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Guest
Guest
We've had a go at the others, so now it's the turn of Princess. Has anyone else had a look at the v65? MBY raved at the boat show. But they don't spend the loot, as I nearly did. The test is due next month.
First the positives: it¡¦s a monster boat, very impressive at the boat show, especially for anyone moving up from a 40 or 50 foot boat, like Princess themselves. And it¡¦s fast, capable, lots of headroom inside and handles quickly and accurately. Also, the princess people (the ones I met anyway) are good boaty types.
Now the negatives, and the V65 is easier to describe in these terms. There's nothing desperately wrong with the V65. But there's nothing desperately right about it either.
- the swim platform is teensy
- the cockpit sitting area isn¡¦t ideal.
- It's a crap drive: there's no option but to sit down and peer through the window ---unless you're a very shorty person, and can peer nicely without crouching, or play major league basketball and can see over the top.
-The internal fittings and finish aren't good enough: they're fine for the money, but they aren't fine for this size of boat. The galley and cabins need to be noticeably better than a comparable house, or a smaller 35 foot boat, but they aren't. The vertical lights in the corners of the saloon are also fine in a boat show, but the ambience is cheap, the modern-day equivalent of a paper lampshade. The badly-carpeted steps between saloon/ cockpit, and the wishy washy high gloss wood colour doesn't help.
- The central passarelle seems a good idea on paper, not so good in practice. As a primarily med boat, the pasarelle will be out more than in. To adjust a lower cleat, you have to clamber over the passarelle and down, then back up and over for the other cleat. Since I saw the boat they've altered the moulding with a step, but it's still a crummy idea in the first place. Fairline have copied the centreline entrance for their t52 at the boat show so see if they've got the same problems in September. Lots of other boaty procedures are also twarted by the single route up on to the boat. Worst of all, with twin garages you can't have a big
BOATNAME ACROSS THE BACK
At this level or higher, saving a few thousand or a few hundred thousand isn't important. But the end result certainly is. It's the same with the very best restaurants: people fly to Lyons and spend a day or so there just to eat at the restaurant of the best chef in the world. So long as the bill is somewhere between 200 and 400 quid each, who cares how much it actually is? Punters remember the price only once, but experience or remember the quality (or lack of it) every day.
If you're a playboy, the V65 is too enclosed, and not lux enough down below. Does it look inviting to go on board from the stern? No, it looks gloomy. Is it as good as a Ferrari Maranello , some private jet charters and a Superhawk? No.
If you're an an-owner driver, the V65 doesn't cut it for other reasons. The main cabin isn't private enough, nor large enough. The other cabins are about the same size so it's unclear that You Paid. There's that sit-down driving position, and the impractical wood-covered kitchen won't impress er the crewmembers with short feet who tend to do the cooking. Somone at Marine Projects needs to go to B&Q, or make bacon and eggs, to realise that a highgloss wooden kitchen (including the worksurfaces!) is a lousy idea.
For professional skippers, it's neither an open sun-worshippers boat , nor a spacious enough charter proposition with the tiny one-person crew room.
There's a sure-fire to wind up a Princess sales person at a boat show. You ask them if there's an ironing board, like in some other boats of this size. They have to say "No, but do you really need an ironing board?" But this misses the point. Who wants the boat without? The boat with the least? You'd tell yourself that you'll only do this once, so you'd best get the boat with the most. And that isn't the V65.
So, a big thing, seems luxurious but isn't, looks impressive but isn't, seems clever but isn't? American I'd say, and that's where most of these will go except they're all skint at the moment. I predict that production will stop sooner than expected.
First the positives: it¡¦s a monster boat, very impressive at the boat show, especially for anyone moving up from a 40 or 50 foot boat, like Princess themselves. And it¡¦s fast, capable, lots of headroom inside and handles quickly and accurately. Also, the princess people (the ones I met anyway) are good boaty types.
Now the negatives, and the V65 is easier to describe in these terms. There's nothing desperately wrong with the V65. But there's nothing desperately right about it either.
- the swim platform is teensy
- the cockpit sitting area isn¡¦t ideal.
- It's a crap drive: there's no option but to sit down and peer through the window ---unless you're a very shorty person, and can peer nicely without crouching, or play major league basketball and can see over the top.
-The internal fittings and finish aren't good enough: they're fine for the money, but they aren't fine for this size of boat. The galley and cabins need to be noticeably better than a comparable house, or a smaller 35 foot boat, but they aren't. The vertical lights in the corners of the saloon are also fine in a boat show, but the ambience is cheap, the modern-day equivalent of a paper lampshade. The badly-carpeted steps between saloon/ cockpit, and the wishy washy high gloss wood colour doesn't help.
- The central passarelle seems a good idea on paper, not so good in practice. As a primarily med boat, the pasarelle will be out more than in. To adjust a lower cleat, you have to clamber over the passarelle and down, then back up and over for the other cleat. Since I saw the boat they've altered the moulding with a step, but it's still a crummy idea in the first place. Fairline have copied the centreline entrance for their t52 at the boat show so see if they've got the same problems in September. Lots of other boaty procedures are also twarted by the single route up on to the boat. Worst of all, with twin garages you can't have a big
BOATNAME ACROSS THE BACK
At this level or higher, saving a few thousand or a few hundred thousand isn't important. But the end result certainly is. It's the same with the very best restaurants: people fly to Lyons and spend a day or so there just to eat at the restaurant of the best chef in the world. So long as the bill is somewhere between 200 and 400 quid each, who cares how much it actually is? Punters remember the price only once, but experience or remember the quality (or lack of it) every day.
If you're a playboy, the V65 is too enclosed, and not lux enough down below. Does it look inviting to go on board from the stern? No, it looks gloomy. Is it as good as a Ferrari Maranello , some private jet charters and a Superhawk? No.
If you're an an-owner driver, the V65 doesn't cut it for other reasons. The main cabin isn't private enough, nor large enough. The other cabins are about the same size so it's unclear that You Paid. There's that sit-down driving position, and the impractical wood-covered kitchen won't impress er the crewmembers with short feet who tend to do the cooking. Somone at Marine Projects needs to go to B&Q, or make bacon and eggs, to realise that a highgloss wooden kitchen (including the worksurfaces!) is a lousy idea.
For professional skippers, it's neither an open sun-worshippers boat , nor a spacious enough charter proposition with the tiny one-person crew room.
There's a sure-fire to wind up a Princess sales person at a boat show. You ask them if there's an ironing board, like in some other boats of this size. They have to say "No, but do you really need an ironing board?" But this misses the point. Who wants the boat without? The boat with the least? You'd tell yourself that you'll only do this once, so you'd best get the boat with the most. And that isn't the V65.
So, a big thing, seems luxurious but isn't, looks impressive but isn't, seems clever but isn't? American I'd say, and that's where most of these will go except they're all skint at the moment. I predict that production will stop sooner than expected.
