Princess S80 review: A spacious, comfortable and refined sportsyacht

Few sportsflys are as sleek and sexy as this new S-Class flagship. But does the Princess S80 back that up with performance to match?

The first time we set eyes on the Princess S80 during September’s Cannes Yachting Festival, it was stern-to on the quay and wedged in among several other big Princesses and a number of larger models from other competitors. In that setting, alongside much bigger boats, it didn’t stand out as anything particularly special.

The second time was different. A few weeks later we caught up with that exact same boat at Villefranche-sur-Mer, a lovely little resort town 20 miles east of Cannes. Unlike most of the other marinas in the South of France, this one is full of ‘normal-size’ boats. For a moment, while watching the Princess S80 come in, I thought it was too small to be our boat. Its profile looks that low.

I only fully appreciated its scale when I registered Princess’s marketing director waving at me from the deep-set top deck.

I can tell you now that once safely ensconced inside that harbour it dwarfed every other vessel there by at least 20ft and looked every bit as special as you’d expect of the flagship model in the S Class range. As we proceeded to head back out into the bay, which was dappled with early autumn sunshine, the vin ordinaire vibe that had troubled us in Cannes, was replaced by a far more appropriate grand cru vintage.

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The Princess S80’s cockpit is quite a bit bigger than those on most of its competitors and Princess’s own Princess X80 and Princess Y80 models, both of which share the same basic hull platform and lower-deck accommodation. It is not completely open, however. Those quarter bulwarks and long sloping buttresses, as well as a substantial top-deck overhang, make it feel more intimate than you’d expect of such a big space.

There are no fold-down platforms to open it up further at anchor and no suggestion that they’re needed, but given how ubiquitous they have become on rivals like Pershing’s GTX80 and Pardo’s GT75, one can’t help wondering why they haven’t gone down this route.

Cockpit comfort

There’s a gate at the top of the steps from the bathing platform and a central walkway leading forward between two large sunpads that top off and overhang a shapely moulded transom. A pair of two-seat mini-sofas and an alfresco dining area create three distinct cockpit zones – sunbathing, lounging and dining.

High flyer

As with all the S Class models, the Princess S80 has a compact sportsfly deck sunk deep into the roof of the saloon to maintain its sleek profile rather than a full-length flybridge. However, the sheer scale of this model means it’s still a very good size, with room for another dining area up here as well as a wet bar, sunpads and an upper helm station with two more seats.

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You can add a hard top up here if you feel the need for more permanent shade, but our test boat did not have it, perhaps to preserve its sleek profile and keep its air draft in check – this also explains why the radar mast is so low.

In addition to the aft cockpit and flydeck, there’s also a substantial bow lounge featuring two more C-shaped dinettes that convert to sunbeds when needed. Well-equipped with Miele cooker and dishwasher, Sub-Zero fridge-freezer, Statuario Maximus quartz work surfaces and a practical wood-laminate sole, the galley is the beating heart of this yacht.

It sits just inside aft-deck doors that are offset to starboard but when they and the lift-up window to port are opened, you barely notice the transition from outside to inside space, especially since there is no change in deck height all the way from the cockpit to the saloon. While dining is primarily intended to take place outside, there’s enough room adjacent to the galley for a smaller dining table inside too.

The amidships lounge is every bit as comfortable as it looks. The furniture inside and out is low-slung, deep and inviting. There is also plenty of detailed joinery throughout using a combination of solid timber and rich veneers to add a suitably luxurious look and feel. This first boat has a Silver Oak scheme but plenty of other options are available.

The area beneath the windscreen is two steps up from the saloon. There’s a small corner booth to port and a helm position to starboard with two seats as standard (a third is optional) and plenty of access to fresh air thanks to a good-size sunroof and a side-deck door.

The lower-deck accommodation is essentially the same as on the Y80 and X80. It consists of four ensuite cabins with the owner’s in the usual full-beam slot amidships.

The accompanying ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe are located behind the bed, serving as a buffer between the cabin and the engineroom. It’s every bit as large, lavish and comfortable as you’d expect with a forward-facing superking bed, a sofa to starboard, a vanity desk to port and large picture windows delivering natural light in abundance and the prospect of spectacular views. From our experience of sleeping on a Y80 we also know that it’s exceptionally quiet, the loudest noise at anchor being the occasional slap and gurgle from water lapping against its vacuum-infused hull.

Then there’s a VIP in the bow, which has an aft-facing double and its ensuite facilities separated either side of a doorway that’s imperceptibly offset to port. Amidships, there’s a third double to starboard and a fourth to port that will convert twin beds to a double at the flick of a switch. All the bathrooms aboard our boat had teak-look decking and the optional Shadow Pack, which adds black brightwork and slate grey furniture for a cooler, more modern look.

It’s not just the owner’s suite that benefits from close attention to noise reduction. At 20 knots and with all doors closed, we registered a modest 63dB(A) at the bridge, 65dB(A) in the owner’s cabin and 70dB(A) in the forward VIP (due to the extra chine noise at speed).

Our test boat had two Kohler 28kW generators instead of the standard 27kW Cummins-Onan and the upgraded 144,000BTU chilled-water AC system, which is suitable for the tropics and includes UV-treatment on the strainers to kill bacteria.

In a first for Princess, the S80 also has also been endowed with a 12,000BTU split gas AC system for the cockpit. This area can even be enclosed with transparent screens to make it feel cooler (or warmer) if required.

The starboard side of the transom includes a longitudinal tender garage big enough for a Williams Sportjet 435, while the portside has a door leading down to a twin-bunk crew cabin, bathroom, small mess area and direct access to the engineroom.

Grand tourer

The standard propulsion set-up is twin MAN V12-2000s hooked up to straight boxes and shafts. Princess says they will deliver a top speed of around 31-33 knots depending on load. The Princess S80 we got to play with had those, and in theory was running at around half-load – seven people, 87% fuel and 54% water but no tender nor stores aboard.

On the other hand, the bottom was a little on the mucky side, having not been scrubbed for four months, and it was carrying an extra 50m of chain on both its primary 80kg main anchor and secondary 50kg anchor. Moreover, it had the long-range fuel tanks, which add another 1,800 litres to the standard 7,000-litre capacity.

With the test boat’s optional Seakeeper 26 gyro stabiliser running and her tabs fully up, we managed an average top speed of just over 34 knots on reciprocal runs. But allowing the tabs to bite slightly and drop the bow just a little gave us our best speed of the day – an impressive 34.9 knots.

For those who would like even more pace to back up those sporty looks, fear not. Punchier MAN V12-2200s will soon be available, pushing the maximum up to an estimated 37 knots. Ease back to 20 knots and those extended fuel tanks allow for an equally impressive cruising range of 400nm with 20% still in reserve.

Our chosen corner of the Mediterranean did not serve up anything that was going to challenge a boat of this size and stature but the handling felt suitably assured.

Its modified deep-vee hull shape is already well proven aboard its X80 and Y80 siblings and thanks to a lower centre of gravity and a little less weight and windage, this Princess S80 feels very well-behaved in comparison.

The shaft drive installation means the engines are sited well forward in the hull for a nicely balanced weight distribution and the fly-by-wire Sleipner electro-hydraulic steering system is as precise as it is light and smooth.

Incidentally, Sleipner Vector stabiliser fins are also an option if you think you’d favour these instead of or in addition to a Seakeeper gyro.

Owner-drivers of smaller Princesses are unlikely to be intimidated by this easy-handling larger model, although we would advise Med-based owners to opt for the third-helm option in the cockpit. A low-speed trolling model, which slips the clutch to reduce the boat speed at idle, is another very welcome feature.

Princess S80 specifications

LOA: 83ft 6in (25.44m)
Beam: 19ft 11in (6.07m)
Draft: (Full-Load) 6ft 0in (1.82m)
Fuel Capacity: 7,000 litres
Fuel Capacity: (Extended) 8,800 litres
Water: 1,480 litres
Displacement: 63.9 tonnes
Engines: 2 x 2,000hp-2,200hp MAN V12
RCD: Category B
Design: Princess and Olesinski
Price: From £7.87million ex taxes
Contact: princessyachts.com

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