Princess S78 … A yacht that combines all the advantages of different types, and most importantly – allows you to realize the ideal scenario of a summer vacation for everyone who is lucky enough to be on board.
If you ask yourself what an ideal yacht looks like from the point of view of a Russian owner – whether in internal or external waters, the answer is simpler than it seems. Despite all the difference in preferences, capabilities, types of yachts and their sizes, one thing will be in common – the flybridge. This does not mean that sports yachts are not in demand, but the “second floor” wins, and with a large margin. Yes, many people look at sports yachts with delight and even admiration: if everyone had the opportunity to buy more than one boat, there would be more sports yachts in our pleasure fleet.
But, as often happens in life, practicality wins – and here flybridge yachts have a serious advantage: there is more space, if necessary, there is an opportunity to retire, and it is much easier to control from a high point. But why step on the throat of your own song, choosing between practicality and beauty, when there is an opportunity to get both?
S-class
This architectural type has appeared on the yacht market for a long time: the designers have persistently sought an opportunity to combine the advantages of both classes, keeping both the opening hatch above the saloon and the open helm station. In the early stages, this type was considered a compromise: the flybridge turned out to be small and strongly shifted aft, which is why it acquired the name “sportbridge”, and a small hatch only opened above the helm.
Since then, compromises have diminished, and smart solutions have arrived, and the S-Class has become completely independent from a “hybrid”. Today, many shipyards are already building models of this architecture, but those who started earlier have advantages. In this regard, the British Princess Yachts has advanced further than many, not only specially developing this class and working with the architecture itself, but also adding its own unique developments and details.
Dossier Princess S78
Length:
24.66 m
Width:
5.76 m
Draft:
1.77 m
Fuel supply:
6000 l
Water supply:
1300 l
Engines:
2 × MAN V12 (1900 HP)
Maximum speed:
39 knots
Design approach
The Princess S78 has been on the market for a year and a half: its premiere at boot Düsseldorf 2018 was a bombshell. The yacht demonstrated not only the perfect balance of the elements of the two types of vessels and the correct ratio of open and closed spaces, but also something else. Among the long-standing stereotypes is the opinion that flybridge yachts are richer in finishes and options, while sport ones are much simpler. It was this prejudice that Princess Yachts dispelled, showing that sporty and hybrid yachts in architecture can look chic in terms of not only lines, but also luxurious “filling”.
Then the shipyard came up with a new proposal – the Allure Collection design package specially developed for the sports models of the S- and V-class. If all shipyards offer a customized interior of the ship, then the ability to change the appearance of a production model then seemed an absolute fantasy. Even now, after a year and a half, there are no such offers on the market, and Princess Yachts managed to adapt this solution to all of its models. The only difference is that on yachts up to 70 feet, the Allure Collection is used as an option, and above this mark it is already included in the standard equipment. The owner’s task is to choose from a variety of positions: teak and carbon parts, additional elements and colors in the superstructure, luxurious finishing materials for the aft cockpit and other open deck areas.
Among the main qualities of a successful yacht is the balance of indoor and outdoor decks.
At the boat show in Dusseldorf, the premiere S78 appeared in all the glory of the Allure Collection. Then we had a question: will this package be in demand among all customers, given that this is a standard package – a rather expensive pleasure already included in the price? Princess Yachts designers Sarah Verey and Andrew Lawrence argued that everything was designed so that no customer would consider it superfluous. On the contrary, the absence of the need to add dozens of items from the list of options to provide the required pleasure from the yacht will please everyone. Time has shown that they were right: over the past 18 months, the Princess S78 has firmly established itself on the shipyard’s bestseller list.
Transformation time
Luxurious and customizable finishes are not the only feature of the S78. First of all, it was conceived as a yacht for those who want to spend more time at sea, which means that there will inevitably be more different situations and life scenarios on board. That is why the Princess S78 has a lot of possibilities for transforming the living space. For example, the modular cockpit furniture allows for quick re-configuration in three versions. Another open area, on the bow deck, is also being transformed, offering different configurations of sun loungers, sofas and sun loungers: for “beach” relaxation, lunch or evening gatherings in the open air. The flybridge is already too spacious to be called a sportbridge. It also provides for different layout options. One is a lounge with low seats and a mobile table instead of a formal dining table by a fixed sofa.
The transformable aft cockpit furniture allows you to get the desired space configuration in a matter of seconds: there are three options
The flybridge, too spacious to be called a sportbridge, offers different layouts
The hydraulically lowered aft platform easily accommodates a large jet ski and the tender is stored in the aft garage
One of the flybridge layout options: a lounge with low seats and a mobile table instead of the usual dining area with a fixed table and sofa
Interior
The main deck saloon is a combination of practicality and design that is completely unconventional for a serial yacht. The trademark of this model is the asymmetrical layout of its central part, accentuated by an unusual pentagonal table. According to Sarah Verey, head of the interior department at Princess Yachts, this decision did not come from the need to save space or place equipment, but simply from the desire to get away from the usual symmetry. The dining room and galley, opening into the cockpit with a bar counter, is a very functional solution that allows you to combine the dining areas in the salon and cockpit: you can host a large company on board. By the way, the dining table is installed on a slider built into the floor: when more space is required, the table moves to the side.
An interesting feature of the Princess S78 is the asymmetrical interior layout
On serial yachts, you rarely see non-trivial interior elements like a pentagonal table made of calacatta marble.
On the lower deck there are four cabins, three of them are VIP with double beds (if desired, separate berths are also possible). In the master suite, from side to side, the bathroom and dressing room are placed between the cabin and the engine compartment, which improves the already excellent sound insulation.
The decoration has a fantastic variety of colors and textures, but you start to notice this only after spending some time in the room. Everything is so masterfully selected that the perception is not overloaded, but the feeling of the complete picture is created. The lines of furniture are radically simple only at first glance: in reality, behind smooth curves, inserts and decorative cuts there are long hours of handmade work.
Light and sound are integral parts of luxury. There is plenty of natural light in all cabins, not to mention the salon with large-scale glazing around the perimeter. Artificial lighting is the result of a long-term work of the Princess team with experts in this field: there are several modes for each room, while not a single light source hits the eyes. And luxurious sound is provided by the Naim Sound System as standard.
VIP guest cabin in the bow of the hull
Master cabin amidships. The laconicism of the interior is somewhat deceiving: dozens of combined types of textiles, wood and leather were used in the decoration
Water activities
In the cockpit, the wide central aisle between the sunbeds did not interfere with arranging a crew cabin for two in the stern on the starboard side, and a spacious garage on the left, which accommodates a tender 4.45 m long, which is very large for a yacht of this size. And the hydraulically powered swim platform is wide enough to accommodate a jet ski. This is another reason for those who think that water “toys” do not fit on sports yachts, but there is always room for them on the flybridge. The Princess S78 can accommodate both a tender and a jet ski, and there is no need to clutter the flybridge with equipment. By the way, in addition to the two-seat helm station and the dining area, which can be transformed into a sun lounger, there is also a bar: and after that who will say that the “hybrid” yachts have little room upstairs?
Driving performance
And here the S78 already demonstrates a purely sporty character. Hull contours are optimized to increase lift and reduce drag. This allows you to start planing earlier and reduces fuel consumption. Two MAN engines 1900 hp each. from. in the engine compartment, this by no means small yacht is accelerated to 39 knots. Plus – polished sporty handling and amazing agility.
It seems that the Princess S78 has no shortcomings at all, but the list of advantages is huge: flybridge, opening hatch above the saloon, high speed and seaworthiness … And as the cherry on top – a fantastically accurate balance between the dynamics of sports yachts, practicality and beauty for the most luxurious summer vacation …
Text
Olga Selezneva
Chief Editor
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