Which Princess 415?

[NigelChattin]

I'm looking to buy a Princess 415 and I've a choice between 2 different boats. Which do you all think I should go for?

- The first was built in 1986 and fitted with TAMD 70E engines. She's got a bowthruster, generator, and reasonably up to date radar and chart plotter, and the boat is in fairly good condition, gelcoat is good, windows don't appear to have any leaks etc but she is very original, and there's no heating!

- The other boat was built in 1987 and is fitted with TAMD61A engines. Obviously she's younger (so has the fibreglass bathing platform) and the 61As are more common, but she doesn't have a generator, has more scuffs and gelcoat damage, the windows show signs of leaking (though I appreciate it's a boat, and they all leak to some extent). The nav gear is mainly the original stuff as well with very little in the flybridge. She also has a bowthruster, and a better canopy.

The 1987 example is slightly more money but not much so what do you think? Which should I go with?

Additionally, the 1987 boat has had the galley re-fitted, it's a good job and looks smart but it's not original. Should I be worried about this, or does the fact it's been updated improve her?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Thats a difficult question without seeing the boats in question. The 415 is a big lump of boat and, on balance, I would always favour the larger engines. Yes I know the 70E and 61A have about the same power but I bet that the 70E has more torque which will make the boat accelerate better. Plus the 70E is lower revving which usually means less stress on the engine and lower noise levels. But the big question is what is condition of these engines because that really determines your choice. If you can, set up a sea trial on both boats and take a competent engineer along to check out the engines. An oil analysis would be very useful.
I know from personal experience that Princess windows of that period can leak (have they got that white powder deposit underneath?). This is a major job to put right involving taking the windows out. IMHO, a bowthruster and gennie are very desirable extras which would cost you the best part of £10k to retrofit whereas heating is not that expensive to retrofit (say £1-2k?). I don't like boats being changed too much from the original because the first question you ask is why. Why was the galley changed? Was there a fire or a massive leak? The second issue is that what is tasteful to one owner may be hideous to the next
All things being equal, I would be leaning very heavily to the 1986 boat because of the engines and the bowthruster/gennie. You can fit heating for relatively little money and be confident that the system is new and will give a few years of troublefree service (older systems can be troublesome). You could even fit a grp bathing platform if the wooden one bothers you as I think they were a bolt-on moulding rather than part of the hull
But IMHO it all depends on the condition of the engines

 

[oldgit]

A classic design that has stood the test of time well.I would go for the earlier 1986 boat in better condition.The fact that the hull is unmarked and the windows are water tight would be of greater value to me than a fibre glass bathing platform and a slightly later build date..

As Mike as already said you need to assure yourself that the engines are going to give you at least a few seasons without dipping into your pocket but after that a solid hull and topsides that keep out the weather are more important than a few slightly dated gadgets which you will probably replace over time anyway.More details on the Princess Heritage site . HERE