Prestige, the upmarket brand of the Beneteau Group, has been around in various guises for the past 35 years, but the Prestige 500 Fly marked the start of the Prestige brand proper
Prestige started life in 1989 as the model name for a stylish new 41ft Jeanneau sportscruiser. Several more sportscruisers followed before in 2000 it started using the Prestige name on flybridges too. It wasn’t until 2010 that Beneteau decided to annex Prestige as a brand in its own right, largely on the back of this boat – the Prestige 500 Fly.
At the time it was the flagship of the Prestige fleet, although larger models soon followed. Prestige now spans a wide range of different craft from 40ft to 80ft, including flybridges, sportscruisers, X-Line ‘superflys’ and even a pair of power catamarans – the M48 and M8.
The Prestige 500 Fly we are featuring here dates from 2016 and is being offered by Ancasta’s Poole and Portland branch for £499,000 VAT paid, which places it around the midway point of Prestige 500s on the market today.
The aft cockpit features a dinette that also converts into a sheltered sunbed
At this price level the competition is pretty fierce. For instance, we found a Fairline Squadron 50 and an Azimut Magellano 50 for sale at a similar asking price to the Prestige. However, it does have a number of advantages on its side. For starters, it is considerably more efficient than either of them, squeezing a top speed of 29 knots from a pair of relatively modest 435hp Volvo Penta D6s on IPS drives – the Fairline needs twin 575hp D9s to reach a similar speed while the Azimut’s twin 425hp Cummins max out at 21 knots.
As well as being commendably efficient, the Prestige has another ace up its sleeve – youth. The fact that both these rival boats are four years older than the Prestige says it all. It may not have quite the same cachet as its British and Italian rivals but you get a considerably newer boat for the same amount of money. And while it may not be quite as lavishly appointed, being that much newer, it has a wonderfully bright, spacious, modern interior well suited to comfortable family cruising.
The inside helm enjoys good visibility thanks to the size of the windscreen and windows
The owner’s view
According to Port Solent-based owner, Peter Whitman, the Prestige 500 Fly makes an ideal choice for a family friendly cruiser: “Prior to the Prestige 500 Fly, we had a Carver 38 Flybridge but it just wasn’t big enough for our needs,” he says. “While it wasn’t cheap, the 500 gives you a lot for the money. I think it was one of the first boats with a full-beam master cabin amidships and a proper ensuite. Other boats we looked at had the master cabin forward with Jack and Jill doors to the heads, but with the 500, the kids get their own cabin and bathroom up front while we’re at the rear.
“My wife Coral and I use the boat throughout the year. In fact, we’ve put around 300 hours on it over the past 18 months. We do two weeks away in the summer, during which there are four adults and three children on board. The saloon is also a really good size, with large windows which the family really appreciate.
The saloon and galley look and feel commendably fresh, bright and modern
During the day, another four adults and children often join us and we’ve had up to 12 people for drinks up on the flybridge. Also, there’s plenty of space in the aft cockpit for two couples having dinner out there so I personally think it’s the perfect family boat. As well as offering plenty of room for guests, we’ve got a jetski on the back, plus a RIB and paddle boards too. It’s brilliant!”
In terms of seakeeping, Peter again has no complaints: “I’ve had various boats over the years and this is as good as any of them,” he says. “One of our trips last year was a rough one back from Cowes to Port Solent. It’s not far, but it took most of us in powerboats an hour-and-a-half and some of the sailing boats took six hours! I very rarely drive the boat from inside but on that occasion, you couldn’t do anything else.
The full beam owner’s cabin has its own private staircase at the aft end of the saloon
“We spent 45 minutes that day just watching the radar and the plotter. That’s how rough it was, but the boat was absolutely fine. We just powered our way through and got back no problem at all. In terms of low speed manoeuvrability the boat is good too – it has IPS and a bow thruster so you can squeeze it in pretty much anywhere.”
The outdoor spaces
As Peter intimated, there is sufficient space to carry both a personal watercraft on the bathing platform and a Williams Turbojet 285 in the garage. A hydraulic ram lifts the garage door and an integrated section of the bathing platform to reveal the launching/retrieval rollers. It’s a clever system that makes the whole process of carrying and using the tender much easier and leaves the bathing platform clear for other uses. However, bear in mind that Prestige offered a crew cabin as an alternative to the tender garage so not every boat will be configured like this.
Having spent time in the Med, as many vessels of this ilk do, our review boat was also fitted with a passerelle. This is a ‘letterbox’ unit which disappears from view when stored in its housing beneath the steps up from the bathing platform. The aft cockpit, with its U-shaped settee, seats six people comfortably and is protected from the elements by the flybridge overhang, which projects all the way to the rear of the cockpit. For those occasions when the sun does shine, the table can be dropped down to take an infill, which converts the entire seating area into a king-size sun pad.
The forward sunpad is one of three places guests can choose to sun themselves
Access to the engines is through a pair of large deck hatches (one for each) with space-saving pole ladders. A handy extra on our review boat is an extra set of IPS and thruster controls on the starboard side of the aft cockpit, giving the skipper the option to drive the boat from here when coming alongside or berthing stern-to the quay.
Two steps on either side of the cockpit lead up to wide side decks, which are flat for their entire length and protected by high gunwales and sturdy guard rails. This provides a super-safe passage to the foredeck, which is home to a second sun pad area.
A gangway extends out from this slot enabling guests to reach the quay when moored stern-to
in the Mediterranean
Seven wooden steps rise from the aft cockpit to the flybridge – a zone of which Prestige is justly proud. Its original sales brochure made great play of the fly’s considerable size and you really can’t argue with that. It features a fully-equipped double helm station to its port side and an enormous sun pad to starboard. There’s also a wet bar with barbecue and wine cooler, as well as bench-style seating for six, wrapped around two sides of a large triangular aft-mounted dining table.
The forward VIP has scissor-action beds so it can be made up as either a double or a twin
The indoor spaces
Back downstairs, the saloon is accessed via a multi-part patio door, which can be held open in various ways – and once inside, the space is very striking. At no point does the headroom fall below 6ft 4in (1.95m). Even the cabins provide full standing headroom and the saloon and galley offer even more, at 6ft 7in and 6ft 8in respectively. When you couple this with the light-coloured wood and large windows, the saloon has a light and expansive feel. It’s also a very sociable space with a tangible connection between the galley, saloon and helm.
The two guest cabins share this heads. The owner’s cabin has its own ensuite bathroom
Below decks are the three cabins. The full-beam owner’s cabin has its own staircase at the rear of the saloon, making it feel even more private than usual. The cabin itself is generously proportioned with a king-sized island bed, a small breakfast dinette, big hull windows and a good ensuite.
Further forward, a companionway beside the main deck helm takes you down to the two forward cabins and the day heads, which is connected to the VIP cabin by Jack and Jill doors. This cabin also features scissor beds so it can be arranged as either a double or a vee-berth twin. The third cabin’s twin beds can also be converted into a double by way of an infill.
The third cabin can also be made up as a double with the aid of an infill cushion
Prestige 500 Fly specifications
MODEL: Prestige 500 Fly
DESIGNER: J&J Design, Garroni, JP Concepts & Prestige Engineering
HULL TYPE: Planing
RCD: B12 / C14
LOA: 49ft 1in (15.2m)
BEAM: 14ft 9in (4.5m)
DRAFT: 3ft 5in (1.05m)
AIR DRAFT: 17ft 2in (5.23m)
DISPLACEMENT: 14 tonnes
FUEL CAPACITY: 1,300 litres
WATER CAPACITY: 636 litres TOP SPEED: 29 knots
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 5.25l/nm @ 21.5 knots
RANGE: 198nm at 21.5 knots with 20% reserve
Prestige 500 Fly costs & options
Annual fuel burn: 2,975 litres (based on 25 hours at 21.5 knots and 25 hours at 6.4 knots)
Berthing: £10,792 per annum (based on £710/metre for a Hamble River marina downstream of Bursledon bridge)
If you enjoyed this….
If you enjoyed this….Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.
Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.
Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.
Verdict
The Prestige 500 Fly represents a very compelling option in its price bracket. Its performance and efficiency stack up well against the competition and while the outright trim level may not be as lavish as some of its 50ft counterparts, the styling and layout feel very modern for a 2016 boat. More to the point, it’s a spacious craft that’s particularly easy to live with – and that, as owner Peter Whitman pointed out, makes it one of the most enjoyable yet sensible family boating packages that your money can buy.
