See the Princess V48 Open on stand E250
As the name makes abundantly clear this is an Open version of the V48 that was launched at last year’s Southampton Boat Show.
How different is it, though, given that they both share the same hull and both have a hardtop? The answer is more so than you’d think.
Whereas the standard V48 has a tall hardtop with a solid sunroof and glass doors separating the enclosed deck saloon from the aft cockpit, this version has a single open cockpit space under a shorter, lower hardtop with a much larger canvas sunroof overhead.
It also has a full-sized tender garage, large enough for a Williams 325 Turbojet, topped with a big spread of sunpads so there’s no need to head up to the foredeck to top up your tan. This leaves the hi-lo platform free for bathing duties or yet more toys.
Below decks, the layout is exactly the same except for the entrance to the master cabin, which has moved from the port to the starboard side. Oddly, this makes the master cabin feel a little tighter but it’s still a fantastic cabin for a sportscruiser of this size.
Having recently tested both boats back to back, we reckon the Open is the more enjoyable steer. You feel more connected to the water and the smaller, lighter hardtop makes for more agile handling and a marginally higher top speed.
See it: Stand E250.
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