BOAT REPORT


The master cabin arrangement is executed with panache and feels unusually spacious


AT THE HELM Head aft to the cockpit and you won’t fi nd the largest seating area in the class but it is well shaped with shallow seat bases and tall backrests that extend around the sides. There are two ways to access the crew cabin – a hatch to starboard of the dinette and a door in the transom. Both grant access to the crew space, which for an extra £10K is fi tted out with a single berth and separate bathroom. The hatch will come in handy for dropping fenders into the void. Gently inclined stairs with chunky


treads and banisters lead up to a fl ybridge deck dominated by the huge seating area aft that can easily fi t ten people, even if the folding teak table can’t. There is yet more seating forward on the starboard side that converts from seating to sunpad via a sliding section and infi ll cushion. The driving position at both helms is


very comfortable, largely because the range of adjustment between seat and steering wheel is so good. At the upper helm, the more central steering position gives a better view of both sides of the boat but it does mean that you have to lean over the side to check proximity to pontoons and the navigator will disturb the skipper if they want to leave their seat. That’s where the complaining stops


because the rest of the driving experience is sublime. Princess doesn’t mess around with specifying entry-level engines that risk leaving the boat underpowered so the smallest engine option is a pair of Volvo Penta D13-800s on shafts with the option


to upgrade to 900s. We had the 800s on test and they provided smooth, punchy performance and the kind of alert throttle response that you wouldn’t normally associate with a 25-tonne fl ybridge. The steering is the same; the boat has no right to be as agile and engaging to drive as it is but Princess has never seen that as reason to dilute the dynamics. It feels light, poised and fun to chuck about. If you have a particularly heavy specifi cation, the 900hp engines may be worth considering but in most other circumstances, the 800’s top speed just a whisker shy of 30 knots and fast cruise of 26 knots should be suffi cient. The conditions on test were gentle


but the Olesinski hull dealt with obscure wake, crossing angles and the wash of passing craft in a manner that suggested it wouldn’t throw its toys out of the pram in a more severe blow. When the drivetrain is as sweetly tuned


as this, it is understandable that Princess opted for shafts over pod drives, especially as the 55 comes as standard with a Volvo Penta joystick that links the shafts and bow thruster to give IPS-like close-quarters control. It’s good, too. Some of these systems are slow and dim-witted but this one is quick and intuitive and genuinely makes the business of sliding the boat about the marina less intimidating. Is there anything that blots the 55’s


copybook? The hardtop isn’t the most elegant piece of design. Unless you dearly want a hard shade overhead, the bimini option is more aesthetically pleasing and


A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PRINCESS 55


STORAGE WARS Storage is generally very good and nowhere better than the master cabin, which has a vast double wardrobe, space under the bed and these deep drawers on soft-close runners.


GRILL SEEKER A sink, fridge and some storage come as standard in the flybridge wet bar but the BBQ grill is an option. The bar itself is placed so that it doesn’t gobble up valuable seating space.


DECKED OUT A teak-laid bathing platform and cockpit come as standard but teak side decks are an option. They’re worth having, though; they look and feel so much classier.


ENGINEROOM A quick peak into the engineroom explains why the 55 is as quiet as it is because the entire space is plastered with soundproofing. Accessed via a hatch in the cockpit, the space is well lit by artificial lights and engine checks are made simple by handed dipsticks and centrally mounted fuel filters with clear bowls.


The Olesinski hull feels solid in the rough


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