We put the Princess S72 to the test in the Miami heat
A 9,000-mile, 19-hour round trip stood between us and the new Princess S72. But who are we to complain about spending a couple of days in the sun-drenched glamour of Florida’s West Palm Beach? And, after all, this is a very important new boat, not only for Princess but also in terms of the genre it fits in to.
The S72 marks new territory for Princess into the sportsbridge arena. Based on the hull of the V72 the S delivers sportscruiser looks and sportiness but also has a flybridge the size of a 50 footer’s up top.
The boat comes with three engines options, two from CAT with 1,620 and 1,725hp respectively and one from MAN, a pair of thumping great V12 1,800s.
The test boat had the larger CAT option and got up to just shy of 40 knots.
Inside, the galley-down layout makes for a mercifully clear view, not only out of both sides of the boat but also aft. The layout below decks is exactly the same as the V72 so that means three cabins in total with a master amidships, VIP forward and a twin guest cabin to starboard. Each has their own bathroom but the twin cabin’s also acts as the day heads.
As mentioned above, the flybridge is significantly smaller than a true 72ft flybridge boat’s but lamenting this fact sort of misses the point. The S72’s top deck is still plenty large enough, with a good amount of seating around a large table and, even more importantly, a sporty central driving position.
A more in depth review will be featured in the May 2014 issue of Motor Boat & Yachting, out April 3.
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