The Princess F65: Where British Engineering Meets Real-World Cruising
Built for real cruising, the Princess F65 balances British build quality with four true cabins, owner-operable systems and a 33-knot top end…
Read the articleThe Princess Yachts F Series
The family flybridge line — 47'1" to 66'7", Volvo and MAN power, 29 to 33 knots
You want the flybridge without the crew, the mortgage or the excuses. Princess calls the F Class its practical line, and that is exactly right: three flybridge yachts between 47 and 67 feet that a competent owner can run with a partner, and that still put six or eight people around a table without anybody sitting on a cooler.
What holds the line together is layout discipline rather than horsepower. The F45 solves a problem the class had never solved — a genuine full-beam master under 50 feet — and does it by pushing the engines aft on Volvo IPS pods. The F55 adds a third cabin and a flybridge you can actually entertain on. The F65 adds crew quarters and the fourth en-suite cabin that turns a weekend boat into a season boat.
The F Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Princess Yachts F model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Princess Yachts.
The Princess F45 is the first flybridge under 50 feet with a true full-beam master cabin — twin Volvo D6-480s on IPS 650 pods give it a 31-knot top end, joystick docking, and owner-operator simplicity.
The Princess F55 is a 58-foot flybridge cruiser with a full-beam owner's cabin and a genuine three-couple layout — twin 900 HP Volvo D13s deliver a 33-knot top end and 26-knot cruise.
The Princess F65 delivers a 31 to 33-knot top end from twin 1,200 HP MANs, with four ensuite cabins, crew quarters, and flybridge proportions built for genuine four-season cruising.
Don't see the F model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the F Series
The F45 is the entry point and the cleverest boat in the range. It is 47'1" on a 14'0" beam and 38,103 lb, running twin Volvo D6-480s on IPS 650 pods for a published 29 to 31 knots. Two cabins, two heads, 433 gallons of fuel and joystick docking that makes a 47-footer a two-person boat.
The F55 steps up to 57'9" on a 16'0" beam at 54,234 lb, on twin Volvo D13-900s for 33 knots. Three cabins, two heads and 726 gallons. This is the boat for the owner who wants a third cabin and a flybridge with a proper dining setup, and who is not yet paying for crew.
The F65 is 66'7" on a 16'9" beam at 82,129 lb, on twin MAN V8-1200s for a published 31 to 33 knots. Four en-suite cabins, 1,083 gallons, and the option to convert the aft lazarette into accommodation for up to two crew. That last option is the real dividing line in the range — it is where the F Class stops being a weekend boat.
Our Take
The F55 is the value pick and the F45 is the interesting one. Princess spent real engineering on that full-beam master, and once you have slept in it you cannot go back to a 47-footer with a wedge-shaped forward cabin and a hanging locker where the walk-around should be.
The counter-argument is pods. IPS makes the F45 easy to dock and freed the volume that makes the boat work, but pod service is not shaft service, and you are tied to a drivetrain you cannot rebuild in a small yard. On the F55 and F65 you are back on conventional shafts and a more familiar ownership cost.
If you are choosing between the F65 and the Y72 one step up, the question is crew. The F65's crew cabin is an option carved out of the lazarette; the Y72 is designed around having someone aboard. Buy the F65 if the answer is usually no.
Princess Yachts F Articles & Guides
Watch Our Princess Yachts F Reviews
Official Princess Yachts Premieres
Videos courtesy of Princess Yachts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Princess F Class yachts use pod drives?
The F45 does, running twin Volvo D6-480s on IPS 650 pods, which is what frees the volume for its full-beam master. The F55 and F65 use conventional straight shafts with Volvo D13 and MAN V8 power respectively. If shaft servicing matters to your ownership plan, that difference is worth weighing before you settle on a length.
Which Princess F Class model is right for me?
It comes down to cabins and crew. The F45 is a two-cabin boat with a full-beam master and pod drives, easy for a couple to run. The F55 adds a third cabin and a flybridge you can dine on. The F65 adds a fourth en-suite cabin and the option of crew accommodation aft, which is the point where the F Class stops being a weekend boat.
Which F Fits Your Life?
Tell us how you plan to use the boat — guests, range, crew or no crew — and we'll give you the straight story on where in the F series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Princess Yachts ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819