Princess 40M
- LOA: 40.16m (131ft 9in)
- Beam: 8.02m (26ft 4in)
- Engines: twin MTU 12V 4000 M93L, 3,509 hp each
- Top speed: 23 knots (cruise 16 knots)
- Gross tonnage: around 395 GT
- Design: Olesinski / Princess Design Studio (planing GRP hull)
- Launched: 2013
- Range: around 2,100 nm
The M Class flagship
The 40M is the flagship of the whole Princess range and the single boat that defines the M Class. At 40.16 metres it is the largest yacht the yard builds and the reason South Yard was brought into service. It launched in 2013 and drew awards that placed it among the more accomplished production superyachts of its day. Every other Princess scales up a familiar idea, and the 40M marks the point at which the builder crosses fully into superyacht work.
The M Class exists to show what Princess can do at the top of its ambition. The 40M sits far above the rest of the range in size and complexity, and in the crew it needs. It answers owners who want a full superyacht built to production standards and delivered from a single British yard. It remains a rare thing, a 40-metre yacht series-built by a production yard rather than a one-off commission. As a flagship it anchors the whole line and lends its engineering down to the boats beneath it.
A Plymouth superyacht
The 40M carries a planing GRP hull and superstructure drawn by Olesinski and the Princess design studio. Its profile is long and purposeful, with fold-down gunwale balconies that open the main deck out over the water. At this size the studio could work with proportions and deck volumes the smaller boats cannot offer. The scale gives the designers room for features unavailable lower down the range. The boat looks a full superyacht while keeping a recognisable Princess hand.
A voluminous beach club sits at the stern, large enough to house a Williams tender alongside a pair of personal watercraft. Immense saloon doors open the interior to the aft deck for entertaining at anchor. The fold-down balconies turn the master and the saloon into rooms that open straight onto the sea. The exterior is built around outdoor living on a scale the smaller boats cannot offer. Every deck is sized for a full complement of guests and crew.
The top of the range, where a production builder crosses fully into superyacht territory.
Five staterooms
Inside, the 40M holds five staterooms along with dedicated crew quarters for a professional team. The main deck opens into an expansive saloon served by a full galley, complete with a dumbwaiter linking the decks. The interior is finished to a bespoke standard, with craftsmen in Plymouth building fittings from the furniture to the doors. Princess counts 37 individual doors aboard, a measure of the detail involved.
The layout is arranged for extended stays with a large party and full service. Owner and guest cabins are kept clearly apart from the working areas of the boat. The volume of a 40-metre hull gives each space room to breathe in a way the smaller Princess boats cannot. The craftsmanship claim is central to the boat's pitch, since much of the joinery is cut and finished in Plymouth. The whole interior speaks to the yard's claim that everything aboard is made by its own hands.
Twin MTU power
Twin MTU 12V 4000 M93L engines, each rated at 3,509 hp, drive the 40M to a top speed of 23 knots. A relaxed 16-knot cruise is where the boat is happiest for covering distance. The planing hull lets a yacht of this size still lift and run rather than plod at displacement speeds. Princess reports that building each 40M takes around a hundred people over 13 months.
A large fuel capacity gives the boat a range of roughly 2,100 nautical miles, enough for serious passage-making between cruising grounds. The engineering is scaled to superyacht duty while keeping the planing character of the range. That planing ability sets the 40M apart from the many displacement yachts at its length. That combination of pace and reach is unusual at 40 metres. It lets owners cross open water at a speed most displacement superyachts cannot hold.
Who it suits
The 40M suits the owner ready for a full superyacht but loyal to a production builder's value and support. It offers five staterooms and a professional crew, with the range for long cruising in a package delivered from one yard. Buyers get bespoke interiors without commissioning a one-off from scratch. Owners get a turnkey path into superyacht ownership backed by a factory service network. It rewards those who want superyacht life with the reassurance of a known name behind it.
In the market the 40M meets both the largest production yachts and the smaller custom superyachts from northern European yards. Its case rests on Plymouth craftsmanship and planing performance, backed by the awards that greeted its launch. As the M Class flagship it represents the ceiling of what Princess builds. For the right owner it is the natural end point of a journey up through the range.
Design
- Exterior: Bernard Olesinski / Olesinski Ltd (exterior styling)
- Interior: Princess Design Studio (early hulls in partnership with Bannenberg & Rowell; hull 'X5' with Fendi Casa)
- Naval architecture: Bernard Olesinski / Olesinski Ltd
Who it is for: Owners stepping into full superyacht ownership who want five staterooms and professional crew, plus long-range planing performance, delivered to a bespoke standard from a single British yard.
Guide price: M Class discontinued from new production; available via Princess brokerage/charter only. No current new-build list price. Source: princess.co.uk.