Pad around this whopping cabin for just a few moments and the rationale for splashing out on a new 60 is so easy to justify


about is the lack of space to add extra


equipment, such as a dedicated radar or AIS screen, a second plotter, or a forward-looking sonar – handy helpers that the owner of a boat this size might like to treat themselves to. In short the dash is very well laid out, but some might consider a single 12in chartplotter a tad restrictive on a 60-footer.


INSIDE STORY One of the reasons I liked the old 61 so much was that its large U-shaped galley resided in the same location as the new 60’s does – in the saloon, immediately behind the helm and opposite the dinette. It’s more sociable for the chef, better for seasickness sufferers with the horizon always in view, and safer too with no steep steps to climb. The two boats also share a lower seating area, opposite a smaller two-person seat and a sideboard to port. So chalk and cheese styling aside, the old and new saloons do function in much the same way. The big change is down below. Nowadays,


no self-respecting 60-footer would dare show its face without a vast full-beam owner’s suite to tempt potential owners. And so it is on the 60. The considerable extra space that seems to have magically appeared from thin air actually comes courtesy of the galley. Instead of being a sunken affair as on the 61, it resides two steps up from the lower saloon at the same level as the dinette, so the 60 gains a whole extra galley-worth of full-standing-headroom fl oor space down below. Pad around this whopping great cabin for


just a few moments, and the rationale for splashing out on a new 60, even if there’s a fl awless second-hand 61 available for a knock-down price, seems so easy to justify. And that’s even before you’ve made your way into the palatial ensuite bathroom – ‘heads compartment’ is no longer an adequate appellation for these roomy, opulent, mirrored temples of posh taps and giant shower heads that could irrigate deserts. And while the fi t and fi nish on the old 61


was very good, there’s something indefi nably luxurious about the way the 60’s cabin and bathroom are decorated that has nothing to do with space. Princess’s interior designers have upped the ante, and the new 60 defi nitely feels more opulent and, well, expensive. Mind you, it probably should. Back in 2002, our 61 could be had for £578,580 ex VAT, whereas the new 60 kicks off at £962,650. I’m no Einstein, but my calculator reckons that increase is about double the 33% rise in RPI over the same nine- year period.


ALL CHANGE My guess is that a lot of that extra money is going to pay the designers. And not just interior stylists. What with the amount of glass going into a modern boat, it must be a busy time for structural engineers, with less and less of that glassfi bre stuff left to hold things together. So far, Princess have resisted the temptation to run a big swathe of glazing down the middle of their foredecks, as Fairline do, and eschewed the elongated hull windows that Azimut fi t in their forecabins. But even their supremely subtle styling can’t entirely disguise the fact that there’s almost double the amount of glass in the saloon (excluding the windscreens), perched above the ubiquitous topside windows that let light pour into the owner’s cabin. It’s yet another transformative change that in itself seems enough reason to treat yourself to the new boat. I’d argue that the new 60 is better


constructed than the old 61. As long as it is extremely well executed, a resin-infused hull such as the 60’s will invariably be lighter yet stronger and stiffer too, and by its nature more consistently constructed than all but the very best hand-laid-up hulls. I was also struck by the tremendous quality of the hatches. Every single locker lid, however small, appears to have been manufactured inside a closed mould, an expensive process that produces a perfectly smooth fi nish with no raw edges or joins. Powerful gas struts and sturdy hinges, even on the tiny locker alongside the fl ybridge helm, reinforced the feeling of quality.


VERDICT So could you, hand on heart (and wallet) justify spending over one million pounds on a shiny new Princess 60 when you can pick up one of its near-perfect predecessors for less than half that? Of course you could. In some areas, the changes have been subtle – the fl ybridge, for instance. And in my opinion, the handling and performance of mainstream shaftdrive boats, fl ybridge and sportscruisers, probably reached its zenith a few years ago. In other areas, though, there have been


paradigm improvements. Below-decks accommodation has been transformed with that beautiful full-beam owner’s suite. For the lucky owner in particular, showering and sleeping and, err, cuddling on the 60 now takes place in uber-luxurious surroundings that dwarf those of its predecessor. And although it could be argued that upstairs in the saloon the basic workings have not changed signifi cantly, the attack of the glaziers has transformed not


Fit and fi nish in bathrooms is exemplary


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