BOAT REPORT


At no point does it feel as if one area has been compromised to benefi t another


L


This squab slides out to create a small


sunbathing area using an infi ll cushion


Access to the


cockpit is only to port


The vast seating area aft on the fl ybridge deck


ast month, we saw a different side to Princess Yachts as we experienced its radical new R35 prototype, a boat that stretches technological boundaries and takes


the Plymouth yard to a place that it has never been before. The new 55 fl ybridge may not be as revolutionary as the active foiling R35 but it is just as important to Princess’s success and represents exactly the type of craft on which Princess has cultivated its enviable reputation. This is the real bread and butter for the yard, even if at £1.1 million for this three-cabin fl ybridge cruiser, it’s a fair bit richer than your standard loaf of Mother’s Pride. The 55 replaces the 52 and the 56, both


of which are excellent boats . In fact, the 52 was so good that it ended up posing a bit of a threat to its own big sister. In this size range, Princess is uncannily adept at getting the balance right between internal volume, style, seakeeping and handling. The competition is hotting up though, and this sector is packed with talented rivals from the award-winning Sunseeker Manhattan 52 to the achingly stylish Prestige 520 and hugely spacious Absolute 58 Fly. Name any mainstream motor boat manufacturer and you can bet that there is a capable 50-55ft fl ybridge in the range. In a bid to separate the 55 from the pack,


Princess claims to have elevated the feeling of quality on board to unprecedented levels, even for a yard that is generally top of the class when it comes to perceived quality. It seems to have done the trick; the saloon radiates class, whether it’s the solidity of the wooden fl ooring, the luxurious squish of the carpet, the warm tactility of the leather-wrapped grabhandles or the subtle glow of the LED backlighting peeping out from the elegant contours of the cabinetry. Components that you regularly come into contact with like door handles and locker catches feel suitably substantial and the new lower helm design is a lesson in clear, polished design and excellent ergonomics.


The galley drops down a level to make space for the fridge-freezer


STEP INSIDE The décor is restrained without appearing bland, thanks in part to the walnut wood upgrade on our test boat (a £9,456 option over standard oak) and the saloon is made all the more impressive by how effortlessly spacious it feels. At no point does it feel as if one area has been compromised to benefi t another. Yes, there are a couple of steps between the galley and saloon


to boost headroom in the master cabin below, but the steps are shallow with wide treads and the saloon windows plunge below the line of the furniture to maximise natural light as well as views out. At this size, it’s hard to see how the layout


could be improved. Having the galley aft makes perfect sense and it’s teamed with a top-hinged window that opens up to the cockpit in seconds. The galley fl oor drops down a step to make way for a full-height fridge-freezer but the small lip is a small price to pay for some proper cooling space. The cabin arrangement echoes that of


the 55’s competition but it is executed with panache and feels unusually spacious. The master cabin has over 6ft 1in of headroom and a fl at fl oor all the way around the island double berth. It’s bursting with storage too, be it beneath the bed, the deep drawers in the chest on the starboard side or the double-fronted wardrobe that auto-illuminates when you swing open the doors. The breakfast dinette is unlikely to be used as intended but it makes for a useful dressing table if nothing else. The VIP cabin sacrifi ces a skylight for


improved seating on the foredeck (though there is an escape hatch) but any loss of natural light is compensated for by the elongated windows on either side with built-in opening ports. A shallow step and steeply raked cabin sides make it easy to clamber into bed, though the raised panels on either side would be far more useful if they had a small fi ddle to keep loose items in place. There is only one hanging locker in this cabin but there is a neat vanity area on the port side that uses the end of the bed as a perch. The ensuite bathroom is larger than the narrow but well-fi nished master bathroom but it is shared with the guest cabin across the way. This is one of the best guest cabins in the class, partly down to the level of fi nish but also because it’s so bright and well endowed with storage solutions. Guests in here won’t feel like poor relations, especially when they can push a button and split the double berth into twin singles to settle any midnight fallings out. Much like the interior, the deck spaces


use every square inch and deliver three genuinely usable separate living areas. The foredeck is especially impressive with its mix of sunbathing space and forward- facing seating. It’s the teak-laid walkway between these two areas that boosts the big-boat feel though, and makes crossing between the decks when on crew duties so easy. Storage is good here too, with deep lined lockers either side of the sofa large enough to swallow fenders and lines.


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