Princess V48 photos and review

[henryf]

One of the highlights of the recent British Motorboat show at Swanwick was the world premier of Princess' new V48. Shown for the very first time I managed to blag a look around and secretly took these unofficial spy shots. Actually I just walked on, said Hi to the chap standing there to answer any questions and wandered around to my hearts content as per every other boat at the show. You could take as many pictures as you wanted and the friendly Princess man even asked if I'd like him to move out of the way, but I'm trying to big up my efforts

So was it a hit or a miss?

No question at all, a 100% success story. I felt the same way about this V48 as I did the class leading V39 when I first saw it at London last year. The V48's killer feature is of course the full beam owners cabin and it achieves this with no obvious compromise. The roof line is totally flat - no obtrusions above the bed. Bathrooms are well appointed, decent sized showers. Kitchen is as good as any in class with a full sized domestic fridge freezer, my personal love.

Dining area / lower saloon is spacious and well laid out, front cabin features split singles or combined double, upper saloon is spacious stylish and leads out through patio doors to an outside cockpit which in turn walks you down to a mahoosive bathing platform. In the case of the display boat it was a Hi-Lo electric motor affair designed to launch your tender. Although integral garages look neater having your tender rear platform mounted allows much more freedom in choice. You aren't limited by the garage size.

For the first time this is offered with Volvo IPS drives and the magic parking joystick comes as standard. The show boat even had a bow thruster which means the owner's pre school children will be able to dock neatly regardless of location. In fact you will probably end up asking for somewhere a bit harder to berth just to show off "your" skills

Outwardly a lot of people moving up from a smaller boat might be worried about the high waistline. Don't be. It's that high gunwale which provides the volume for your amazing interior. All the boats are going that way. Having recently moved up to a Princess 50 flybridge which features hull heights of Harlem Globetrotter proportions I can confirm windage is no worse and crews will not struggle any more than usual. You simply run the bow warp to the rear of the boat and fasten it to your stern cleat before coming in to dock. Tie off the rear line then grab the bow line and walk to the front. As easy as that.

I couldn't really get a good shot of the outside due to where it was positioned within a busy show. In the flesh you won't be disappointed. If you were being picky the V52 probably has the edge but given that's better looking than a high class Russian hooker her "ugly" sister isn't a bad score.

Design details abound, the show boat featured satin wood rather than high gloss but all these things are individual choice. I liked it but if you don't the chippies will gladly throw in some high gloss cherry for you. Bathroom fittings were high end including a stone floor (or extremely good copy) in fact everywhere you looked there were little little touches which will delight as you get to know your new purchase keeping the new toy joy alive for longer than the first weekend.

I have a funny feeling this young lady is going to be in hot demand. There was no third cabin which might be an issue for people trying to beat the record for number of family on board although no doubt you will be able to convert the lower dinette into some sort of bed. My own take on it is buy what you want. Friends and family won't be chipping in the odd £100k so enjoy spacious accommodation rather than suffer to cram in another bedroom for the damn freeloaders, I mean cherished family members

Hope that gives you an insight if you couldn't make the show.

Henry

 

[erik_plus8]

Thanks Henry, indeed it did!

Nice pictures and informative text about a very interesting boat. I take it there were no sea trails on the show?

 

[Quest]

About this third cabin issue Henry - one of my frustrations with a 34 ft boat is the lack of a third cabin. Boating is best in company in my view and being able to invite friends and know you can accommodate them on night stopovers seems a really attractive proposition to me. If I were to make a step up in size at one point I think the third cabin would be a big issue for me. As a P52 owner, do you make regular use of your third cabin?

I'm a little surprised the manufacturers don't offer new boats with a standard layout and then an optional layout with,say, a third cabin. Especially as there must be a fair element of bespoke and customer choice about quite a lot of new boat orders.

In any event, the P48 looks rather lovely. Boating in Plymouth I see quite a lot of Princess boats on the water and I do have a growing affection for what I see...

Andrew

 

[Andrew M]

Good review and photos Henry, Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Must say that does look a lovely interior for that size, they really are making these "smaller" boats seem much more classy and with a true top end feel to them.

Thanks,

Andy

 

[z1ppy]

Really nice report Henry, thanks for taking the time to take pictures and post them in your usual style!

Looks to be a real cracker. have always been a fan of princess lines but the interor here looks stunning!

 

[rafiki_]

Thanks Henry, great report/pix. For those wanting the third cabin bit, as you say, the dinnette will make a third double berth for occasional use, rather than tying aup room below decks.

 

[Whitelighter]

I'm afraid I sit in the third cabin camp - love the quality of the boat but it seems to me that there is just a massive waste of space.

I suppose that's what some people want but there seems to be fewer and fewer boats catering to those who want/need a third separate cabin. In my case, I have two kids, one girl one boy, and if we are to have long cruises on a boat )as is our plan) then as they get older they won't want to share and making up the dinette for two weeks isn't going to work.

If you ask me designers are being very lazy with internals - looking at a boat that has a freeboard higher than some fly rife boats of only 6 or so years older there has little innovation here.

There are boats put there with decent 3rd cabin options that keep a dinette as well. With the size if the V48 it could make a superb 3 cabin PLUS saloon boat if someone had put a little thought in.

Right now, for me it's a fail.

 

[longjohnsilver]

About this third cabin issue Henry - one of my frustrations with a 34 ft boat is the lack of a third cabin. Boating is best in company in my view and being able to invite friends and know you can accommodate them on night stopovers seems a really attractive proposition to me. If I were to make a step up in size at one point I think the third cabin would be a big issue for me. As a P52 owner, do you make regular use of your third cabin?

I'm a little surprised the manufacturers don't offer new boats with a standard layout and then an optional layout with,say, a third cabin. Especially as there must be a fair element of bespoke and customer choice about quite a lot of new boat orders.

In any event, the P48 looks rather lovely. Boating in Plymouth I see quite a lot of Princess boats on the water and I do have a growing affection for what I see...

Andrew

Interesting question. We have 3 cabins and in our 5+ years of ownership I can only think of 2 occasions when all 3 were occupied. Almost every boat with 3 cabins I have been on uses the third cabin as an extended storage area.

PS nice pics in your other thread, suspect I saw you go past on your way up the Dart. Saturday was almost perfect.

 

[henryf]

In answer to some questions.


No there were no sea trials. Swanwick is at the top of the River Hamble and it takes half an hour to 40 minutes before you can open up the throttles. Obviously this would limit the number of people who got to experience the boats. I would be very surprised if the ride was anything other than exemplary. Everything else I've seen from Princess is.

IPS may or may not be your thing but no one complains about speed or handling so again they are unlikely to detract from the on water ability.

Third cabins. There may or may not be a third cabin option on the V48. I think I'm right in saying there is on the V52 but I've never seen anyone choose one. Third cabins take up valuable real estate in smaller boats and they are only used to sleep in. Ok, kids might squirrel themselves away in there with a Nintendo gameboy ipad computer game gear but they are never huge.

A master cabin in the bow combined with a pair of cabins aft has been the standard layout with sports boats for some time now. Full beam owners accommodation is the holy grail for many these days and that means the hole where your 2 cabins were going to be fitted. You need to be midships for maximum beam and to reduce any water slapping at night.

When buying boats people always try to calculate the maximum number of people that will ever be on board. But how often will they actually have maximum occupancy? Our third cabin gets filled with boating junk.

As I say there may be an option to replace the lower saloon with a third cabin but if you want that palace of an owners suite then you cant have both third cabin and dinette (suitable for 6) in a 48 footer.

Bed space is only half the battle. The issue I always had with the Nord West 42 flybridge (winner of Motor Boat best boat award at least once) was that whilst there were beds for 6 the saloon seating / dining table only catered for two and a half ample people. The official answer was to throw people into the canvas covered cockpit. I never checked to see if there was stowage for thermal immersion suits to stop people freezing as they enjoyed their Frosties

Boats are always a compromise and the marketing dept not only need to consider the needs of everyone afloat, they need to consider what the people who are actually in a position to buy the thing want. Do you want to go camping or do you want to take a luxury apartment with you? There is no right answer to this, just different answers.

Obviously with a flybridge boat the maths is somewhat different and a third cabin becomes standard at this length. Our P50 fly has 3 cabins and full beam midships accommodation.

Henry

 

[henryf]

I'm a little surprised the manufacturers don't offer new boats with a standard layout and then an optional layout with,say, a third cabin. Especially as there must be a fair element of bespoke and customer choice about quite a lot of new boat orders.

Andrew

They very often do. It's just that more often than not the option is not taken by buyers. As I said in my other reply I think I'm correct in saying the V52 has a third cabin option but I've never seen one with it to comment.

Henry

 

[Whitelighter]

I do see your point re: third cabins.

There is obviously a market for two big cabins, but I reckon you could get a mid biat centre double, offset like the iTalians do, forward cabin, third bunks and the saloon in the V48 if you thought a bit about it.

I suppose it's academic for me as I won't ever be the buyer of a bigger ht sports cruiser tbh - at that size it's a fly bridge for me. Love the P52 - can see us buying an Azimut 55 or P50 or Phantom 48 in the next couple of years

 

[henryf]

I do see your point re: third cabins.

There is obviously a market for two big cabins, but I reckon you could get a mid biat centre double, offset like the iTalians do, forward cabin, third bunks and the saloon in the V48 if you thought a bit about it.

I suppose it's academic for me as I won't ever be the buyer of a bigger ht sports cruiser tbh - at that size it's a fly bridge for me. Love the P52 - can see us buying an Azimut 55 or P50 or Phantom 48 in the next couple of years

And there lies the answer. If your needs dictate 6 beds then you buy a flybridge. It's the same with cars, you can't have a super sexy 2 door sports car which also accommodates kids, mother in law, dog, 2 bikes, 4 pairs of wellington boots a paddling pool and clothing for all

Sports boats suffer for their looks.

Henry

 

[Whitelighter]

And there lies the answer. If your needs dictate 6 beds then you buy a flybridge. It's the same with cars, you can't have a super sexy 2 door sports car which also accommodates kids, mother in law, dog, 2 bikes, 4 pairs of wellington boots a paddling pool and clothing for all

Sports boats suffer for their looks.

Henry

Hmmm,

If the V48 was super sleek like a Hunton I'd agree with you.

The fact is its hot a higher freeboard than quite a few similar sized FB boats and the top of the roof towers over the upper helm of the same.

So I'd argue its not got any less internal volume. It's just lazily designed. I would still but a sports boat but at a smaller length - 40-45 feet ish. Then it would be the Élan 42 with its very clever three cabin option, or maybe the beneteau 42 with its full beam master - I'd accept the lack of third cabin on a much smaller boat. To be the V48 just strikes me as a bit if a nothing boat. It's blooming massive but doesn't offer much over smaller (cheaper) alternatives

 

[henryf]

The Élan is a pretty standard master forward 2 cabins aft affair with a snug dinette thrown in.

The big difference with a flybridge is the roof garden. This reduces space needed down below to bath guests in sunshine freeing up that vital 3rd cabin.

I'm not sure a totally agree that the beauty of a sports boat is dictated by how low the gunwale is to the water line. The V52 is gorgeous and I didn't think the V48 was far behind.

Henry

 

[rustybarge]

So I'd argue its not got any less internal volume. It's just lazily designed

+1
Take away 8' for the swim platform, it's a 40' boat.
Take away the useless 60's style dinette, it's a 30' boat.

That leaves it with a saloon the same size as a 10 mtr boat.

 

[Whitelighter]

The Élan is a pretty standard master forward 2 cabins aft affair with a snug dinette thrown in.

The big difference with a flybridge is the roof garden. This reduces space needed down below to bath guests in sunshine freeing up that vital 3rd cabin.

I'm not sure a totally agree that the beauty of a sports boat is dictated by how low the gunwale is to the water line. The V52 is gorgeous and I didn't think the V48 was far behind.

Henry

Didn't say beauty - your suggestion was since it was a sleek sports cruiser there was less volume. My point was its got as much volume available as a 48 ft FB boat - without the roof garden of course.

And I agree the élan is more conventional, but at least I have the option of three cabins in 42ft - the layout is 'conventional' for 48 feet

 

[henryf]

I'm not sure a full beam owners cabin would be seen as conventional on a 48 foot sports boat. 42 foot without the bathing platform

Henry

 

[Whitelighter]

I'm not sure a full beam owners cabin would be seen as conventional on a 48 foot sports boat. 42 foot without the bathing platform

Henry

Already been done on more than one 42-46ft boat - albeit without the flat ceiling. Though that us a product of the massive freeboard.

Regardless of my thoughts, I hope the boat does well for them and Princess shift loads out the door

 

[rustybarge]

Originally Posted by henryf
I'm not sure a full beam owners cabin would be seen as conventional on a 48 foot sports boat. 42 foot without the bathing platform .Henry

Please correct me if i'm wrong....way back Princess brought out the 30 DS. The concept: on a small boat it's vital to have as much daytime living space as possible. Hence the deck saloon stretching back into the cockpit and transom, on one completely flat level.

At the other end of the scale look at the 'Van de Valk 23mtr in build' on this forum. Yet again the designers are thinking how to maximise the saloon space even though this is a twin deck boat, and have chosen a deck saloon layout.

Separate 'Dinette' on a modern boat, you must be joking!

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

I agree with what Whitelighter is pointing out.
Even a third bunk cabin option would have been lazy in my book, anyways Princess wanted to protect the V52 here I think, and this is all good news for Fairline's 48 Targa GT which has a third cabin option.
Did they miss the boat? Possibly....

Some three cabins History on medium sized sport cruiser coming from Italy BTW
Anyways the Ilver 39 Mirable produced since end of 91 offered three (albeit one to port side with a French bed style) cabins. The saloon was as big to that of a Fairline 39 Targa, but the galley was smaller, still it offered two heads and thats a bonus on
a boat mesuring over all just 12 meters.
The boat had a sleek line btw a Fairline 38/39 Targa had higher freeboard, and still a smaller cockpit then to the 39 Mirable which only had a beam of 3.60 meters.
Still IMO a lovely boat, and this sport cruiser dominated the italain market till 1999, and the used prices are still pretty high for good condition models. Model was renamed 41 in 1999 (extended hull, larger bathing platfrom, and bigger engine room able to take Cats 420hp)
Yes then came the Fiart 40 Genius and that took a lot of market from this market from Ilver. The Fiart 40 Genius was a bit larger and beamer and had or still has one of the best aft deck spaces in its size. She is beamier to the Ilver 4.05 meters if I remember well. Still this one offered a choice of two cabins, two head or three cabins single head. But here the galley is actually bigger to a Fline 39 Targa. Again the Fiart keep its good value altough Kad44s are considered slow engines on them just touch 30 knots with them and therefore you can get a better deal with these. But I still would tell you to look for one with D6 engines.
The 40 Genius was renamed to 42 some little change a couple inches more in the platform and thee interior option one which also included a three cabins two head choice.
Anyways both these keep the prices well in Italy even with the current market which is picking up a bit of used boats, but apart the third cabin both builders have a good quality reputation. Anyways do not try to sell them in the UK cause they want work as both are so much a Med/Italian boat IMO.

I still never understood how Brits never went in this market even on a bit bigger sizes. For example the old 47 Targa GT (fabolous boat in many areas) or the old V46 and V48 (also great boat) never offered this alternative.
I used to think British boaters where more solers but seeing the response in this forum may be it is not so much that way..........