petem
Well-known member
Just got back from a great day at the Southampton Boat Show.
Highlights were....
Sunseeker 52 - a well designed boat in pretty much every way. Really like the (Ferretti style) galley aft and bar / counter to cockpit (even if the two bar stools are a £3k extra). There was no access to the side decks / bow so coldn;t suss out the new seating area. So much headroom in the master cabin that I could hardly touch the ceiling. As others have said it does look a bit top heavy. Only other real criticism was diddy the Fridge / Freezer that wouldn't have looked out of place in a student's bedsit.
Forward titling helm seat smacked a little of desperation to pack in more gadgets.
Sealine 530 - really interesting and spacious feeling saloon with floor to ceiling glass. It was my non-boaty mate's favourite boat. Glass might cause some issues in the Med but the side doors will at least allow some air to pass through the saloon. Quality wise seemed to sit between Jeanneau and Princess / SS / F'line. Anyhow, great to see Sealine at the show and bringing additional competition to the market.
Fairline Targa 53 Open - a lovely machine. A real party boat and I particularly liked the styling. It was my first time inside a Targa 53 and I can honestly say that I wouldn't be put off by the infamous low ceiling in the mid cabin. What people often forget is that there is a very large lobby area to this cabin with a dressing table so you don't need to stoop when getting changed. And the ceiling height is certainly no worse than the SS San Remo. Boat is selling well too.
The lobby to the master cabin (this is my 6ft mate not me).
Jeanneau Prestige ?? - Seemed like a nicely designed boat and I particularly liked the separate stairway from the saloon to the owners cabin. But detailing left a bit to be desired (yes that really is unfinished ply, albeit in a cupboard).
And a nasty looking walls / panel in the ceiling of the heads. I guess these are the compromises for the low price.
Overall
The Sunseeker stand was an impressive piece of engineering and the staff were as laid back as ever. We 'did' SS first and were glad to have done so as queues were long in the afternoon.
Princess had a fair number of boats on display and a large VIP room. The Princess 49 is a very nice boat (and has a proper fridge / freezer) but feels a lot smaller than the SS 53. Had a chat with Nick Barke who was on top form as ever and kindly offered me a loan of their Cala D'Or Rib when I'm over there.
Fairline had just three boats on display plus the Sq 65 (with a new hardtop and interior ) which is on its way back from Cannes as we speak (due tomorrow I think). All the guys were there (Russell, Carl, Miles, Martin) and were in good spirits having had their most successful Cannes show ever. Had a nice chat with a certain forumite who will no doubt post his own observations of 'new' Fairline.
Overall the show looked to be in excellent health with a massive variety of boats on display and lots of visitors.
Hopefully Henry will be along to post some decent pics.
Highlights were....
Sunseeker 52 - a well designed boat in pretty much every way. Really like the (Ferretti style) galley aft and bar / counter to cockpit (even if the two bar stools are a £3k extra). There was no access to the side decks / bow so coldn;t suss out the new seating area. So much headroom in the master cabin that I could hardly touch the ceiling. As others have said it does look a bit top heavy. Only other real criticism was diddy the Fridge / Freezer that wouldn't have looked out of place in a student's bedsit.
Forward titling helm seat smacked a little of desperation to pack in more gadgets.
Sealine 530 - really interesting and spacious feeling saloon with floor to ceiling glass. It was my non-boaty mate's favourite boat. Glass might cause some issues in the Med but the side doors will at least allow some air to pass through the saloon. Quality wise seemed to sit between Jeanneau and Princess / SS / F'line. Anyhow, great to see Sealine at the show and bringing additional competition to the market.
Fairline Targa 53 Open - a lovely machine. A real party boat and I particularly liked the styling. It was my first time inside a Targa 53 and I can honestly say that I wouldn't be put off by the infamous low ceiling in the mid cabin. What people often forget is that there is a very large lobby area to this cabin with a dressing table so you don't need to stoop when getting changed. And the ceiling height is certainly no worse than the SS San Remo. Boat is selling well too.
The lobby to the master cabin (this is my 6ft mate not me).
Jeanneau Prestige ?? - Seemed like a nicely designed boat and I particularly liked the separate stairway from the saloon to the owners cabin. But detailing left a bit to be desired (yes that really is unfinished ply, albeit in a cupboard).
And a nasty looking walls / panel in the ceiling of the heads. I guess these are the compromises for the low price.
Overall
The Sunseeker stand was an impressive piece of engineering and the staff were as laid back as ever. We 'did' SS first and were glad to have done so as queues were long in the afternoon.
Princess had a fair number of boats on display and a large VIP room. The Princess 49 is a very nice boat (and has a proper fridge / freezer) but feels a lot smaller than the SS 53. Had a chat with Nick Barke who was on top form as ever and kindly offered me a loan of their Cala D'Or Rib when I'm over there.
Fairline had just three boats on display plus the Sq 65 (with a new hardtop and interior ) which is on its way back from Cannes as we speak (due tomorrow I think). All the guys were there (Russell, Carl, Miles, Martin) and were in good spirits having had their most successful Cannes show ever. Had a nice chat with a certain forumite who will no doubt post his own observations of 'new' Fairline.
Overall the show looked to be in excellent health with a massive variety of boats on display and lots of visitors.
Hopefully Henry will be along to post some decent pics.
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) anyway, the barrier of totty in front of the boats over about 500k and the challenge of getting onto boats that would have been contenders, unfettered by time constraints, was quite an eye opener. Just pre-crash. All too cosy in my view.
