Princess X80. Have they just won motor boats?

henryf said:
I’m intrigued as to why you think it will be a depreciation disaster. From my understanding Princess have orders for over 30 as it stands. Someone suggested that some will be letters of intent to purchase - my experience is that money changes hands when you place and order so I suspect slightly more than just vague interest.

No idea how many will be built per year but it won’t be one a week like the old P42 so there’s going to be a waiting list. That means second hand boats that do make it onto the market should find buyers.

As for placating dog walkers, swimmers and dock penguins I suspect anyone who’s climbed the ladder high enough to strike out a cheque for an X80 will have tough enough skin to enjoy their extensive chunk of maritime real estate.

To those people any big white boat is an ostentatious display of wealth & bad taste.
I was told buying a new P43 was a bad idea, buying a new P50 Mk3 was a bad idea, I’m now being told buying a new P55 is a bad idea. Who knows, one day they might be right but we’ve coped thus far & you’re a very long time dead. I could create some very happy memories on an X80.
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Para by para ans ,

Once the new bubble it’s in has burst .They all do .I was thinking 5 + yrs down the line .When the next best rework is out inevitable really .When that happens strip out the next best thingys then what have you left ?
Beauty desirability etc overcomes practically and what was the best thing in its day lay out wise or other .
It ain’t got that beauty element .Think gen 1 Panameras ….indeed the Tycans a marmite car marginally prettier .
Where as a tractor of Aston Martin DB 6 or 70 s V8 ……zero “ next best things “ like ABS , PS or credible handling etc but …residuals- because they are beautiful. Panamera gen1 s knock spots off them technically but are depreciation disasters because of the aesthetic / beauty factor score ,Do you wanna be seen .Your mates , family friends in a DB6 as crappy to drive or one of those Porsche’s .In this case send out invites to come to my boat in Porto Cervo …..and watch the guest faces as they walk up to it .The tone of the whole trip is set as it would be if you dropped your kids off at school in a Panamera.


2 - see above .Also 10 y ago new boaters waded in @50 ish with £1M .Fast Fwds to now the new mark may well be £4 M ? Or tending that way ,This means less and less of the trad buy a 30 something and trade up types .This means as Priny has discovered more and more floating apartment shift , with the extra practically come fuglyness .Esp glass area and HT s .

3 - I think when parked up next to more aesthetically pleasing doubts will grow .Like parking a Panamera next to a Aston Rapide .
Its just human nature …..the Aston looks prettier and sure the porker trounces it on paper .
As this boat beats the group in sq M FB area , internal vols etc etc .

4 I think you missed my point it was merely folks taking time out and complimenting the thing .
Not lefty socialism nonsense .Bit like you buy some shoes .Then at work or where ever folks say to you “ thoses are nice shoes “
“ I like your shoes “ .Or in this case “ that’s a nice boat “ “ wow what a beautiful boat “ “ this is my favourite boat “:

Your previous boat purchases the Prinys have been fine aesthetically - middle of the park , easy on the eye, wide used appeal in the U.K. .
I use U.K. as a qualifier as it’s not the avant guard style wise as say the Italian makers .But you are not boating in the Med so Priny has worked thus far with the conservative design …..well accepted in the U.K.

Reminds me a bit of the late Oscar Wilds statement * “some people know the price of everything but the value of nothing “
In terms of sure they paid £4 M + but that does not make right all alleged 30 of them .
You cant buy taste .See it every day .

* Not you thought I should qualify that .
 
I agree with the above comments about the styling however, with one caveat and that is, that when a brand moves styling on so radically in one go that it break with all convention and yes it does shock us all but then in time, it can often lead to a whole new way that before long we are all purchasing iterations of. having somehow subliminally accepted it. A case in point was the “Chris Bangle” designed 7 series BMW’s with their blade cut styling back in the early noughties (I think it was). I along with just about everone that i knew detested the look but within 2 - 3 years this design language was everywhere and we were all buying cars styled in that vein.

A prolific designer once said to me, “If a new design is universally accepted straight from the off, then it is not a new design at all”.

just saying anyway. My own preference is still the classic yacht lines from the early 2000’s
 
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henryf said:
I’m intrigued as to why you think it will be a depreciation disaster. From my understanding Princess have orders for over 30 as it stands. Someone suggested that some will be letters of intent to purchase - my experience is that money changes hands when you place and order so I suspect slightly more than just vague interest.

No idea how many will be built per year but it won’t be one a week like the old P42 so there’s going to be a waiting list. That means second hand boats that do make it onto the market should find buyers.

As for placating dog walkers, swimmers and dock penguins I suspect anyone who’s climbed the ladder high enough to strike out a cheque for an X80 will have tough enough skin to enjoy their extensive chunk of maritime real estate.

To those people any big white boat is an ostentatious display of wealth & bad taste.
I was told buying a new P43 was a bad idea, buying a new P50 Mk3 was a bad idea, I’m now being told buying a new P55 is a bad idea. Who knows, one day they might be right but we’ve coped thus far & you’re a very long time dead. I could create some very happy memories on an X80.
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Large order always come with ”new” boats as the dealers are the buyers and they are vying for the build slots to try to satisfy demand and the bigger the boat, the less that the OEM can get out per year from just one set of mould tools. It’s a nice problem to have of course but if the dealers struggle to find real buyers then the story could change very quickly if slots get handed back or swapped to different products.

I think the interior volume will be the big win of these boats until possibly another player does the same but with a bit more of an accepted style. Some however will be sold in the Pininfarina tag from the off without a care about what it looks like.
 
julians said:
It looks utterly awful,but I'm sure that design gives it a lot of space inside.
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In sailing boat circles they often talk about “the row away factor”, when discussing beautiful looking classics - William Fife’s etc. (As in pausing on the oars to look back at your beautiful boat as you go ashore.)
Fortunately the X80 will presumably have a super fast power tender, sparing the owner from seeing the appearance for more than the minimum of time.
 
A number of points raised:

The Panamera is a segment of the car market which traditionally always sees low residuals as cars age. Maintenance costs will be the biggest deterrent to ownership. In your boat analogy maintenance costs will be the same regardless with the exception possibly of triple engined boats or exotically powered craft.

X80s like all the boats Princess sell will see a steady year on year price increases. Your £4 million boat is potentially £6 million new in 8 years, this has a significant bearing on used residuals, I’ve found it with the P 50.

There is a chance that what we see as outlandish now becomes the norm in a few years. Princess aren’t the only people going down the X class route so who knows, it may be a roll of the dice it may not be.

The internal space will always be there and will always appeal to buyers. As the price falls in relative terms so the number of buyers increases.

The top deck of the X80 does indeed have open top options. The skipper is likely to be a professional or serious owner rather than someone with a beer in one hand. At work it’s nice to be air conditioned, comfortable and able to communicate with the boat and other sea users. You also have a forward area with wind in the hair options.

An interesting thought from Parabolica re: new design being accepted. It is funny how times change. I constantly find myself doing things I once mocked others for.
 
Parabolica said:
I agree with the above comments about the styling however, with one caveat and that is, that when a brand moves styling on so radically in one go that it break with all convention and yes it does shock us all but then in time, it can often lead to a whole new way that before long we are all purchasing iterations of. having somehow subliminally accepted it. A case in point was the “Chris Bangle” designed 7 series BMW’s with their blade cut styling back in the early noughties (I think it was). I along with just about everone that i knew detested the look but within 2 - 3 years this design language was everywhere and we were all buying cars styled in that vein.

A prolific designer once said to me, “If a new design is universally accepted straight from the off, then it is not a new design at all”.

just saying anyway. My own preference is still the classic yacht lines from the early 2000’s
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Good point. The Ford Sierra could be a more well known example praps?
This video came up on my google news feed, obviously carefully aimed marketing ?

 
Parabolica said:
A prolific designer once said to me, “If a new design is universally accepted straight from the off, then it is not a new design at all”.
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Mmmm... I'm not sure Flaminio Bertoni would agree with this chap.
His completely revolutionary Citroen DS fetched 80 thousand deposits, just during the 1955 Paris Motor Show when it was introduced.
Eventually, they built 1.5 miliions of the thing, over 20 years.
And I would still be happy to drive one now, 67 years later.

As opposed to that, I'm willing to bet that this deliberately flashy, "look-at-me" Pininfarina design will last as much as a cat on a highway.
Say 2 or 3 years, before the moulds will be left gathering dust and rain in the backyard, or even scrapped.
And that's just because today I'm feeling optimistic towards Princess! ?
 
Portofino said:
Para by para ans ,

Once the new bubble it’s in has burst .They all do .I was thinking 5 + yrs down the line .When the next best rework is out inevitable really .When that happens strip out the next best thingys then what have you left ?
Beauty desirability etc overcomes practically and what was the best thing in its day lay out wise or other .
It ain’t got that beauty element .Think gen 1 Panameras ….indeed the Tycans a marmite car marginally prettier .
Where as a tractor of Aston Martin DB 6 or 70 s V8 ……zero “ next best things “ like ABS , PS or credible handling etc but …residuals- because they are beautiful. Panamera gen1 s knock spots off them technically but are depreciation disasters because of the aesthetic / beauty factor score ,Do you wanna be seen .Your mates , family friends in a DB6 as crappy to drive or one of those Porsche’s .In this case send out invites to come to my boat in Porto Cervo …..and watch the guest faces as they walk up to it .The tone of the whole trip is set as it would be if you dropped your kids off at school in a Panamera.


2 - see above .Also 10 y ago new boaters waded in @50 ish with £1M .Fast Fwds to now the new mark may well be £4 M ? Or tending that way ,This means less and less of the trad buy a 30 something and trade up types .This means as Priny has discovered more and more floating apartment shift , with the extra practically come fuglyness .Esp glass area and HT s .

3 - I think when parked up next to more aesthetically pleasing doubts will grow .Like parking a Panamera next to a Aston Rapide .
Its just human nature …..the Aston looks prettier and sure the porker trounces it on paper .
As this boat beats the group in sq M FB area , internal vols etc etc .

4 I think you missed my point it was merely folks taking time out and complimenting the thing .
Not lefty socialism nonsense .Bit like you buy some shoes .Then at work or where ever folks say to you “ thoses are nice shoes “
“ I like your shoes “ .Or in this case “ that’s a nice boat “ “ wow what a beautiful boat “ “ this is my favourite boat “:

Your previous boat purchases the Prinys have been fine aesthetically - middle of the park , easy on the eye, wide used appeal in the U.K. .
I use U.K. as a qualifier as it’s not the avant guard style wise as say the Italian makers .But you are not boating in the Med so Priny has worked thus far with the conservative design …..well accepted in the U.K.

Reminds me a bit of the late Oscar Wilds statement * “some people know the price of everything but the value of nothing “
In terms of sure they paid £4 M + but that does not make right all alleged 30 of them .
You cant buy taste .See it every day .

* Not you thought I should qualify that .
Click to expand...
Portofino, I sometimes struggle to comprehend and understand your arguments but suddenly as an AM RapideS owner I am coming around to agreeing with everything you say !!!
 
henryf said:
An interesting thought from Parabolica re: new design being accepted. It is funny how times change. I constantly find myself doing things I once mocked others for.
Click to expand...
that's an inevitable fact of maturing (or growing older) :-p
similar to what happened when I first saw (back in 95 a pinin Fiat Coupe - btw also designed by C. Bangle) thought wft is that?
bought one five years later (still in the garage now)
 
n.herring said:
Portofino, I sometimes struggle to comprehend and understand your arguments but suddenly as an AM RapideS owner I am coming around to agreeing with everything you say !!!
Click to expand...
Indeed. £200k new, £40k used :)
Other than that…….

Never let fact get in the way of a good argument ;)

N
 
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