Princess v39.indd

THE BIG TEST
PRINCESSV39
Is this the best pound-for-pound
sportscruiser in the world?
PRINCESSV39
A spacious 40-footer bristling with classy touches,
at a price you wouldn’t believe
Text: Jack Haines Photos: Lester McCarthy
BOAT REPORT
SEE THE VIDEO
mby.com/v39
H
ow on earth have
they managed it?
That was the
question on
everyone’s lips when
the sheet slipped off
the stunning
Princess V39 at the
last London Boat Show. Princess’s design team
unveiled a boat that is proportionally right on
the money, it was a hardtop sportscruiser
designed from the hull upwards to be exactly
that – not an open boat with a roof slapped on
top. It didn’t have piddling little engines, there
were two good cabins and a very spacious
heads and a cockpit with all the mod cons that
you’d expect of a modern sportscruiser.
And then there was the price. How was it
possible to build a Princess that upholds the
brand’s reputation for under £300,000 at base
price? You half expected the sheet to reveal a
boat with cardboard furniture or at the very
least some cheap and nasty switchgear. Not a
bit of it, this is a Princess through and through
– so then, how have they done it?
BEFITTING FINISH
It is not through cutting costs when it comes to
engineering and build quality, that’s for sure.
The gauge of the stainless steel guardrails is
reassuringly solid; the transom shower is a
proper stainless tap and shower head, not some
nasty plastic job. The locker doors and wet-bar
lid are closed-moulded into a smooth and
spotless finish and the rest of the mouldings
are beautifully clean too. The helm station is
clad in dark, reflection-banishing materials,
which are soft to the touch and classy to look
at. There’s even an optional fabric cover for the
exposed GRP under the windscreen to prevent
this reflecting in the glass above, which we
could have done with on our sunny test day in
Plymouth Sound.
Below decks the twinkling galley countertop
looks too good to sully. Yet neat details like the
reversible sink cover-cum-chopping board and
soft-close drawers make the area a joy to use.
Beautifully soft leather on the dinette, highgloss floor tiles and a Perrin & Rowe sink in the
galley add those vital finishing touches.
Eighteen months of design and development
went into this boat and you can feel it from
stem to stern. Many of the bits that make this
boat so good are down to the build process.
The V39 uses resin infusion, which reduces
weight and adds strength and consistency
during the build. Princess has also used a
system called an Integrated Structural Tray,
which does away with the normal method of
laying up the hull with stringers and building
on top. Instead a tray is lowered into position
with ready-fitted stringers, plus the cabin sole
and steps. This allows the accommodation
deck to sit a lot lower in the boat, which
improves headroom throughout and saves a
huge amount of build time, explaining why
Princess is able to produce new V39s at such
an impressive rate.
DIVINE DRIVE
Knowing that there is less added stiffening in
this hull than more traditional techniques you
may be concerned that the V39 wobbles
around out at sea like jelly on a tumble drier.
Don’t be, the inherent strength of resin
infusion and the solidity of Princess’s build
ensures this boat feels plenty tough enough.
We didn’t have much of a chop to fight with on
test but the wake of our 50ft photo boat and
the other inhabitants of Plymouth Sound
ensured there was enough to test the V39’s
mettle. Every wave and trough was handled
with aplomb; even flinging it around at top
speed through the photo boat’s wash failed to
put the V39 off its stride. In fact, short of
reckless abuse nothing will knock this boat out
of kilter because it has been treated to the
perfect cocktail in the engineroom – well,
almost perfect. The combination of grippy,
powerful sterndrives in a nimble sportscruiser
hull is one of the sweetest on the water –
especially at this length – and the V39 is no
different. The steering is super-light whilst still
having enough feel and resistance for when the
sea kicks up a fuss. The turn in is swift but
predictable in equal measure, and the result
is a very safe and easy boat to drive fast.
POWER UP
Why isn’t it perfect? Because as good as the
twin Volvo Penta D6 330hp engines are, they
are the only option on a boat that feels like it
would relish having some more power in the
engineroom. Princess hasn’t ruled out the
JANUARY2013 37
The entire boat is littered with touches
that add real class, you can feel the focus
on design and layout from stem to stern
possibility of larger units and in my opinion it
can’t do it soon enough because this is a
40-knot boat in all but raw power. We hit a
whisker under 37 knots flat out on test, which
is not to be sniffed at, but let’s hope the 330s
are just keeping the engine mounts warm until
Princess decides to up the ante.
HELM POSITION
The driving position, view out, helm design
and ergonomics are all spot on and this makes
the V39 an effortless boat to drive both at close
quarters and on a long-legged cruising stint. I
remained in my seat for the entire photo shoot,
which is a real rarity. Usually when you’re
going along at 30 knots with two boats just feet
away from each other your brain screams at
you to stand. Not on the V39 – sitting down
with a clear view all round and the wheel and
throttles in hand felt natural and totally safe.
The two independent helm seats don’t adjust
but they do have flip-up bolsters so you can
lean against them and poke your head out of
the sunroof. The electric sunroof is a cloth
affair, which folds back swiftly and neatly,
leaving a yawning gap for the sun to shine
through. It’s a versatile set-up that enables you
to enjoy a wind-in-your-hair drive whenever
you are on the water.
DECKS AND DINING
The cockpit isn’t exactly game changing in its
inventiveness but what there is works with a
typical Princess air of dependability. A nice
touch is the ‘boot’ in the transom, which is
large enough for a deflated tender and
outboard or all manner of other kit like fenders,
lines and covers. It can also be accessed from the
cockpit via a locker below the aft bench.
The dinette seating is arranged around a
teak-topped table, which can either be fixed or,
as it was on our Brazil-bound test boat, a hi-lo
affair, which drops down to transform the area
into a sunpad. A gripe with this area was the
width of the hi-lo table, which made getting
into the seating a struggle, but Princess has
since amended the design so it is easier to get
around to the middle of the sofa.
The wet-bar is a familiar installation with a
built-in griddle, sink and fridge but a touch
that those who regularly dine in the cockpit
will appreciate is a decent bin built into the
right-hand cupboard door. There’s nothing
more annoying than packets and wrappers
blowing all over the place and having to go
below decks to use the bin.
Having said that, moving below decks isn’t
really a chore on the V39. The shallow steps
have grippy rubber inserts on each tread and
the chunky, leather-bound banister falls easily
to hand. The galley isn’t huge but the
use of space is so good you don’t really notice
and it’s fine for prepping the odd meal aboard.
Clever designs like the reversible sink cover
and chopping board, which has its own special
storage slot beneath the microwave, and the
four small soft-close drawers next to the fridge
make the galley that bit nicer to be in. There is
also a moulded bin in the floor accessed by a
hatch on twin gas struts. It’s unlikely that
you’re going to be feeding the masses on a boat
like this but if you need to prepare a meal it’s
great to have a galley that is enjoyable to use.
There is nothing that radical
about the cockpit design
but it works brilliantly
Twin hatches in the
deckhead and elliptical
ports let light pour in
FIRST-CLASS CABINS
Much like the cockpit, the V39 uses a pretty
generic layout for its cabins but the look and
feel of everything manages to elevate them far
away from the mundane. The mid cabin is the
most interesting of the two with sliding berths,
which can be made into a double in seconds,
and good headroom at the end of the bed. I
would also take the option of having a small
third berth in place of the somewhat
redundant settee.
The forward cabin ticks all the main
criteria for a master cabin on a 40ft
sportscruiser with good headroom and space
at the end of the bed, storage in the form of
deep drawers, eye-level lockers and hanging
wardrobes and, of course, lots of light from the
twin skylights and large, elliptical ports. Sure,
it’s not the most exciting of spaces but it has
everything that customers will be looking for.
If you fill all seven potential berths
(including the converting lower dinette) then
a good heads is going to be a must. The V39’s
feels as if it is from a much larger boat, there is
even space in the large separate shower cubicle
to sit on a teak-topped bench. Elsewhere there
is storage both below the sink and above it and
behind the split mirror. The smart sink, tap
and accessories add the touches of class here
that the rest of the boat bristles with.
The berths in the mid
cabin can slide together
to make a double
BOAT REPORT
A CLOSER LOOK
WITH JACK HAINES
GALLEY DETAIL
It’s the typical compact galley
that you get on a 40-footer but
the nice touches like this stack
of soft-close drawers show
Princess making the most of
what it’s got. Above, the
chopping board-cum-sink
cover is a clever space saver
that can be hidden completely
in a drawer under the oven.
QUALITY TOUCHES
It’s the touches like this Perrin
& Rowe sink and the suspended
mixer tap that really make the
difference on a boat of this size
and price. The entire model is
littered with touches that add
real class but you really notice it
in the heads, which also has a
very spacious shower cubicle
and bags of storage space.
There’s a useful amount of
eye-level storage above the
saloon dinette, very handy
TRANSOM STORAGE
This double door storage ‘boot’
on the transom is the perfect
place to keep lines, fenders, the
shorepower cable or even a
deflated dinghy in a bag.
Handily, there is also access via
the aft bench from inside the
cockpit so you can grab items
quickly without having to leave
the cockpit.
ENGINEROOM
Even with a 4kW generator fitted there is plenty of room
inside the engineroom. The sterndrive set-up lends itself to
good access with plenty of space in front of the engines to
inspect the belts. As you’d expect on board a Princess, the
installation is flawless with clear labelling throughout and
neatly clipped piping and wiring.
The heads feels
as if it’s from a
class above
Galley is compact but
cleverly designed
The table on our test was too wide and therefore
difficult to move around but Princess has since
replaced it with a narrower one making access easier
We love this dark
blue hull with its
subtle red stripe
THE DATA
LENGTH OVERALL 42ft 6in (12.98m)
BEAM 12ft
5in (3.81m)
The twin 330hp Volvos are good
engines but the hull definitely
feels like it could take more
This small settee in the mid cabin can
be replaced with a small third berth,
something we’d recommend
This view shows just how large the
heads is for a boat of this size. It
could have come from a 45-footer
FUEL CAPACITY
154 imp gal (700 litres)
WATER CAPACITY
73 imp gal (332 litres)
DRAUGHT
3ft 4in (1.02m)
RCD CATEGORY
B (for 10 people)
DESIGNER
Princess & Olesinski
DISPLACEMENT
9 tonnes (empty)
9.9 tonnes (full fuel and
water)
BOAT REPORT
This combination of grippy sterndrives in a
nimble sportscruiser hull – especially at this
length – is one of the sweetest on the water
VERDICT
So, how have the designers done it then? The
truth is Princess hasn’t cut any corners to make
this boat affordable. It feels like a Princess in
the same way that the V57 or 60 flybridge does
and this is crucial both to the boat’s appeal and
to the integrity of the range.
People who buy into the Princess brand, even
at this level, expect a boat that feels just as
luxurious and well built as the larger models. The
chances are that Princess won’t make much
money from the V39 – with a base price of just
£300,000 margins must be wafer thin – but it
does offer excellent value for money.
The V39 is here because the market
demands it and a 40ft sportscruiser with a
great ride and Princess quality pumping
through its veins will attract buyers to the
brand early in their boat-buying careers.
The idea is that owners will work their way
up to the next V boat and continue upwards
from there. That is how the team at Princess
have made this boat possible – because it is
part of a much bigger picture. The net result is
that you get a slice of authentic Princess pie for
a price that beggars belief.
Contact Princess. Tel: +44 (0)1752 203888
Web: www.princessyachts.com
THE HELM VIEW
The clip-in dash
cover fits over
here with a space left
in the middle to allow
light into the saloon
The guardrails
are a safe height
and they run all they
way back to the
cockpit
It may be a sexy
sportscruiser
but that doesn’t mean
it should go without
dedicated chart space
The relationship
between the throttles
and the steering wheel is
spot on, in fact the driving
position couldn’t be better
PERFORMANCE
THE COSTS & OPTIONS
RIVALS
TEST ENGINES Twin Volvo Penta D6 330. 330hp @ 3,500rpm.
6-cylinder 5.5-litre diesels
Price from
£286,200 (twin 330hp)
Price as tested
£349,932 (twin 330hp)
Hull colour (midnight blue)
£1,920
Bow thruster
£3,250
Hydraulic bathing platform
£14,500
4kW generator
£7,645
Tropical air-conditioning
£9,155
Simrad electronics upgrade
£4,940
Timber floor in saloon
£1,810
Convertible cockpit table
£1,080
Cockpit BBQ
£545
iPod dock in saloon
£195
= Options on test boat
SUNSEEKER PORTOFINO 40
Price from £390,000
Classy interior and great hull
from smallest Sunseeker.
Buy the test: mby.com/ssp40
TEST
RPM
Speed
LPH
GPH
MPG
Range
2,100
12.4
44.5
9.8
1.27
156
2,300
15.8
54.5
12.0
1.32
162
2,500
19.7
74
16.3
1.21
149
SOUND LEVELS dB(A)
Helm
78
79
80
Cockpit 81
82
81
Saloon 73
78
77
2,700
24.2
79
17.4
1.39
171
ECO
2,900
27.1
87.5
19.2
1.41
192
3,100
30.8
101
22.2
1.39
171
FAST
3,300
34.0
118
26.0
1.31
161
MAX
3,500
36.9
136
29.9
1.23
152
79
81
76
78
81
77
79
80
78
81
80
79
81
84
79
FAIRLINE TARGA 38GT
Price from £277,080
An older design but still a very
capable and fast boat.
Buy the test: mby.com/ft38gt
Speed in knots. GPH & MPG figures use imperial gallons. Range in nautical miles and allows for 20% reserve. Calculated figures based on readings from on-board fuel gauge, figures may vary considerably. All prices include UK VAT.
Fuel 60%, water 50%, four crew + stores but no tender or liferaft, 20ºC air temp, calm F1 for speed trials
A member of the Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton family
High performance Flybridge Motor Yachts and V Class Sports Yachts from 39–130 feet
PRINCESS YACHTS INTERNATIONAL PLC
+44 (0)1752 203888 · [email protected]
www.princessyachts.com