Princess V45 Sports Yacht

WHAT WE LIKE

NOT SO MUCH

All boats are a compromise and, in a perfect world, I would own three or four different ones to satisfy my every waterborne wish and whim. I’d start with a stylish dayboat to entertain family and friends during an impromptu Sunday fling. Drop anchor off a sandy beach, enjoy a bit of fun in the sun, frolic with the water toys, finish with a barbecue lunch onboard and fang it home.

But a sophisticated overnighter holds sway as the sun sinks. Something with comfort to carry my someone special away for a weekend. Cruise to Docklands, Cockle Bay, Marina Mirage, and so on, do dinner dockside at a fine eatery, then slink back to the boat for a romantic night before retiring in luxurious waterfront accommodation.

There are also times I long to satisfy the boy-racer in me, to jump aboard something with a bit of dash and panache, that is plainly good fun, gets up and boogies, and sets the adrenaline pumping as you skim across the water, open top, wind in the hair. After all, so much of terrestrial life is governed by all kinds of restrictions these days. With a sportsboat you can cut loose.

I could add one or two more boats to my wish list or, get this, wrap-up all my desires and jump aboard the new Princess V45 Sports Yacht. This compact and stylish conveyance ticks just about all boxes and bases.

CROWNING GLORY
A well-proportioned boat with style and sophistication, the V45 hides the power and punch of a serious sportsyacht beneath her smooth curves and lithe lines. Twin 370hp turbo-diesel common rail engines are at your beck and call and, with Aquamatic sterndrives and grippy Duoprops, you derive real driving pleasure.

Top speed is more than 35kts, according to Princess. On test day we managed just over 33kts at the maximum 3500rpm, but I’m sure in better conditions an extra knot is available. Even so, at 3000rpm you will find a respectable 27kts, at which speed we trounced outside of the Gold Coast Seaway in around a metre of swell and a half-metre of chop. 

In fact, such is her seaworthiness you can add ‘fast coastal cruiser’ to her CV as well. Taking the conditions in her stride and remaining surprisingly dry, she’d be perfect for those weekend getaways along the coast and, just as importantly, quick enough to get you home before an approaching storm.

Ensconced at anchor, the two-cabin, two-bathroom layout soon calls. At just over 47ft long overall, the V45 is a roomy sportsyacht below decks. But with the sun shining as we left the dock, we descended on the decks and, before long, called on the sunroof.

This V45 has a clever new concertina-style electric sunroof replacing the targa arch of previous models. This type of hardtop has been available on the larger Princess sportsyachts for some time and it’s now filtering down the line to the smaller models. With a flick of a switch at the console you are open-top boating, thereby adding another dimension to the drive, that is, the wind-in-your-hair sporty ride.

However, in most respects it’s a model driving position; comfortable, good vision forward through the large windscreen with wipers, and easy access to all instrumentation. The test boat was fitted with Furuno 1834C navigation gear with combined 36nm radar/GPS chartplotter and a 10in screen. There didn’t seem to be any room for an additional screen, which may or may not be an issue.

The slide-down window adjacent the helm is ideal for looking along the side of the boat or barking instructions to the deckhand. It will also come in handy for setting the anchor, as the skipper can stand outside and, if necessary, lean in and tweak the controls. Not a perfect scenario but handy if you’re shorthanded.

But while performance on the pegs is a key feature of this bona fide sportsyacht, you get more than just a point-and-shoot boat. From the moment you step aboard via the teak-laid transom platform there’s a sense that the V45 is special. It’s not so much breaking the mould but perfecting it.

There’s a huge aft sunbed sitting atop a garage that takes a 2.85m Williams jet RIB (sponsons slightly deflated) and, in the cockpit, a dinette with U-shaped seating that comfortably accommodates six.

Opposite, on the port side, is an amenities centre with wetbar, refrigerated icebox and built-in electric barbecue. Moving forward, the L-shaped sofa opposite the helm is a perfect spot for guests to sit, recline or chat with the skipper when underway.

FOREDECK FROLIC
The wide and expansive foredeck is accessed by walkaround sidedecks with toerails and slightly raised bulwarks. A high bowrail and plenty of handrails get you up and back safely. The windlass sits flush when the anchor hatch is closed, so there’s nothing to trip over, while a large sunpad secured with sail tracks, and built-in drinkholders create a perfect teenage retreat.

There’s fresh and raw-water washdowns, a dam around the windlass for muddy water to drain overboard and not on deck, and substantial and chic fairleads and cleats. At which point, I paused to reflect on what is, by any measure, a great dayboat. Hey, I can just imagine being at anchor with the family and guests sprawled out on the decks.

But while the Princess V45 is a great dayboat, it’s not left wanting as a weekender. Below decks, the luxurious saloon has a U-shaped dinette that seats eight and converts to a large double bed, plus built-in cocktail cabinet, stereo system and overhead downlights.

The galley opposite features Avonite benchtop, three-burner electric hotplate, convection microwave, stainless steel sink and ample storage. All timberwork is satin-finished light oak and the ambience is one of refined luxury.

There are two staterooms, the master with queen-sized walkaround island bed, and a second (especially spacious - Ed.) cabin amidships with twin beds that slide together to form a large double. Both have ample storage and en suites featuring freshwater heads and showers with sliding polycarbonate screens. The opening portholes in all cabins and bathrooms enhance the feeling of light and space.

Access to the engineroom is through a hatch in the cockpit sole. With the engines set well back, everything is just so easily accessible and you get a lot of space left over for stowing those watertoys. The batteries are housed neatly in a vented box, there’s an Onan 7kW/50Hz generator driving the air-con, two interconnecting fuel tanks, hot-water service and, a mark of Princess, excellent engineering for serious inshore or offshore powerboating. The V45 knows no bounds and your time aboard will be restricted only by terrestrial demands.

PRICE AS TESTED
$1.186 million

PRICED FROM
$931,166 w/ twin 370hp Volvo D6-370DP

OPTIONS FITTED
Furuno 1834C electronics package inc. radar, GPS chartplotter, 36nm raydome and 10in screen; teak cockpit table; double berth conversion to aft cabin; hardtop with electric sunroof; air-conditioning; additional 10m anchor chain; three-burner ceramic electric hob; holding tank; sunbed cushions; Princess china package; and more.

CAPACITIES
FUEL: 1000lt
WATER: 394lt
HOLDING TANK: 136lt

ENGINE
MAKE/MODEL: 2 x Volvo D6-370DP
TYPE: Six-cylinder turbo-diesel
RATED HP: 370 (each)
DISPLACEMENT: 5.5lt

SUPPLIED BY
Princess Australia,
Suite 3, The Boardwalk,
1 Rialto Quay Drive,
Hope Island, Qld, 4212
Phone: (07) 5514 1900
Email: info@princessaustralia.com.au
Web: www.princessaustralia.com.au

Specifically, Princess is planning to create some of the largest yachts in the company’s history via a new world-class manufacturing facility in the UK. The present range of flybridge motoryachts and V Class sportsyachts goes from 42 to 95 feet, but Princess has confirmed plans to build yachts above 100 feet. Watch this space as the supersized superyachts from Princess are revealed.

- David Lockwood.