UK’s Biggest Yacht Maker After 55 Year Rise - Princess Yachts

Luxury yacht maker Princess Yachts began its journey in the heart of Plymouth 55 years ago, and is now one of the UK’s biggest.

Starting from humble beginnings in Plymouth in 1965, yacht maker Princess Yachts are now recognised as one of the world leaders in the boat building industry.

Covering an area of 1.1 million square feet, the shipyard sits within an area of Plymouth that is rich in maritime history.

Originally founded as Marine Projects (Plymouth) Ltd, the luxury yacht makers fitted out and chartered ‘Project 31’. But this boat was sold - and the potential of sales was realised. Then, between 1966 and 1969, the company produced and sold more than 150 boats.

In 2020, eye-catching Princess X95 was launched, the company’s flagship yacht. Described as “boldly re-writing the rules of yacht design”, The X95 is expected to set a new benchmark for superyacht quality and design.

Princess Yachts describe the X95 as an “aggressive investment strategy”, made possible due to the company’s record financial position and full order book.

Borne from fresh investment, into the latest technology, innovation, quality and design excellence, the company say the X95 is “another bold new design from a company moving forward at pace, breaking down boundaries and shattering expectations”.

Princess X95 Spec

The Princess X95 yacht features large spaces that can be adapted and used in different ways, with the interior design allowing the owner to adjust each journey depending on the guests preferences such as comfortable, relaxing, entertainment, hosting, more privacy etc.

Chairman at Princess Yachts, Antony Sheriff, said;

“X95 is another bold new concept for Princess Yachts. Borne from our aggressive investment strategy into new technology and world-class design, the X Class creates an entirely new segment, representing another significant step in our new product programme.

“We continue to push the boundaries of yacht design and build a brand leadership position in the luxury yacht market.”

Vital Statistics

PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS

Length overall (incl. pulpit) 95’ 28.96m

Length overall (excl. pulpit) 95’ 28.96m

Moulded LOA 78’7” 23.95m

Beam 22‘2“ 6.71m

Draft approx (at full load) 6’8’’ 2.03m

Displacement approx (lightship) 94 tonnes

Displacement approx (half load) 104 tonnes

Fuel capacity 13400 litres / 2948 gal / 3540 USG

Water capacity (incl. calorifier) 1800 litres / 396 gal / 475 USG

Hot Water calorifiers 205 litres/ 45 gallon / 54 USG

Black water tank 720 litres / 158 gal / 190 USG

Grey water tank 1000 litres / 220 gal / 264 USG

ENGINES

MAN V12 (2 x 1900mhp) Maximum speed range – 24 - 26 knots

Princess Yacht Maker History

• Following on from the success of Project 31 in 1970, Princess Yacht’s ventured into Glass-Reinforced Plastic (GRP) moulding and produced the first Princess 32 - which debuted at London Boat Show. The Princess 32 continued for 10 years, making it one of the company’s most successful models.
• 1980 - Princess 30DS was the first in a new generation of designs by Bernard Olesinski, selling over 500 yachts between 1981 and 1989.
• 1981 - Princess 45 was introduced, a landmark design and at the time the largest production motor yacht in the UK. This was on sale for 9 years before being replaced by Princess 455.
• 1988 - Princess Yachts awarded the Queen’s Export award.
• 1989 - A new manufacturing facility was built in the Plymouth area, Langage 1.
• 1997 - new purpose-built headquarters were opened at Newport Street in Stonehouse. Also, an extension was built at their Langage location to create Langage 2 for the production of the V Class range.
• 2001 - Marine Projects became Princess Yachts International PLC.
• 2005 - Princess Yachts celebrated 40 years at the forefront of boat building.
• 2009 - acquired South Yard on a long term lease from the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
• 2011 - acquired the freehold from the MOD for South Yard and won financial backing from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) for a major investment in the site.
• 2012 - saw the launch of the second generation Princess V39 and the Princess 40M.
• 2015 - Princess Yachts celebrated 50 years in the business of yacht making, marking the occasion by restoring the original Princess yacht, Project 31. The restored yacht made her debut at the Cannes Yachting festival alongside the global launch of the new Princess 35M.
• 2016 - created a partnership with Marine Conservation Society in a commitment to preserve the world’s oceans.
• 2016 - present - from 2016 onwards, Princess Yachts continued launching new models, with brand new model, Princess X80, launching in 2021.

Princess X80 - launching 2021

Yacht maker Princess Yachts are extremely pleased with their Princess X80 yacht, with Antony Sheriff saying;

“The X Class’s ground-breaking architecture creates an entirely new product segment as Princess continues to push the boundaries of yacht design.

“The first X95 has just completed sea trials and her revolutionary design has caused a stir. Initial feedback makes it clear that we have a great success on our hands.

“We have worked over the past two years to envelop all of the X95’s unique qualities into a more compact package. The X80 is just that, another bold step for Princess Yachts”.

Princess Yachts X80 Statistics

PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS

Length overall (incl.pulpit) 82’7” 25.18m

Length overall (excl. pulpit) 82’7” 25.18m

Beam 19’11“ 6.06m

Draft (at full load) approx. 5’10’’ 1.78m

Displacement approx (lightship) 61.6 tonnes

Displacement approx (half load) 71.9 tonnes

Fuel capacity 7000 litres / 1430 gal / 1717 USG

Water capacity (excl. calorifier) 1400 litres / 308 gal / 370 USG

Hot Water calorifiers 200 litres/ 44 gallon / 53 USG

Black water tank 500 litres / 110 gal / 132 USG

ENGINES

MAN V12 (2 x 1650mhp) Maximum speed range – 26 - 28 knots

MAN V12 (2 x 1900mhp) Maximum speed range – 29 - 31 knots

Due to take to the water this year, the X80 will be the second member of the X Class Superfly family and is one to look out for!

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