Projects: Princess C48, Princess C48 Open

In Summer Princess started to tease about this new C-class range, and in Cannes the announcement finally arrived, for the C48 available in two versions; the standard deck saloon, and the Open version, with this last set to debut at Fort Lauderdale boat show in the fall of 2026, and DS version in Dusseldorf on January 2027.  The C48 is exterior designed by Bernard Olesinki and the Princess design team led by Andy Lawrence, with hull design coming from Michael Peters who brings his patented Stepped Vee Ventilated hull.  Princess entering the center console market is big news, with the C48 also becoming the fastest boat to come from Plymouth to date, estimated to reach 54 knots with the top option of triple Mercury 600hp set up.  The other power options are standard triple Mercury 400hp outboard for speeds up to 44 knots, and inboard stern drive of twin 480hp estimated giving speeds up to 34 knots.  The Princess C48 will offer a lower deck sleeping four, with a lot of options for the forward area; standard is a U-shaped dinette, and this can be optioned a double berth in open or enclosed with door becoming a separate forward cabin.  To midships is also a second cabin with double berth.  A mini galley on entrance to port side, and a spacious head with enclosed shower completes the cabin accommodation.  For the main deck the C for center console C48 is a full walk around but dynamics and cockpit layout are very different in between the C48 Open or the Deck Saloon version.  The C48 Open is a Euro walk-around made for the American market; central sun-pad, opposite settee dinette, exterior galley, and triple seats center helm station off-set that bit to starboard, to allow passage to the cabin entrance.  In the Deck Saloon version; the sun-pad is replaced by opposite settee dinette, while inside the enclosed area is an L-shaped dinette to port side with a galley located opposite.  Other options also include full height drop down balconies, which extend the length of the standard balconies of both port and starboard to the bathing platform.  To be fair I see this a stupid useless option, which also disturbs production efficiency and costs.  A fair note is also to be made on the inboard-stern drive version which also features an up-down bathing platform option and also offers a larger bathing area.

www.princessyachts.com