the cushions up front.

I love the kitchen where it is as you can just step in and get some refreshments and snacks without having to walk through the boat and then downstairs to the kitchen as per the P50. As has been mentioned blinds are provided should you wish to parade around in your underwear! The P52 allows you to have the crew cabin fit out and still have space for a gyro stabilizer something the P50 didn't have room for. The converting dining table drops down and adjusts to be a coffee table and also goes flush with an extra cushion to make a day bed or another twin berth if you need the extra beds.

Hopefully you are not a politician as you can lose your job for calling people plebs! I would have found the review more useful if it wasn't so over dramatic. Statements like "awkward journey" when referring to taking about 3 paces on the fly bridge rather bemused me.

I suggest anyone wishing to have a good look around goes to the 360 on the Princess website and have a look around the boat yourself. Having looked at the 360 before seeing the boat I can tell you that it gives a very good feel for what the actual boat feels like. The 360 is great as sometimes photos from certain angles can make things look like the proportions are different, no such issues with the 360.
 
Wow. Great review, touching some major issues with the last generation of flybridge cruisers.

Personally I have a major problem with the whole Galley Up thing at Princess. On the latest 56, 60, 64 the galley is the "center piece" and with full height fridge and cupboards is obstructing the aft view from the helm, and also making the saloon look less "airy". And they use the extra space below to cram in as many bathrooms as possible. I guess the best layout was on the previous 58. Galley down, great lounges in the saloon, the correct number of bathrooms, and the boat not looking like a "box".
 
Galley up appears on trend at the moment. Yes it releases space below for additional accommodation, but does eat into the saloon area, but also makes "serving" the cockpit and fly a little easier. My "old" Snazi 39 has the galley below. It works great for us, as we are still just about able to climb the stairs, and carry food and drink. We have 2 en suite cabins, again, perfect for us.
 
I don't object to galley up per-se although it does limit the size of appliances in "smaller" boats particularly when you are also trying to bring the outside into the boat with massive windows / walls of glass.

Henry :)
 
bik3man said:
Wow. Great review, touching some major issues with the last generation of flybridge cruisers.

Personally I have a major problem with the whole Galley Up thing at Princess. On the latest 56, 60, 64 the galley is the "center piece" and with full height fridge and cupboards is obstructing the aft view from the helm, and also making the saloon look less "airy". And they use the extra space below to cram in as many bathrooms as possible. I guess the best layout was on the previous 58. Galley down, great lounges in the saloon, the correct number of bathrooms, and the boat not looking like a "box".
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Your comments just go to prove that no design will suit everyone. In the med, a galley down layout, plus no internal stairs to the flybridge, is the worst possible design for most people, because you need to take lots of food, crockery, condiments etc. to the flybridge every day, maybe twice. I have a P57, and I wouldn't swap for a P58 (in layout terms, obviously i'd swap for a late model in value terms) because of the galley down and the removal of the staircase.

The P52 would be my preferred generic layout, though preferably on a slightly bigger boat
 
bik3man said:
Personally I have a major problem with the whole Galley Up thing at Princess. On the latest 56, 60, 64 the galley is the "center piece" and with full height fridge and cupboards is obstructing the aft view from the helm, and also making the saloon look less "airy". And they use the extra space below to cram in as many bathrooms as possible. I guess the best layout was on the previous 58. Galley down, great lounges in the saloon, the correct number of bathrooms, and the boat not looking like a "box".
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No, I think quite the opposite now. I may be wrong but my guess is that most of Princess's flybridge boats go to owners who use their boats in warm climes and will therefore be doing their eating or drinking in the cockpit or flybridge. Eating on the flybridge of a galley down boat means hauling food and crockery up 1 set of vertiginous stairs, through the saloon and then up another set of vertiginous stairs and that's a complete PITA. A galley aft arrangement just recognises the reality of how most owners use their boats. OK it obstructs rear vision a bit from the lower helm but again the average owner is helming from the flybridge nearly all the time anyway. As for cramming in extra cabins and heads in place of a galley down, that is also recognising the reality of what sells boats these days
 
Yup I agree all that - for warm climates you want the galley-to-dining-table route as short and easy as possible, because your daytime living and eating is mostly outside. (I went to a lot of trouble to have an extra staircase in my boat to achieve this). But I can see that in colder climates this isn't so important. The boat builders however are dealing with sales to warm climates for the most part, and anyway the aft/high galley still works ok-ishly in cold/medium climates.
 
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