Princess 43 put to the test in Plymouth
The tail end of Hurricane Gonzalo provides a testing afternoon for the Princess 43
Princess 43. It’s been on the hit list for some time and with our
colleagues in the marine press showering it with praise, we thought it
was about time we had a go.
The one we tested was a bit special,
too. Princess now offers the 43 with a pair of Cummins 6.7-litre 550hp
engines, our test boat being one of the first to have this option. This
gives you 230 extra horsepower over the standard Volvo Penta D6 435s
but, more importantly, around 1,000lb/ft more torque in total.
The Cummins 550s provide mountains of torque
In
the sloppy sea conditions we had in the wake of Hurricane Gonzalo that
torque was very welcome indeed. The big swell and foaming crests had us
down to the 15-knot trudge that planing boats usually hate but huge
dollops of torque meant hoisting the boat out of troughs and up the back
of waves was comically effortless.
In calmer water, the pick-up
from standstill was sensational and would leave a fair number of rather
shouty sportscruisers staring at the 43’s transom.
Although,
technically, the 43 is a new model it is also a development of the 42, a
boat which Princess made over 300 of. So it’s fair to say it is good at
building these things by now and that shows in the execution of the
build and attention to detail. It is an exceptionally well-rounded
product.
Class and exquisite execution in the saloon
The
two cabin, two bathroom layout is traditional and tried and trusted but
still works well, even in an age when the competition are fitting
full-beam master cabins to boats of this size.
Although the boat
has been around for a while in one guise or another, this proved to be
an intriguing test both thanks to the weather and the uprated engines.
Read the full report in a future issue.
Read more at http://www.mby.com/news/537500/princess-43-put-to-the-test-in-plymouth#7RTR7WAAicHRU1JB.99