Princess 22

I dubbed it The Big Easy. A pocket superyacht with a displacement of 45,000kg, the Princess 22 Metre looks like an imposing boat. Its twin MANs are primed to put out 1300hp apiece. Poor judgement could make a mess of the marina and put an end to the beanie-topped sailor who happened across our path not to mention the impact on driver confidence.

Alas, The Big Easy is a breezy bit of work from Princess. It handles like a jumbo on autopilot or how I'd imagine that to be. With both upper and lower helmstations positioned well forward, you can forget about the size of the boat, the passengers who have lined up for the ride, and drive The Big Easy with abandon and aplomb.

User-friendly, the Princess 22M has bow and stern thrusters to shift the boat sideways from its berth. Add low-idle modes on the twin MANs, which drop a cylinder or two, and you can manoeuvre about the moorings at a speed that doesn't, well, overtake your brain.

At 1000rpm the boat is cruising at a sedate eight knots, where it is a darling to steer. It doesn't wander or get off-line, and when you lean on the wheel the hull turns on a penny. Transom-hung rudders and propeller tunnels help the boat's bite and overall responsiveness.

Clear of the nautical speed humps, the Princess exhibits performance akin to an S Class Benz on an autobahn, though it's not just fast and nimble. The boat has a level of internal comfort which is almost imposing. It works on a number of levels ranging from floating home to boardroom, to entertainment and function centre.

For these reasons, the new 22 has made a successful foray into Australia. The biggest in the range, it is the 27th Princess to be delivered here in just a few years. By December, there will be 31 of the UK-made luxury cruisers in Oz none of which, however, can hold a candle to the 22M.

Consider some of this boat's finer points: the flybridge tender crane, the separate crew quarters with bathroom beneath the cockpit, the hydraulic pasarelle or boarding ladder, the ship-like bulwarks with electrical doors, the electric deck winches, the dishwasher, washing machine, vacuum system, and, of course, the master suite.

At the heart of the 22 is the best owner's cabin in any Princess. Located amidships down its own private companionway, the stateroom runs the full width of the boat, more than five metres.

Hey, you can even take a bath (how wonderfully British) in the master bathroom. Which is to say nothing of the fact that there's a retractable television, full dining table, and... I'm getting ahead of myself. A word on the foundations first...

BRITISH RACER
The 22 is most definitely a Princess on the water. It wears its Bernard Oelinksi-designed modified-vee hull like a badge of honour.

Bordering on radical, the underwater running surfaces are characterised by pronounced strakes and down-turned chines. These provide lift along the full length of the boat.

Advance the throttles on the 22 and it rises up perfectly level. Next thing you know you're doing 30kt A touch of in-trim on calm water will pick up a few extra knots. Yet, as happens with Oelinksi's hulls, even with some in-trim the water is squeezed out sideways and not up onto the windscreen.

Boat wash is incredibly low and judging by the transom platform, the hull isn't at all bum heavy. By virtue of its layout, much of the weight has been kept out of the ends of the hull and concentrated down low.

In keeping with other Princess hulls, the bridge is a sleek design.

The hull is laid up by hand from solid glass. There's an integrated girder stiffening system with balsa and foam coring used for the superstructure.

The foredeck, sidedecks and cockpit are all laid (oiled) teak, while the bridge features a good grade of non-slip underfoot.

Deck fittings range from freshwater deck and anchor washes to dual-beam searchlights, electric stern-line docking winches, foredeck lockers for fenders, and a spread of lights to rival New York at night. The bulwarks are backed by heavy-duty stainless rails so you can take your morning walk safely at sea.

A companionway leading off the starboard-side of the cockpit takes you below to the engineroom and crew quarters. The engineroom has full standing room, high volume air intakes and electronic extractors, water-cooled exhaust silencers, and automatic fire and bilge systems. Vibration is reduced through the use of five-blade props, integrated engine bearers and flexible couplings and soft mounts.

The crew quarters are quite stunning and not as confined as those on other Euro motoryachts. Though the 22 remains an owner/driver boat, it's designed to carry permanent rather than day crew. Hence the twin bunks, hanging space, intercom and airconditioning, and separate head with shower.

Also beneath the cockpit is a dedicated laundry area with washer/dryer, and a nifty bracket for holding the folding lunch table. The table feeds back up through an escape hatch. As an option you can also turn the lazarette into a second crew cabin.

HILTON ON THE SEA
It's difficult to know where to start indoors. The flagship 22 has five cabins including crew quarters, four bathrooms, a dedicated dining setting for eight, plenty of casual seating, a cutting edge entertainment centre, and a galley with the mod cons to bring the best out of your caterers.

The layout of this particular boat featured the open, American-style galley. The optional European layout has a galley behind electric concertina doors, but the open galley is a more social arrangement for owner/drivers and their families.

The finish and ambience is more impressive than a Parisian hotel. As you walk through the big sliding stainless and glass saloon door you're greeted by plush camel-toned carpets, buttermilk-coloured leather lounges, a white suedette headliner, natural cherrywood joinery with a honey stain and parquetry inlays, Japanese-style drop blinds and glass coffee tables.

On the starboard side is a wet bar with ice-maker and fridge, pull-out bottle shelves, and crystal, which comes gratis, stacked high in a glass cabinet.

The twin-seater sofa is flanked by an entertainment centre hidden inside another cabinet. A bunch of remotes operate everything from the DVD to the television.

To port is the main lounge, a huge U-shaped seven-seater. A bookcase is nearby. The lounge looks across to the entertainment centre. Looking forward, and up two steps, is a full-time dining area. You won't find a dinette, but a beautiful timber table and matching chairs. Storage lockers holding the dinner setting for eight are built into the walls.

Salt-and-pepper Avonite benchtops and cherrywood joinery highlight the galley and help conceal the two big fridges and dishwasher. Other appliances include a convection microwave, four-burner Elf cooktop, separate freezer, and big stainless sinks. Storage exists in lots of cupboard and overhead shelves. There are dedicated drawers laid-out with gilt-edged cutlery.

A dinette and U-shaped lounge opposite the internal helm can be used for less formal occasions. It's a great place with light streaming inside and a big view of the outside world. Underway, passengers can park themselves here and share in the spoils of the journey. The skipper alongside is treated to an equally clear view, though the windows might be hard to see through at night due to reflection from internal lights.

The flybridge can be accessed through either an internal ladder located amidships in the saloon or a moulded stairwell leading from the cockpit. The helm position features a hydraulically-raised instrument console with repeater gauges, adjustable steering wheel, chart table, full electronics kit including chartplotter, and bow thruster and single-lever engine controls.

The bridge can cater for a good Catholic family, with a central helmseat, two-seater co-pilot seats alongside, and a C-shaped lounge around a lunch table. The serving area nearby has an Elf electric barbie, fridge, sink, and servery. A Benzoni davit was responsible for the outboard-powered RIB. Only thing missing at factory level is the canvas, which was added here to help cut the glare from the white surfaces. A good bimini will improve the bridge during those long, hot Aussie days.

TWO HOMES IN ONE
When you go looking for your cabin you also find the benefits of 22 metres of waterline length. Not only can the boat sleep eight people in four separate cabins, but it can do it with a degree of privacy usually reserved for a family home. This comes from having two quite separate sleeping areas accessed through separate companionways.

The for'ard companionway leads to the guests' quarters. There are two guests' cabins, each with twin single beds, plus a master room in the bow. The full-width single beds have inner-spring mattresses, toffee-coloured suedette bedheads, soft-touch walls, reading lights, hanging lockers, underbunk drawers, and their own sound system and A/C controls.

These single cabins share a common head which also doubles as the day head.

Italian fittings, Avonite benchtops and an integrated laundry basket adds to the comfort. You also get a vacuflush loo and separate shower stall with circular sliding door. Virtually the same layout is used for the ensuite in the master guests' cabin in the bow.

Those lucky enough to land the master guests' cabin are treated to a huge island bed (covered with a stylish black and camel check bedspread), his-and-her hanging lockers, and a sideboard and dressing table. Opening portholes add to the ship-like feel down below.

Tailing off a private companionway amidships in the saloon is the wonderful owner's cabin. It's totally private, located in the steadiest part of the boat, and fitted with everything from an adjoining office to his-and-her dressing stations, beautifully-crafted furniture, a push-button mirror on the dressing table, to a bath in the head.

Piece it together and you'll find the 22M combines private accommodation with open-plan living areas, formal dining settings with amenities for casual alfresco lunches, and comfort with the capacity to cruise long distances to offshore islands and other coastal ports.

At 2000rpm, the twin MANs were purring along as the Princess 22M strode gracefully to 23kt. At full speed, with the wheel turned hard to starboard, the boat arced in front of the Heads like a sportsboat.

It was then that I knighted the princely pocket superyacht The Big Easy. If only the dollars were that simple to come by...

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