Swim platform issues

[PRINCESS 56 OWNER]

Has anyone experienced problems with the use of their Hydraulic Swim Platform?

 

[rosssavage]

Go on, give us a clue. Electro, hydraulic, mechanics, GRP layup, gel finish?

 

[jfm]

Not directly, but the general street talk is that the mechanism isn't great and indeed you can see that when you look at it. I'm afraid it is a bit of a cost saving job by Princess and the quality is lower than the HB Technics platforms http://www.h-btechnics.com/en/start.htm

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Not directly, but the general street talk is that the mechanism isn't great and indeed you can see that when you look at it. I'm afraid it is a bit of a cost saving job by Princess and the quality is lower than the HB Technics platforms http://www.h-btechnics.com/en/start.htm

Am I right in thinking the Princess OE mech is by Opacmare?

 

[PRINCESS 56 OWNER]

The Swim Platform does not go down far enough when fully deployed to allow a Williams Rib 325 when empty to be berthed on the chocks without hitting the chocks. This is with 3/4 fuel so that when at 20% fuel and the mother vessel riding higher it is almost impossible to get the tender on. The Hydraulic lift is by Opacmare but that is not the issue as it actually works well. I am just wondering if other New Princess 56 owners or indeed any other Princess owners out there have had issues like this with using their swim platforms and berthing their tenders?

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

What do Princess say?

 

[pan]

I have noticed a few boats with hi/lo bathing platform having problems in a light swell, spoke to one skipper & he told me he didn't launch the dinghy if there was a swell because of the difficulty of recovery, was a bit surprised as in the same conditions using the pasarelle we didn't have a problem. Would be interested to hear of others experience as it is one option that I would really like!

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

The Swim Platform does not go down far enough when fully deployed to allow a Williams Rib 325 when empty to be berthed on the chocks without hitting the chocks. This is with 3/4 fuel so that when at 20% fuel and the mother vessel riding higher it is almost impossible to get the tender on. The Hydraulic lift is by Opacmare but that is not the issue as it actually works well. I am just wondering if other New Princess 56 owners or indeed any other Princess owners out there have had issues like this with using their swim platforms and berthing their tenders?

Just thinking about forumites with Princesses with hi-lo platforms - you could try a PM to intouch1, he had a V56, and now has a V62S. Or smooth sailing, he has a V52. Those are the only two that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there may be others.

 

[PRINCESS 56 OWNER]

Princess Motor Yacht Sales are being supportive and helpful so far. PYI The Factory are currently considering their options but have not produced any solution at all to date. The boat is three months old and the research so far has revealed that the P56 has the shallowest depth of water over the platform out of three other model Princess new boats measured. There are of course significant issues concerning a Swim Platform that does not give enough depth of water in calm conditions to allow the tender to be pulled onto it with nobody in it. My 56 is boat number 30 and I am very surprised that there has not been many other concerns raised on this matter. Although a well known retro-fitter for Princess Yachts in the Plymouth area has said that they have had several complaints concerning Princess Platforms and their use. Opacmare have indicated that they had to change their Kit on a larger Princess because it would not perform correctly with similar issues. But I am struggling to get any concrete action to resolve the problem. I continue to wait on the deliberations from Newport Street in the hope that Princess will do what they have historically done and that is stand by their product and make sure it is "Fit for Purpose".

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Princess Motor Yacht Sales are being supportive and helpful so far. PYI The Factory are currently considering their options but have not produced any solution at all to date. The boat is three months old and the research so far has revealed that the P56 has the shallowest depth of water over the platform out of three other model Princess new boats measured. There are of course significant issues concerning a Swim Platform that does not give enough depth of water in calm conditions to allow the tender to be pulled onto it with nobody in it. My 56 is boat number 30 and I am very surprised that there has not been many other concerns raised on this matter. Although a well known retro-fitter for Princess Yachts in the Plymouth area has said that they have had several complaints concerning Princess Platforms and their use. Opacmare have indicated that they had to change their Kit on a larger Princess because it would not perform correctly with similar issues. But I am struggling to get any concrete action to resolve the problem. I continue to wait on the deliberations from Newport Street in the hope that Princess will do what they have historically done and that is stand by their product and make sure it is "Fit for Purpose".

PMYS are generally pretty good in my direct experience. Did they sell you the tender with the boat, or did you buy it separately?

 

[PRINCESS 56 OWNER]

PMYS Fitted the Williams 325 originally to my Princess 54 which we used without issue launching and recovering same with the Passerelle. PMYS fitted the Williams 325 from my 54 onto the new 56 and they have acknowledged the problem concerning the lack of depth of water over the platform when lowered. It is the Factory who have not so far either taken ownership of the problem or produced a workable solution.

 

[jfm]

This is a weird problem. Williams 325 doesn't draw much water. I have a deep vee tender with outboard and when I lower the platform I stop after going down about 2/3rds of the way otherwise the thing goes pointlessly deep. For a platform not to get under a Williams seems very remarkable and a bit of a mistake. Good luck getting it resolved

Have you lifted the boat ( in pmys swanwick?) to look at the mechanism and can you post a pic?

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

That makes it sound like the P56 platform is only ankle-deep in water when fully submerged. What happens if you've got a tender with an outboard?

 

[henryf]

All I'm hearing is P50 prices with passerelle / crane fitted are going through the roof......





It does sound very strange. could it be something as simple as the electronic stops being set incorrectly? I'm assuming not otherwise it would already have been suggested. I even thought about spec levels affecting height in the water (generator, engines etc.) but even that wouldn't make the difference being talked about - several inches by the sound of things.

Hopefully it gets sorted.

I know you were saying that you weren't a big fan of the system used John when we were at Swanwick for the Great British boat show / Match unveiling to the world party.

Henry

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I even thought about spec levels affecting height in the water (generator, engines etc.) but even that wouldn't make the difference being talked about - several inches by the sound of things.

That was my first thought. I guess its quite tricky to specify the exact position of a hi/lo platform because its got to be high enough not to act as a giant trim tab when in it's high position and low enough to drive the tender onto when in its low position. I'm guessing that the P56 is available with different engine/equipment options which can change the waterline height. I assume that a proprietary piece of equipment from a well known manufacturer like Opacmare has a sufficient range of movement and therefore it sounds like somebody in Princess's design dept has dropped a b*****k on positioning the hi/lo platform relative to the waterline for the exact spec of the OP's boat. Either that or Princess's production dept have dropped a b*****k with the old tape measure when they fitted it. Either, surely its just an issue of unbolting it, filling the holes and rebolting it a couple of inches lower?

 

[jfm]

I know you were saying that you weren't a big fan of the system used John when we were at Swanwick for the Great British boat show / Match unveiling to the world party.

Yeah but yerknow tbh that was perhaps me being too fussy. If the Opacmare system works, and OP says it goes up/down perfectly well, then that's fine really. The HB Technics thing is a beautiful bit of kit (Bart installed it on his Canados 70 btw) but arguably 2x over engineered for the job is hand, which in some ways is nice but it isn't really necessary. That said, I saw it working at the Great British Boat Show on that new model Princess had on show, their first boat on the right as you walked onto the pontoons, maybe a v53 ish boat. The motion of the hilo wasn't pretty to watch - it ultimately did the job but the left and right sides weren't exactly in synch...

OP's problem remains very baffling. It suggests the thing is only ankle depth when lowered. It cannot be low equipment levels on the boat because that would amount to only an inch or two of waterline difference on a boat as big as a 56. I'd hope it is something easy like a limit switch setting, as you say. I google imaged but I cannot see any picture of a 56 with the swim platform lowered. I'd be interested to hear whether the boat has been lifted out of the water so the mechanism can be seen working. That would allow OP to see whether it is a real geometry problem or whether it is something simpler like a limit switch or Opacmare supplied the wrong part and Princess bolted it on without noticing. This must be curable, but you need to get the boat out of the water to see what's going on

This small point aside, the 56 is a lovely boat imho. Excellent design - good choice by o/p.

 

[jfm]

That was my first thought. I guess its quite tricky to specify the exact position of a hi/lo platform because its got to be high enough not to act as a giant trim tab when in it's high position and low enough to drive the tender onto when in its low position. I'm guessing that the P56 is available with different engine/equipment options which can change the waterline height. I assume that a proprietary piece of equipment from a well known manufacturer like Opacmare has a sufficient range of movement and therefore it sounds like somebody in Princess's design dept has dropped a b*****k on positioning the hi/lo platform relative to the waterline for the exact spec of the OP's boat. Either that or Princess's production dept have dropped a b*****k with the old tape measure when they fitted it. Either, surely its just an issue of unbolting it, filling the holes and rebolting it a couple of inches lower?

Yup agreed. They gotta lift the boat and have a look at what's happening

 

[Lozzer]

As some of you know I skipper a P85. My hi/lo platform has taken on a life of its own recently. Firstly from new the platform as always gone up and down out of level, very annoying... Opacmare finally came by after the best part of a year and replaced some flow dividers and inserted some new parts.

Then arriving at work one morning I noticed that the platform had dropped on port side. A quick check and all oil levels are fine so I raise and lower a few times the it squares itself off....

A week later and it's dropped even further. Still no sign of oil leaks. Now it will not square off or get level with back of boat. Fortunately Princess come by but as puzzled as me...

Will organise a lift and hold next week to check to see what is going on.

Like the OP I have never been happy with the range of the platform. We have our Jetski on it and it only just goes deep enough.


Sorry pic is on the p1ss.

 

[Asm]

The platform has to align with the moulding on the hull, so it's not just a case of drilling and refixing at a lower level. The images show the arrangement on a P52. I'm not sure of the opacmare model number, the lift varies with exact model.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The platform has to align with the moulding on the hull, so it's not just a case of drilling and refixing at a lower level. The images show the arrangement on a P52. I'm not sure of the opacmare model number, the lift varies with exact model.

Good point. Didn't realise only part of the platform lowered. Looking at the geometry of the thing, there doesn't seem to be an easy way of extending the range of movement as there's no space for a longer ram. Ooops, sounds like only solution is to ballast the boat