henryf
Well-Known Member
Finally managed to get down to the boat show today and had a good poke around. Particularly wanted to see the new 42 foot flybridge boats on offer from Sealine, Fairline and Princess.
Sealine: Outwardly very different indeed. I suspect you'll either love it or hate it with a vengeance. It really is quite different. Love the high freeboard and wide gunwhales. It gives the impression of a much bigger boat. Inside the styling continues to be inventive. The 3 berth second cabin is interesting although headroom is extremely limiting, more suited to the back cabin on a small sports style boat.
Still have build quality concerns with Sealine. Previously all the boats we've looked at over the years have had bits falling off them. In this instance there was a strange hatch in the roof just before you entered the front cabin which if not fully supported when you open it will swing back onto it's self and rip the hinges off (not sure exactly what it did - 3 vents and a few relays). Also the flap in the gunwhale covering some of the deck fittings was plywood? with exposed edges. If the build quality is up to scratch and you like the external styling then an interesting choice.
Fairline: Err... I'm not sure quite what to say here for fear of upsetting years of planning and development. Hmm there seems to be a lot of floor space. Yes, if you like loads of floor space this boat is the absolute business. I suppose you might argue that in a 42 foot boat lots of floor space at the expense of a second settee or some form of storage could be seen as extravagant. When I looked back at the saloon from the galley area I was reminded of a landing in a block of flats.
They also had another one of their famous floor hatches in the middle of the saloon. No withstanding the fact it will be covered up by an over carpet you could lift it out to reveal a strange little cubby hole. The old Phantom 50 had one of these as well. That one was so big you could climb in it and you felt there should have been an extra cabin or room of some sort in there.
Interesting tender launching system. Didn't see it in action but providing it doesn't break or seize up it's an alternative to the sinking platform or crane / passerelle. Can't remember any more of the boat because we mentally dismissed it as soon as we saw the saloon.
Princess: Obviously the one I was most interested to see as we own the (now) old version. If you didn't know the old version intimately you'd be forgiven for thinking tht nothing had changed. In reality there are lots of changes but they are all quite subtle. Certainly when compared to the Sealine or Fairline. A bit more light in the saloon, but the old version doesn't lack visibility and a few nips and tucks of the joinery. No major internal re-modelling though and that's probably Princess' way. If it ain't broken.....
Quite conservative but in boating terms that probably means safe when it comes to thoughts of re-sale. Part of me was hoping for some miracle which made me want to rush out and change my P42 for the new version but it didn't happen. The extra money to change from nearly new to brand new doesn't radically alter your internal accommodation. If you want any more then I'm afraid you need to look for a bigger number on the outside of the boat and that, of course, means giving the wallet a rather large workout!! So it's back to dreaming of the 50 footer as a next purchase.
What I think it does prove is that the designers have got to a point where they can't really do that much more with the space available without running the risk of alienating some potential clients. I'm sure we all have our pet likes and dislikes when looking at boats to buy, if I designed my ideal boat it wouldn't appeal to you and visa versa.
One incident that did make me chuckle was on the Sunseeker stand. We were standing looking at the boats, when we were approached by a very pleasant salesman. He qualified us in the usual way, we mentioned the current tub and spoke in a bit of detail about the Sunseeker range, in particular the Portofino 48 / 52 and the Manhattan 52, as they most closely resemble the P50 and V52 which take our fancy at the moment.
I explained we hadn't really seen Sunseeker for a few years, not since the Manhattan was a 50. Spent 10 minutes or so discussing things at which point I was asked if we'd like to see inside. Yes, that would great thank you I said. Ok, I'll wait for you out here then. Somewhat unsure as to what to do I joined the back of a queue of people out for the day only to be told by the girl on the back of the boat (who'd heard our conversation) to move round a bit more further away. Waited for a couple of minutes, the salesman didn't come to rescue us so thought better of it and left.
I know, everyone thinks they're special, but when you're engaging with a salesman and he's just spent 10 minutes talking to you about various features surely he wants to carry the pitch on inside the boat. There is even a sign on each boat letting people know that priority is given to sales staff accompanying potential customers.
I'm quite laid back about it because I've always seen Sunseekers as a bit on the toppy side money-wise but probably only because the last time I looked we weren't buying and everything seemed expensive. It just made me chuckle a bit as we walked off the stand.
It must be the hardest thing dealing with all the, "corr if we win the lottery next week" brigade, but after 10 minutes chatting to someone you know pretty much how things stand. Of course possibly that reflects badly on me
The , "just to throw a spanner in the works" award would have to go to the Beneteau Swift trawler 52. I love the idea of a trawler style boat, Portuguese bridge, acres of space, setting off on continental voyages and all that but 8-9 knots just isn't me and anything half decent seems to cost well into 7 figures. With the Swift you seem to get 24 or 25 knots max speed, (all be it at a fuel cost), 18 knots cruising and the usual 7-10 knots of ultra frugal long range ability.
Inside it wasn't all together different from the big 3 or 4 names we're used to with it's lacquered timber, although I think a lot of the wood used might not be actual wood in the traditional sense. Still, it looks ok.
The boat they had on display had more extras than the cast of Ben Hur but somewhere under it all was an almost sensible base price tag and you did get a lot of space for your money. That's what I love about boat shows, the chance to see stuff you've never normally get to see, certainly without potentially wasting someone's time if you know within 30 seconds of a pre-arranged visit that it isn't for you.
A great day out as usual.
Henry
Sealine: Outwardly very different indeed. I suspect you'll either love it or hate it with a vengeance. It really is quite different. Love the high freeboard and wide gunwhales. It gives the impression of a much bigger boat. Inside the styling continues to be inventive. The 3 berth second cabin is interesting although headroom is extremely limiting, more suited to the back cabin on a small sports style boat.
Still have build quality concerns with Sealine. Previously all the boats we've looked at over the years have had bits falling off them. In this instance there was a strange hatch in the roof just before you entered the front cabin which if not fully supported when you open it will swing back onto it's self and rip the hinges off (not sure exactly what it did - 3 vents and a few relays). Also the flap in the gunwhale covering some of the deck fittings was plywood? with exposed edges. If the build quality is up to scratch and you like the external styling then an interesting choice.
Fairline: Err... I'm not sure quite what to say here for fear of upsetting years of planning and development. Hmm there seems to be a lot of floor space. Yes, if you like loads of floor space this boat is the absolute business. I suppose you might argue that in a 42 foot boat lots of floor space at the expense of a second settee or some form of storage could be seen as extravagant. When I looked back at the saloon from the galley area I was reminded of a landing in a block of flats.
They also had another one of their famous floor hatches in the middle of the saloon. No withstanding the fact it will be covered up by an over carpet you could lift it out to reveal a strange little cubby hole. The old Phantom 50 had one of these as well. That one was so big you could climb in it and you felt there should have been an extra cabin or room of some sort in there.
Interesting tender launching system. Didn't see it in action but providing it doesn't break or seize up it's an alternative to the sinking platform or crane / passerelle. Can't remember any more of the boat because we mentally dismissed it as soon as we saw the saloon.
Princess: Obviously the one I was most interested to see as we own the (now) old version. If you didn't know the old version intimately you'd be forgiven for thinking tht nothing had changed. In reality there are lots of changes but they are all quite subtle. Certainly when compared to the Sealine or Fairline. A bit more light in the saloon, but the old version doesn't lack visibility and a few nips and tucks of the joinery. No major internal re-modelling though and that's probably Princess' way. If it ain't broken.....
Quite conservative but in boating terms that probably means safe when it comes to thoughts of re-sale. Part of me was hoping for some miracle which made me want to rush out and change my P42 for the new version but it didn't happen. The extra money to change from nearly new to brand new doesn't radically alter your internal accommodation. If you want any more then I'm afraid you need to look for a bigger number on the outside of the boat and that, of course, means giving the wallet a rather large workout!! So it's back to dreaming of the 50 footer as a next purchase.
What I think it does prove is that the designers have got to a point where they can't really do that much more with the space available without running the risk of alienating some potential clients. I'm sure we all have our pet likes and dislikes when looking at boats to buy, if I designed my ideal boat it wouldn't appeal to you and visa versa.
One incident that did make me chuckle was on the Sunseeker stand. We were standing looking at the boats, when we were approached by a very pleasant salesman. He qualified us in the usual way, we mentioned the current tub and spoke in a bit of detail about the Sunseeker range, in particular the Portofino 48 / 52 and the Manhattan 52, as they most closely resemble the P50 and V52 which take our fancy at the moment.
I explained we hadn't really seen Sunseeker for a few years, not since the Manhattan was a 50. Spent 10 minutes or so discussing things at which point I was asked if we'd like to see inside. Yes, that would great thank you I said. Ok, I'll wait for you out here then. Somewhat unsure as to what to do I joined the back of a queue of people out for the day only to be told by the girl on the back of the boat (who'd heard our conversation) to move round a bit more further away. Waited for a couple of minutes, the salesman didn't come to rescue us so thought better of it and left.
I know, everyone thinks they're special, but when you're engaging with a salesman and he's just spent 10 minutes talking to you about various features surely he wants to carry the pitch on inside the boat. There is even a sign on each boat letting people know that priority is given to sales staff accompanying potential customers.
I'm quite laid back about it because I've always seen Sunseekers as a bit on the toppy side money-wise but probably only because the last time I looked we weren't buying and everything seemed expensive. It just made me chuckle a bit as we walked off the stand.
It must be the hardest thing dealing with all the, "corr if we win the lottery next week" brigade, but after 10 minutes chatting to someone you know pretty much how things stand. Of course possibly that reflects badly on me
The , "just to throw a spanner in the works" award would have to go to the Beneteau Swift trawler 52. I love the idea of a trawler style boat, Portuguese bridge, acres of space, setting off on continental voyages and all that but 8-9 knots just isn't me and anything half decent seems to cost well into 7 figures. With the Swift you seem to get 24 or 25 knots max speed, (all be it at a fuel cost), 18 knots cruising and the usual 7-10 knots of ultra frugal long range ability.
Inside it wasn't all together different from the big 3 or 4 names we're used to with it's lacquered timber, although I think a lot of the wood used might not be actual wood in the traditional sense. Still, it looks ok.
The boat they had on display had more extras than the cast of Ben Hur but somewhere under it all was an almost sensible base price tag and you did get a lot of space for your money. That's what I love about boat shows, the chance to see stuff you've never normally get to see, certainly without potentially wasting someone's time if you know within 30 seconds of a pre-arranged visit that it isn't for you.
A great day out as usual.
Henry
Certainly the Fleming 65 is worth every penny of that. Interesting also to hear that Fleming are thinking about fitting the Seatorque shaft system and ditching Aquadrive engine mounts. Fleming reports a 1 - 1.5kt speed increase with a Fleming 55 fitted with the Seatorque system; although the speed increase in itself is not of major interest to owners, it does mean a similar improvement in fuel efficiency. I guess H2 of this forum will be pleased about this
