Princess 40M - Boat International

5/18/2018 Princess 40M - Boat International

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PRINCESSIMPERIAL


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IMPERIALPr

words:Tim Thomas

photography:Jeff Brown/SuperYacht Media; Mike Evans

PRODUCTION BUILDER PRINCESS YACHTS HASENTERED THE SEMI-CUSTOM BIG BOAT MARKET WITH A

BANG THANKS TO IMPERIAL PRINCESS, THE FIRST OFTHE 40M CLASS. SHE IS AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT


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IMPERIAL

Shes a little ship, proclaims Peterproudly as we sit on the upper deck ofPrincess, anchored in a pretty cala in Mallo

solid, and she feels solid. Shes a sea change from

else in the Princess range, and its a marked dif

Levine is no stranger to Princess, having b

first a 66-footer (20.55 metre) some 12

when he first indulged his love of the sea. Atime, I finally had time to devote to my inte

sea. This is my sixth from Princess, and I have

from the 66 through a 20 metre, a 25 metre,

(29.42 metre), my last yacht. I was in constant d

with Princess, always asking when they wer

the next stage, and then I learnt they wanted

a larger, semi-custom boat. I saw the plans fo

at the boat show in January 2009.

Princess based in Plymouth, UK has est

reputation for building solid and top-quality p

boat, but has never been a company that like

from the rafters. This relatively low-key app

served the bui lder well, developing a devotedof owners who have progressed through th

range as it has grown much like Levine. Ive

Princess for 25 years, explains Chris Gates,

director of Princess Yachts, and in that time

about a dozen times that a given model was t

we were going to build. But we are always g

led by customer demand, and the pressure soo

a larger model.

The 40 metre project began at about the sam


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the 32 metre, which was launched at the London showin 2011 to wide acclaim. But even so, there are significant

differences between the two not only in length and

volume, but also in the systems, build methodology,

layout and regulations that have to be met. It was an

ambitious project. Key for Princess was that it had an

existing Princess owner on board from the outset, and

with Peter Levine it found its man. He came on board

early on, says Gates. We were very fortunate that he

wanted to be involved.

My primary concern, Levine says, was that I didntwant a flybridge on steroids. Princess are extremely

good at flybridge boats, but the step change from a fly,

even with a raised pilothouse like the 32M, to a true

trideck is a fundamental change in all areas. My primary

concern was to make sure it looked modern yet wouldnt

age, and that it would have all the qualities and

characteristics of a boat of this class rather than simply

sticking a sundeck on a 40 metre chassis.

If the challenge was steep, it was met head on by all

IMPERIAL PRINCESS


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The upper saloon (above)

draws on modern classic

design and a muted, neutral

colour palette. The entrance

foyers divider screen on the

main deck appears opaque

from outside for guest

privacy, but allows

aft-facing views from inside

concerned. Walking over the yacht, it is clear to see thatthis is no production special, but a true semi-custom

yacht fitted out to a high standard, and with several

elements that are more usually found on 45 or 50 metre

yachts. Take, for example, the crew stair that rises from

the crew mess (designed, incidental ly, to MLC compliance)

to the upper deck, offering a degree of separation of

guests and crew that is well considered. Similarly, the

main guest stair steps mounted on a stainless backbone

rises from the lower deck right through to the upper

deck. The main deck saloon and dining area iand bright thanks not only to large windows,

twin opening balconies to port and starboard.

saloon is informal yet comfortable, with sofas to

facing a large television screen on the forward

and loose seating to port.

The guest cabins too offer space and luxur

measure. Aft is a full beam VIP cabin, althoug

also be specified as two doubles; forward the g

has been changed into a gym on hull number


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The spacious ma

saloon offers form

at its forward end

and a relaxed aft

area enhanced by

drop-down side b

accessed throug

sliding doors, on

sides of the yach

bathrooms follow the masters en suites, with a high degree

of finish including a lot of stone and heated floors.

The master suite itself is forward on the main deck,

comprising on Imperial Princess an owners office on

the starboard side leading through to a full beam bed

area and his-and-hers bath/shower rooms. It is here that

Levines own input is clear the forward bulkhead

between the two en suites has been put to use with afull-height, fold out mirror; the head of the bath conceals

a TV screen, an idea borrowed from the Connaught

Hotel in London, where Levine frequently stays.

The original planning concepts for her interior were

drawn by Bannenberg & Rowell, then adapted and

progressed by the extensive design team at Princess, but

it is also obvious walking though the yacht that the

owner and his advisors marine engineer and surveyor

Keith Willis, and interiors specialist Chantal Gaudreau

have also contributed. It is a collaboration that has

extended to the exterior too. I wanted a sloping, raked

stern because the boat that Ive always loved is Limitless

with her raked bow and stern in symmetry, enthusesLevine. I was involved right at the outset I remember

faxing back drawings with my amateur pen amendments

and filling in things and to be fair, Princess took it with

good heart and good cheer. I cant really take credit for

all these things I am just an amateur but the fact that

I was able to make suggestions is credit to Princess. My

mission, very simply, was not to build hull number one,

but to build the best boat thats ever going to be built in

this class because too often the first hull is seen as a test

bed. I wanted other people ordering these boats in the

future to say, Yes, I want that, rather than, Thats

terrible, well learn from that and move on. The aim of

Imperial Princessis to demonstrate everything that can

be done on the boat with all the extras the hardtop,

the folding balconies, the mirror panels, twin master

bathrooms, the quality of the doors and the cabinetry.

That quality is evident throughout. Doors are superheavy, and a lot of work has gone into making sure that all

guest areas are triple insulated against sound and vibration.

Of course, this often means a large weight penalty, but in

the case of the 40M this is mitigated by her construction

method. She is fully vacuum infused the largest hull

currently built using this method. Weve done probably 80

to 100 boats this way before, explains Gates, but this is a

very big vessel to infuse in six to seven hours

The deck spaces and technical areas continue the

trend of quality installation and well thought-through

planning. The main deck galley is large, with an enviable

view through hull windows, and was designed with the

help of a top French chef. The bridge incorporates a fullBning system and is capable of being certified

paperless. S band and X band radars give a clear view

up to 120 miles in the case of the X band and there

is a full FLIR system for nighttime manoeuvres. The

Bning screens have repeaters at two wing stations, in

the crew mess and also down in the engine room, which

itself features a small engineers office and a workshop

with tool bench. Power comes from twin MTUs giving a

top speed of about 23 knots, although Imperial Princess


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IMPERIAL

is likely to cruise at 12 to 14 knots, which gives a fuel

consumption of 250 to 300 litres per hour and a range of1,500 miles. This can be extended to well over 2,000

miles by cruising at 10 knots, thanks to an efficient

Olesinski-designed hull, and this is probably just as well

Levines previous yacht, the 95, covered some 10,000

miles in one season in the Mediterranean.

The aft garage houses a jet ski with a lifting rack

mechanism so that an additional unit can be added

and a custom designed 6.5 metre Rib-X RIB for

watersports. The crew/rescue tender is housed in a giant

foredeck locker along with other toys, just in

seating and sunbathing area that itself nestlesa Portuguese bridge. The aft garage space al

as a beach club, with privacy screen, and this w

has the potential to be utilised for a truly

guest relaxation area right on the water.

Building a yacht that is so much larger

previously produced by the yard has of course

challenges. These boats are immensely co

says Gates. We put in 100,000 man-hours o

one, although a huge proportion of that work


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IMPERIAL PRINCESS

from everyone, as much of it is in the development. The

systems in particular are immensely complicated, andthe focus falls on things like the AV installation, which

we learnt needs attention to design right up front. But

we have taken a lot from this into the rest of our range,

from systems integration to stiffening, noise transition

and vibration prevention. We went for RINA Comfy class

and weve beaten the requirements significantly. The

yacht is also LY2 compliant.

We worked everything out together, adds Levine. My

crew have been fantastic they were at the yard for six

months before the launch, which has given them

invaluable experience on all the systems. It was achallenge for a boatbuilder who has effectively never

built more than a raised pilothouse to go up a gear, and

it took a lot of time, effort and dedication but we got

there. Shes a great boat.

Theres no doubt that Princess has made an impressive

entry into the big boat market with this first 40 metre. She

does feel like a little ship with her impressive 395GT

volume, and the styling, fit and finish belie the fact that

she is the first of her type she very much feels like


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The master suite, forward

on the main deck, is

prodigious in its size,

comprising the main area

(above), an owners study

(top right) and his-and-hers

en suites fitted to a very

high standard. The cabin

takes advantage of the full

beam of the yacht as there

are no sidedecks here

Princess has been building this size of yacht for most of

its history. If you needed further proof of concept,Princess has already sold hulls two and three, and with

new facilities being developed at the former Ministry of

Defence-owned South Yard in Plymouth (representing, in

the end, some 30 million of investment by Princess)

there is an option to go bigger still. Ive said to them

(Princess), as they consider going up the size scale, lets

do the same again, hints Levine. But there is a size limit

for me I dont want to be a sad person wandering

around the decks of a giant boat trying to figure out how

we can fill the decks with people. This is a re

size. Its all about whether you love the sea, andsea. I did the delivery across Biscay (which saw

punching Force 5-6 winds on the nose with sea

and I wouldnt have missed it for the world. To

what its all about.

If Imperial Princess is a measure of what

capable of building, there will no doubt be m

like Levine, enjoying this little ship for exactly w

the chance to enjoy cruising in a yacht built to

that would put many more expensive yards to


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The

makingofImperialPrincess

PRINCESS YACHTS HAS TAKEN VACUUM INFUSION TO NEW HEIGWITH THE 40M, USING A HIGHLY DEVELOPED SYSTEM TO CREAN IMPRESSIVE HULL. BUT THE QUALITY DOESNT END THE

words:

Tim Thomas

photography:

Courtesy of

Princess Yachts

For a production builder moving up the sizerange, taking tried and tested resin infusionmethodology from the smaller yachts in its range may not

seem like a big deal. But things are never that simple. The

area of the main hull mould, explains Julian Spooner, head

of composites at Princess, is double that of the 32M. Thetechnology is challenging, and we have collaborated closely

with our suppliers. The result? One of the largest production

infused hulls currently built anywhere in the world, with

6,000 litres of resin pumped through a closed system with

in-line mixing of the catalyst over the course of seven hours.

The technology doesnt stop there. We use a

feedback system to inject directly in a more contro

says Spooner, and its all touchscreen computer c

Its unusual not only in boatbuilding, but in

industrial manufacturing, with a level of contr

rarely seen its equivalent to aerospace levels of Fundamentally, the method Princess uses e

special moulds with integrated fluid heating so th

can be post-cured in the moulding create lamin

a high fibre to resin ratio and a very low, sub-two

void content. Its a fine-tuned process that h

Princess working with other high-tech industries

project with Bombardier being a prime example

About 90 per cent of the 40Ms hull and supe

is built using the vacuum infusion process, w

parts built using a 100 square metre heated vacu

The result is a hull that weighs 20 per cent le

traditional hand-laid hull of the same size. Co

this represents some 35 per cent of overall vessethats a big saving. It means performance and

criteria can be met realised in close coll

between the technical team and the naval arc

the naval architects can have confidence that w

engineer can be built and that there is spare w

comfort elements such as noise and vibration in

The owner hates that production boat fee

cheap fittings that rattle and squeak while under

Keith Willis, the owners surveyor during the bui

The team

at Princess

worked with

Bannenberg &

Rowell on initial

space and interior

planning before

finalising the

designs in-house


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was one of the key areas we focused on. In general, the

line drawings and renderings from Princess at the start of

the project were accurate we made tweaks but already

knew how it was going to look. The yard was extremely

receptive to our input to the initial designs and open to

discussing changes which were really important for an

owner. We also kept the entertainment systems spec open

as long as possible, as these are constantly moving

goalposts. In other areas, such as wiring looms and pipe

runs, she is probably the most serviceable 40 metre outthere. I have worked with many builders who have years

of experience of this size and type of yacht and was very

impressed with the yards approach and the quality

achieved I think all involved can be very proud of her.

For the space and interior planning, Princess

The construction

(below) uses 6,00

preheated resin,

mixed with the c

in-line, infused o

hour period. Amo

benefits are extr

emissions one

factors for the ya

ISO14001 certific

approached renowned British design team Bannenberg &

Rowell for initial consultation. We gave them a lot of

advice, says Simon Rowell, as this was a new market for

them. We didnt have owner interface we consulted on

the product in general rather than this specific project,and part of that process was working with the Princess

interiors department to come up with a spec they could

build and would be up to the standard expected for this

market. From the high-tech infusion build to the

layout and finish, it is clear Princess has succeeded.


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IMPERIAL PRINCESS

IMPERIAL PRINCESS Princess Yachts

LOA 40.16m

LWL 34.06m

Beam 8.02m

Draught 2.28m

Displacement 230T

Gross tonnage 395GT

Engines2 x MTU 12V 4000 M93L

Speed (max/cruise)23 knots/16 knots

Range at 12 knots1,500nm

ThrustersABT TRAC, 75hp (bow),65hp (stern)

StabilisersABT TRAC 440

Generators2 x Onan 80kW

Fuel capacity29,345 litres

Water capacity5,000 litres

Owner and guests 10/12

Crew 7

Tenders1 x 6.5m Rib-X, 1 x 3.4mZodiac

ConstructionResin infused composite

ClassificationRINA, MCA LY2

Naval architectureBernard Olesinski

Exterior stylingBernard Olesinski/Princess Yachts

Interior space planningBannenberg & Rowell/Princess Yachts

Interior designPrincess Yachts

Builder/yearPrincess Yachts/tel: +44 (0)1752 2email: [email protected]: princessya

Price guide13,586,000 (ex VCommercial

The foredeck sunpads nestle atop a giant opening hatconceals the stowage for the rescue tender and vario

As well as a dedicated crew staidumb waiter also rises through t

The main deck galley leads throughto a decent pantry/prep area

The upper saloon opens to a huge aft deck area, which includes alfrescodining for up to 12 guests. Glass aft bulwarks ensure a wonderful view

Crew accommodation is MLC compliant and ftted to a goodstandard. The guest cabin arrangement can be customised

The large sundeck comprises aft sun loungers, a spa pool, barand a chill-out style seating area under the opening hardtop

All information reprinted from Boat International. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8545 9330 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8545 9333

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Princess 40M - Boat International