INTERNATIONAL

IMPERIAL
PRINCESS

words: Tim Thomas

photography: Jeff Brown/SuperYacht Media; Mike Evans

Imperial

Production builder Princess Yachts has

entered the semi-custom big boat market with a
bang thanks to Imperial Princess, the first of
the 40M Class. She is an impressive debut

Princess

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Im per i a l p r i n c e ss

Shes a little ship, proclaims Peter Levine

proudly as we sit on the upper deck of Imperial
Princess, anchored in a pretty cala in Mallorca. Shes
solid, and she feels solid. Shes a sea change from anything
else in the Princess range, and its a marked difference.
Levine is no stranger to Princess, having bought his
first a 66-footer (20.55 metre) some 12 years ago,
when he first indulged his love of the sea. Around that
time, I finally had time to devote to my interest in the
sea. This is my sixth from Princess, and I have graduated
from the 66 through a 20 metre, a 25 metre, and the 95
(29.42 metre), my last yacht. I was in constant discussions
with Princess, always asking when they were going to
the next stage, and then I learnt they wanted to develop
a larger, semi-custom boat. I saw the plans for the 40M
at the boat show in January 2009.
Princess based in Plymouth, UK has established a
reputation for building solid and top-quality production
boat, but has never been a company that likes to shout
from the rafters. This relatively low-key approach has
served the builder well, developing a devoted following
of owners who have progressed through the Princess
range as it has grown much like Levine. Ive been with
Princess for 25 years, explains Chris Gates, managing
director of Princess Yachts, and in that time weve said
about a dozen times that a given model was the biggest
we were going to build. But we are always going to be
led by customer demand, and the pressure soon built for
a larger model.
The 40 metre project began at about the same time as
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the 32 metre, which was launched at the London show

in 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.
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My primary concern, Levine says, was that I didnt

want 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

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 that

this 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, incidentally, 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 is spacious

and bright thanks not only to large windows, but also to
twin opening balconies to port and starboard. The upper
saloon is informal yet comfortable, with sofas to starboard
facing a large television screen on the forward bulkhead,
and loose seating to port.
The guest cabins too offer space and luxury in equal
measure. Aft is a full beam VIP cabin, although this can
also be specified as two doubles; forward the guest cabin
has been changed into a gym on hull number three. The
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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 a
full-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, enthuses
Levine. 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
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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 Princess is 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 super
heavy, 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 full
Bning 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

The spacious main deck

saloon offers formal dining
at its forward end (above)
and a relaxed aft seating
area enhanced by
drop-down side balconies,
accessed through glass
sliding doors, on both
sides of the yacht

Im per i a l p r i n c e ss

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

consumption of 250 to 300 litres per hour and a range of
1,500 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 front of a

seating and sunbathing area that itself nestles in front of
a Portuguese bridge. The aft garage space also doubles
as a beach club, with privacy screen, and this whole area
has the potential to be utilised for a truly prodigious
guest relaxation area right on the water.
Building a yacht that is so much larger than any
previously produced by the yard has of course presented
challenges. These boats are immensely complicated,
says Gates. We put in 100,000 man-hours on this first
one, although a huge proportion of that work is hidden
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from everyone, as much of it is in the development. The

systems in particular are immensely complicated, and
the 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
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months before the launch, which has given them

invaluable experience on all the systems. It was a
challenge 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

Im per i a l p r i n c e ss

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 really lovely

size. Its all about whether you love the sea, and I love the
sea. I did the delivery across Biscay (which saw the yacht
punching Force 5-6 winds on the nose with seas to match)
and I wouldnt have missed it for the world. To me thats
what its all about.
If Imperial Princess is a measure of what Princess is
capable of building, there will no doubt be many more
like Levine, enjoying this little ship for exactly what she is
the chance to enjoy cruising in a yacht built to a standard
that would put many more expensive yards to shame.
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The making of Imperial Princess

Princess Yachts has taken vacuum infusion to new heights

with the 40M, using a highly developed system to create
an impressive hull. But the quality doesnt end there...

words:
Tim Thomas
photography:
Courtesy of
Princess Yachts

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For a production builder moving up the size

range, taking tried and tested resin infusion
methodology 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. The
technology 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 team
at Princess
worked with
Bannenberg &
Rowell on initial
space and interior
planning before
finalising the
designs in-house

The technology doesnt stop there. We use a pressure

feedback system to inject directly in a more controlled way,
says Spooner, and its all touchscreen computer controlled.
Its unusual not only in boatbuilding, but in general
industrial manufacturing, with a level of control that is
rarely seen its equivalent to aerospace levels of control.
Fundamentally, the method Princess uses employing
special moulds with integrated fluid heating so the infusion
can be post-cured in the moulding create laminates with
a high fibre to resin ratio and a very low, sub-two per cent
void content. Its a fine-tuned process that has led to
Princess working with other high-tech industries, a recent
project with Bombardier being a prime example.
About 90 per cent of the 40Ms hull and superstructure
is built using the vacuum infusion process, with many
parts built using a 100 square metre heated vacuum table.
The result is a hull that weighs 20 per cent less than a
traditional hand-laid hull of the same size. Considering
this represents some 35 per cent of overall vessel weight,
thats a big saving. It means performance and efficiency
criteria can be met realised in close collaboration
between the technical team and the naval architects so
the naval architects can have confidence that what they
engineer can be built and that there is spare weight for
comfort elements such as noise and vibration insulation.
The owner hates that production boat feeling with
cheap fittings that rattle and squeak while under way, says
Keith Willis, the owners surveyor during the build, so this

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 out
there. 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

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.

The construction of the hull

(below) uses 6,000 litres of
preheated resin, which is
mixed with the catalyst
in-line, infused over a seven
hour period. Among the
benefits are extremely low
emissions one of the key
factors for the yards
ISO14001 certification

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

The foredeck sunpads nestle atop a giant opening hatch, which

conceals the stowage for the rescue tender and various toys

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

As well as a dedicated crew stair, a

dumb waiter also rises through the yacht

Crew accommodation is MLC compliant and fitted to a good

standard. The guest cabin arrangement can be customised

The main deck galley leads through

to a decent pantry/prep area

Imperi al princess Princess Yachts

Speed (max/cruise)
23 knots/16 knots

Generators
2 x Onan 80kW

Range at 12 knots
1,500nm

Fuel capacity
29,345 litres

Gross tonnage 395GT

Thrusters
ABT TRAC, 75hp (bow),
65hp (stern)

Water capacity
5,000 litres

Engines
2 x MTU 12V 4000 M93L

Stabilisers
ABT TRAC 440

Crew 7

LOA 40.16m
LWL 34.06m
Beam 8.02m
Draught 2.28m
Displacement 230T

Owner and guests 10/12

Tenders
1 x 6.5m Rib-X, 1 x 3.4m
Zodiac

Exterior styling
Bernard Olesinski/
Princess Yachts

Construction
Resin infused composite

Interior space planning

Bannenberg & Rowell/
Princess Yachts

Classification
RINA, MCA LY2
Naval architecture
Bernard Olesinski

Interior design
Princess Yachts

Builder/year
Princess Yachts/2012
tel: +44 (0)1752 203888
email: info@
princessyachts.com
web: princessyachts.com
Price guide
13,586,000 (ex VAT) LY2/
Commercial

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