Boat Review – by Pat Carson

Princess Yachts 2024 F-45 Motoryacht

Princess Yachts are manufactured in Plymouth, England and distributed in the United States by Princess Yachts America in Palm Beach, Florida. Silver Seas Yachts is the West Coast representative for Princess Yachts and has provided this fabulous, 2024 F-45 motoryacht for review. After you read this review, come and experience one of the most technically advanced and spaciously proportioned flybridge motoryachts on the water at the Sausalito Boat Show. Every Princess flybridge yacht rewrites the rule book on space, performance and entertainment.

Having just brought a 2022 Princess F-50 from Canada to Redwood City, I welcomed the opportunity to take her baby sister out for a spin on a foggy summer morning in San Francisco Bay. The F-45 is the smallest of the F-series family with her stablemates being the F-50, F-55, F-58 and the F-65, but she is every bit a Princess. Introduced in early 2019, and originally configured with the Volvo IPS 600’s, the F-45 is a replacement for the then very successful F-42 that had traditional shaft and rudder propulsion. Our 2024 version is equipped with higher horsepower IPS650’s, and she performed admirably during our sprints around San Francisco Bay.

Our F-45 was secured starboard side to the sales dock at Clipper Yacht Harbor directly across from Fish Restaurant, so you approach her from the bow. Looking at those full-length hull windows that not only enhance the yacht’s aesthetics, but as we will find out later also offer stunning views from the interior staterooms.

Boarding is easiest from the starboard side by stepping onto the oversized full teak decked swim platform, past a safety gate and into the large cockpit where we find a companionway to the flybridge directly ahead, inviting guests to head to the most well-designed flybridge entertainment spaces I have seen on a 45-foot boat.

The flybridge is expansive. There is an extended upper deck with the entire aft section devoted to a wrap-around dinette, while there is a settee that will convert into a lounger/sun pad on the port side across from the helm. Between the two is another outdoor galley with a grill, sink and refrigerator.

The fully equipped helm station is set to starboard and is a near copy of the pilothouse helm with twin Garmin Multi-Function Displays, throttles, an IPS joystick, spotlight and an array of switches to control the various low voltage devices. I found the dual Princess bucket seats to be very comfortable, as well as providing a good view of the water looking over the well-designed polycarbonate venturi.

Back down on the main deck we find a large cockpit with an engine room access hatch and another very large table in front of the L-shaped settee with enough room for six. The asymmetric cockpit design provides a wide boarding gate for easy entry but does not compromise the width of the settee.

Passing into the main cabin through the large sliding glass door we find, in addition to the cabins, the Princess F-45 features a fully equipped galley, dinette and saloon, providing ample space for relaxation and entertainment. The galley has a three-burner cooktop positioned above the convection microwave and a sink forward with plenty of drawer and locker space underneath. Forward and up two steps is additional drawer storage space, and as expected from this class of yacht manufacturer, the Princess logo china is secure in its own specially designed drawer.

The saloon is furnished with a comfortable U-shaped settee to port that is wrapped around another large dining table and a flat-screen TV on an electric lift to starboard. All of this creates the perfect spot for guests to unwind after a fun day running around the Bay and Delta.

Before going down the companionway to the accommodation deck, we pass the starboard set helm station that is outfitted with dual Garmin flagship 16-inch multi-function displays with switches for the necessary pumps and lights which are set to both sides of the leather wrapped wheel. Seakeeper stabilizer control is on the left while the throttle and joystick controls are to the right. Noticeably missing is a manual trim tab control and that is because our new F-45 is equipped with the Volvo automatic interceptor trim system. It trims the vessel automatically. If you want to mess with them, the manual control is conveniently located on the port throttle lever. If you play with the trim while running the boat you will quickly appreciate the trim blade system from Volvo. Just like a similar technology system from Zipwake, the interceptors operate in three modes, manual, auto trim and list, along with automatic trim, list and turn. When the interceptor system is deployed, the blades lower into the water vertically and create hydrodynamic pressure which produces lift to the stern, enabling the boat to accelerate to plane smoothly for a perfect running attitude. The result is less friction with the water and therefore less fuel required to power the boat at speed. Try them, you will like them.

Down in the accommodation space forward is the VIP stateroom that has a rather unique double twin berth that can scissor from a walk around queen to a pair of singles when needed. Complete with lockers on both sides of the cabin, a hanging locker to port and a small work desk to starboard, everything the VIPs need is here. The guest head also doubles as a day head, has a private entrance from the stateroom and is outfitted with a beautifully crafted large shower stall. The VIP guests have not been shortchanged with this head.

If you pivot 180 degrees you’ll find the full beam master stateroom aft. Because the Volvo pod drives are set well aft, the designers were able to create a voluminous stateroom with a centerline queen berth, a full-sized settee to port, built-in bureau with six extra deep drawers to starboard and twin hanging lockers.

The ensuite head is notable for another oversized shower stall with nearly seven feet of headroom. All the hardware is top quality and expertly arranged and the lockers and drawers are large and easy to access. Designing a fully equipped head in a 45-foot boat is quite a feat. Including two of them in this size boat is surprising.

Sea Trial

Now that I have been through the boat and can appreciate the high-quality materials and interior design it is time to get those Volvos warmed up, the gyro spinning up and the navigation electronics configured for today’s tasks. Our yacht is nestled in at the sales dock where space is a premium and not a foot of dock goes unused. Sliding left, backing around a tight 90-degree corner, then rotating 90 degrees to the right with just inches between our shiny hull and other boats is easy and predictable using the time proven Volvo IPS joystick. Although it is possible to make these tight maneuvers without the joystick, there is far less tension on this cool summer morning twisting your wrist.

We are pulling away from the dock just after sunrise and the morning fog is just breaking up, revealing a hint of blue sky to the west. With light winds, cool temperatures and calm water we have my favorite conditions for a boat ride. After idling out of Richardson Bay we take a quick run to the Golden Gate Bridge, only to find the heavy fog obscuring the towers and most of the road deck. I love the sound of the bridge fog horns, but this does not make good photo conditions. Turning around at Point Cavallo I point the bow directly at Raccoon Strait buoy number 2, set the interceptors to full automatic and pin the throttles. Hearing the familiar sounds of the Volvo’s supercharger spinning up and then the turbos kicking in, our Princess is up on plane in just a few short seconds. With minimal bow rise we are climbing past 20 knots in less than 12 seconds. A pretty impressive hole shot with the interceptors working as advertised.

Having made a couple of high-speed runs and collecting performance data, I punch up interceptor controls on the Garmin MFD and turn the system to manual so that I can try to improve performance. Unfortunately, I did not see much improvement in performance no matter how hard I tried, but there will be times where you will want the system off. When making high speed donuts and S-turns the interceptors will try to keep the boat on an even keel, and although they do an admirable job, the boat does not have the necessary roll to make tight turns. With the system in fully automatic mode my wide-open turning radius is super wide at greater than six boat lengths. With the system in manual, I can get much more thrilling lean in and tighten the radius to around three boat lengths. To be fair, traditional trim planes if deployed will also cause the boat to roll less in tight turns causing a larger turning radius. Nick Deuyour, the Silver Seas Yacht sales representative and drone pilot, mentioned that most owners of luxury yachts do not drive them like a ski boat running a slalom course and the wide turning radius with controlled roll is just fine. Hmmm, must just be me! I really do like looking out the wide side window and seeing blue sky and not water when the helm is hard over to the left.

Once we have our drone shots it is time to head back to Clipper Yacht Harbor, but first one more spirited run to the Golden Gate Bridge just to be sure the fog did not lift in the last hour, and then a leisurely sprint back to Clipper to put the boat back where I found it. Again, no drama, just easy docking as I slide our 45-footer into 50 feet of open dock and secure her with our bow anchor overhanging the swim platform of the boat in front.

Summary

When the yacht is designed for the Volvo IPS system the performance and fuel economy seem very predictable and our Princess F-45 was no surprise. With 74 hours on the clocks (well 76 now) fuel economy from 12 knots to wide open does not vary appreciably from 0.6 nautical miles per gallon. If you want better economy, then slow down.

Specifications:

LOA: 47’ 1”
Beam: 14’ 0”
Draft: 3’ 7”
Displacement: 41,305 lbs.
Fuel: 433 gallons
Water: 122 gallons
Holding 40 gallons
Power: Twin Volvo IPS650’s
Cruise Speed: 19.7 knots (80% load)
Top Speed: 25 knots (observed)
Range cruising at 20 knots and a 20% reserve: approximately 210 miles

My observed all day best cruise speed delivered 0.6 nmpg and was just shy of 20 kts, showing an engine load at 80% and engine RPM at 3200 RPM. Wide open the Volvos were screaming at 3730 RPM, showing 100% load and delivering 0.5 nmpg at 25 kts.

The choice of material, the fit and finish, the design and the performance all combine to make a compelling package for an owner looking to jump into the Princess F class. If you would like more information or to arrange a tour, give sales staff at the Silver Seas Yachts Sausalito office a call. Silver Seas Yachts Sausalito, 300 Harbor Dr, Sausalito, CA 94965. www.silverseasyachts.com or 415-367-4022.