Princess Yachts S80 Reviewed

Twin 2,000 hp MAN diesels gave the S80 a top hop of 35 knots. There is a hardtop option for the flybridge. Courtesy Princess Yachts

The sports-bridge or sports-fly yacht genre didn’t really exist 20 years ago. Back then, most 65- to 85-foot planing motoryachts with two decks were classified as express cruisers or flybridge yachts.

But evolution is a relentless tide. Flybridge models have steadily grown in volume. They have sprouted hardtops and become semi- or completely enclosed. Coupe styles have sun pads on their superstructures, along with proper stairs, lower helm stations, dinettes and wet bars. Today, an 80-foot sports-fly is likely to have amenities similar to a 20-year-old flybridge design, especially with today’s wider beams and lack of tender cranes on the upper deck.

The Princess Yachts S80 is a feature-packed example of the modern standard, putting its own spin on the same lower-deck platform as the British builder’s Y80 flybridge yacht and X80 trideck. Commonalities among the three models include the hull and powertrain, as well as four en suite staterooms and crew space. The big difference is the superstructure.

The foredeck seating converts to sun pads. Courtesy Princess Yachts

In profile with the S80, most people would hardly notice an upper deck at all. The only clues are the low windscreen forward of the helm and the swept-back arch mast. Nevertheless, five of the first seven owners specified their S80s with the hardtop option. Trading a low, sleek profile for weather protection is never going to be a wrong decision.

My time on board the S80 involved cruising to Villefranche-sur-Mer, a resort town near Nice, France. I had been aboard the S80 previously during its world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival, where the yacht didn’t seem particularly huge amid the other larger boats. But context is important. At that show, an 80-footer is not far off the average length of the yachts on display. In Villefranche’s high-walled harbor, which is packed with 35- to 65-footers, the S80 looked like a tanker in a duck pond.

I stepped from the dock onto the swim platform and then bounded up the steps into the cockpit, where I felt instantly at home. This model is conceived for outdoor living. The cockpit has aft-deck doors set farther forward than on the X80 and Y80—and it has bulwarks and deep, glazed buttresses off the after edge of the superstructure, as well as a substantial top-deck overhang. All of it makes this area on the S80 feel like a much more intimate space, in a good way.

Athwartships planks help frame the galley space. Courtesy Princess Yachts

A central gate and walkway are between two sun pads at the transom, along with a pair of two-seat sofas. Farther forward is alfresco dining. The galley is just inside the aft-deck doors, with a lift-up window above a stowage unit. With everything open, the space combines with the interior’s picture windows along each side of the superstructure to bring in natural light.

Most of the main deck aft is for swimming, sunbathing, dining and lounging. The bridge is up two steps from the salon, beneath the raked-aft windshield. There’s a corner booth to port and a side-deck door to starboard, along with a twin-seat helm that is standard. A third seat is an option, with more seating and lounge spaces outside.

On the foredeck, which could host a party, two C-shaped booths convert to sun pads. The upper deck has its own booth seating and sun pads, as well as a wet bar. Most of the onboard dining is likely to be alfresco, but there’s room for a dining table just inside the aft-deck cockpit doors. All the lounge furniture inside and outside is low and deep, set amid nicely detailed wood throughout and not just veneers.

Even with a flybridge, the S80 has space for a sunrooof over the lower helm. Courtesy Princess Yachts

Lower-deck accommodations consist of four en suite staterooms accessed from a half-spiral staircase to port, descending from the salon. The full-beam owner’s stateroom is amidships and aft with a forward-facing super-king berth, a sofa to starboard, and a vanity/desk to port. Windows flanking the stateroom allow for broad views. An en suite is to starboard with a walk-in closet to port, buffering the stateroom from machinery noise.

The forepeak VIP has an aft-facing king berth. Its shower stall and head are on each side of a doorway. Between the owner’s stateroom and the VIP are a double-berth stateroom to starboard and a twin/double stateroom to port.

A crew cabin for two is tucked into the port side of the transom with a discreet entrance from the swim platform. That twin-bunk space has a head-shower compartment and serves as the yacht’s laundry, with the primary access door to the engine room. The starboard side of the transom has a tender garage big enough for a Williams SportJet 435. By comparison, the X80 and Y80 each have room for three crew, but no tender garage.

The S80’s layout emphasizes connectivity with the water and with each other. Courtesy Princess Yachts

Princess has always built solid, reliable boats with exemplary seakeeping. The S80 is no different. Ergonomics at the lower and upper helms are close to perfect. The lower helm also has an opening sunroof just above the two-piece windshield.

Standard propulsion is twin 2,000 hp MAN V-12 diesels and straight-shaft gearboxes. Princess quotes a full-load top speed of 31 to 33 knots. The S80 that I got aboard was at a little above half-load and topped out at about 35 knots. Owners who want a bit more thrust to go with those sporty lines will soon be able to order the S80 with MAN V-12 2200s, producing around 37 knots. Princess says the latest two of the seven hulls sold so far will have the bigger engines.

The S80’s fuel capacity is 1,717 gallons, and optional long-range tanks will take that to 2,325 gallons. The S80 that I got aboard had the latter and theoretically could run for 1,500 nautical miles at 10 knots, with a fuel burn of around 2 gallons per nautical mile. At a fast 24-knot cruise, the fuel burn would be a little more than 5 gallons per nautical mile for a respectable 440 to 450 nm range.

This view shows how the S80’s low-profile flybridge adds significant outdoor-entertaining real estate. Courtesy Princess Yachts

With the S80, Princess Yachts takes an efficient running surface and smart accommodations, then adds a superstructure for owners who appreciate the look of an express cruiser, all of it with the entertaining spaces of a flybridge yacht. It’s truly the best of many worlds.  

Built In-House

Princess is uncommon for building about 80 percent of each yacht in-house. The shipyard does its own lamination work, joinery, upholstery, stainless-steel work, tank fabrications and electrical harnesses for about 180 yachts per year. The S80 is built at Princess’ main Newport Street yard in Plymouth, UK.

Villefranche-Sur-Mer

We didn’t have to worry about going aground off the resort town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, which is east of Nice, France. The bay is one of the deepest natural harbors in the Mediterranean—a popular anchorage to escape nasty weather. The US Navy’s Sixth Fleet often moors here. It’s about 320 feet deep, with a drop into a 1,700-foot-deep abyss less than a mile to the south. 

Chill Out

The S80 I was aboard had the upgraded 144,000 Btu chilled-water air-conditioning system that Princess advertises for cruising in warmer locales to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This hull also has strainers with UV treatment. In a first for Princess, there’s a split-air AC setup for the cockpit, which can also be enclosed with transparent screens.

Take the next step: princessyachtsamerica.com

The post Princess Yachts S80 Reviewed appeared first on Yachting.