Princess P430

The English have never been known for doing it tough and compromising their personal comforts as they gad about the countryside. Now, in the finest of English traditions, the Princess range of motoryachts is showing more and more Australians the ways of luxury long-distance travel.

Like a maritime equivalent of Range Rover, the Princess line of cruisers is built for touring opulence on good tracks and bad. To illustrate the point, Sydney's newly appointed Princess agent, Len George, thought nothing of jumping aboard and disappearing for a few days on his 43ft demonstrator.

Where to? Destination: Sanctuary Cove. With twin 430hp Volvo engines, full water and fuel and excessive refreshments aboard, the Princess 430 gallivanted up the coast at an impressive 27-29kt. Botany Bay to Port Macquarie took less than seven hours, says Len. Or to put it another way, the boat arrived only an hour after it takes to reach the town by road.

Just over nine hours remained till Len's maiden voyage ended at Sanctuary Cove. All up, total cruise time was 16 hours 25 minutes. The latter part of the trip wasn't exactly plain sailing, but he still managed 24-25kt into a building headsea. That headsea reached five metres the next day.

This gives you some idea of what the Princess 430 is all about. A fast passagemaker with British dignity, culture and grace, it's the kind of boat you can swan around on the city's waterways or high-tail in high style it to way-off ports of call.

A big part of the boat's ability rests with the hull design. Princess boats use a modified deep-vee hull that is characterised by prominent chines and spray rails which trap displaced water for optimum efficiency. The fact that the propellers - four-bladers on Temet shafts - are mounted in tunnels also improves thrust.

With a low-profile superstructure built from balsa and/or foam-cored glass, the stiff boat has excellent stability and righting moment to keep you on track. This way, the 430 swallows up the sea miles and, well, you'll be in Queensland before you know it.

NO GIVE AND TAKE
The 430's sophistication has to do entirely with layout and finish. In the words of the Sydney agent, "not a single fitting is compromised."

Looking around the deck and especially inside, it is hard to disagree.

While it hasn't the big windows to draw your attention to the view, the saloon is just so pleasing that you'll happily park yourself on a lounge and become part of the furniture.

Meanwhile, access to all quarters of the boat makes the 430 seem much bigger than its waterline suggests.

From the marina, you step aboard a full-sized integrated boarding platform with teak decking and tie-down points (for a RIB or PWC) and waltz straight into a useful cockpit, around the decks to the bow, or inside to the seating.

In the cockpit is plenty of storage for fenders and dock lines, a hot and cold transom shower, and a giant lazarette with room around the Kohler 8kVa genset, batteries and eutectic fridge system for month's of provisions. There is also a lockable engine-room hatch nearby, but more on this later.

Due to the extended flybridge overhang, the cockpit is well protected.

This is handy considering there is an L-shaped lounge that can seat four people for breakfast or al fresco dinners.

The lounge has dedicated storage space beneath it for a liferaft and there is gas-bottle storage nearby. From the cockpit, there are steps and handrails and a nice high bowrail that together provide a safe passage to the foredeck.

Deck fittings include a powerful electric anchor winch which can be controlled from the bow, bridge or internal helm station, and designer fairleads and spring cleats, stern rope lockers, and fender storage to make berthing a breeze.

The lighting system is also impressive. A spotlight with dual-station remote control comes standard, as do courtesy lights and an intercom/PA system so you can talk to the crew casting a line or readying the lines as you head into dock.

BRITISH ENGINEERING
But you can really gauge this boat's quality by the engineering. All the windows are toughened safety glass fixed in stainless-steel frames, while the saloon door is a triple stainless-framed sliding number that can be opened wide when you're at anchor and shut watertight when underway.

The engine room is sound-proofed and a model of British boating know-how. Fed by high-volume air intakes and with water-cooled exhausts, it includes integrally-moulded engine beds to cut down on vibration, flexible engine mounts, and fore and aft bulkheads.

There is an impressive automatic fire-extinguisher system and automatic bilge pumps with manual overrides for added peace of mind. The electrical system is well thought-out - literally every wire is traceable.

Twin fuel tanks store a useful 1364lt, while the water tank holds 455lt. Together, the boat has at least interstate cruising range.

Hence the confidence of the Princess agent, Len, who is an engineer by trade.

SALOON WONDERS
While the standard Princess 430 comes with cherrywood with a clear finish which gives a light and cheery feel, Len is to commended for ordering the optional classic finish which is more stately and befitting of this boat.

Light wood tones and playful fabrics could actually underplay this craft's hand. Consider, for example, the fact that every screwhead is aligned on a vertical place, that the timber surfaces are finished in 12-coats of lacquer baked four times over, and that there is timber backing in all hanging lockers and drawers.

The boat's lounges - a moveable two person model to port and a big U-shaped lounge around a convertible dinette/coffee table on the starboard side - were upholstered in a pleasant fawn-coloured ultra-leather.

White or cream headliners warmed the natural light, while the carpet was a classic dark blue. The 430's bedspreads and curtains are all matching - a high-quality blue fabric with a subtle fleck pattern.

With the burl facias on the overhead radio panel and the internal burl helm, the saloon has something of a regal air about it. Here, the layout plays as big a part in things.

The saloon is open plan which means when you step inside you can see all the way down past the galley to the forward cabin. Along the way, there are built-in amenities which work particularly well for entertaining.

Catering for both cockpit and saloon is a cocktail cabinet immediately to port with a fridge, storage for bottles and drinks, and a stereo system, while the galley isn't too far removed for serving lunch on deck.

The galley has Avonite benchtops, twin sinks with a chopping board lid, a convection microwave with a grill feature, and a recessed three-burner stove. There is fridge/freezer, dedicated pantry, crockery and cutlery storage, an opening porthole and extractor fan, and an easily-visible water gauge.

HEAD DOWN AND TURN IN
The owner's suite in the bow comes with a generous island berth with firm mattress and quilted bedspread. Either side of the bed are his and her hanging lockers, and there is a dressing area complete with pop-up mirror and storage for personals and cosmetics.

Cream headliners, a deck hatch with a flyscreen and blind, and opening portholes allow you to switch from natural light and fresh air to halogen downlighting and air-conditioning. So it will be comfortable sleeping aboard no matter where you're parked.

The owner's en suite complements the main cabin. Features include a shower with separate stall and solid sliding screen, washbasin with mixer tap, opening porthole and extractor fan, and stylish towel ring, glass holder and other fittings. There's even a electric shaver socket.

The second or guests cabin on the starboard side contains two full-sized single berths reminiscent of a top-grade hotel room. There's a wardrobe and shelving, storage lockers, individual reading lights, and two opening portholes.

The en suite, with an access door also leading from the companionway, doubles for dayboating and has a Vacuflush loo as well as a shower.

THE DRIVE
The Princess 430 has twin helm stations. The internal helm, comprising two leather seats and an elaborate dash on the starboard side of the saloon, affords a surprisingly good view of the ocean. There are windscreen wipers if the rain or spray is up.

Though one girth-challenged scribe noted it is a little tight getting into the seats here, I see that as inconsequential for two reasons.

First, the compact internal helm is the reason the saloon is so generous. Second, most people will drive from up top.

Moulded stairs lead from the cockpit to the flybridge which is more of a social bridgedeck. It has a U-shaped lounge and a two-person bench seat, with a walnut dash and a wind-deflector. A bimini top is all that's needed to bring shade and reduce glare from the white upholstery.

That said, the drive of the 430 is truly wonderful. Like a Range Rover, or maybe a Rolls Royce, the attraction of travelling in this British marque is the journey as much as the destination.

All fuelled up and with provisions in store, the boat jumps out of the water to a top speed of 30-32kt. The electronic Volvo 430hp sixes pack a lot of punch. Around 2300rpm you get 24-25kt while 2400rpm turns in a sprightly cruise speed of 26kt.

But the thing is, you can maintain these speeds at sea for literally hours on end. Len left the Gold Coast Seaway at 6.00am bound for Sydney the following day. It's worth reading through the Princess dealer's account of his trip back home ...

"Thanks to the one that looks after me we had good seas to Coffs and, with a bunch of king prawns and a Le Mans fuel and engine check, we were away 45 minutes later at 11.50am to hopefully reach Port Stephens before dark.

"We had a similar run at 27-29kt, past Broughton Island, approximately one million dolphins, and the best sunset over glassy water. We came into Port Stephens at 5.20pm at precisely the cocktail hour.

"Next morning, while waiting for fuel, we had a full breakfast and grinned over the light westerly. We departed at 9am at 27kt but then...

"Into a nasty, short and sharp south-easter. My grin was gone and I reduced speed 'til The Entrance. We arrived in Botany Bay at 1.40pm for a total time of 15 hours and 15 minutes. Not too bad for a little boat, eh."

So there you have it. A British boat that's not about eating cucumber sandwiches and giving the royal salute to those less fortunate. No, the Princess 430 is a serious seaboat for people who want to voyage to faraway places.

Consider the fact that included with this boat are fenders and warps, an ensign staff, first-aid kit, boathook, tool kit, emergency tiller, emergency porthole cover, manual winch handle, ship's document case and manuals for the boat and engines. There's nothing left to chance...