The Princess Y80: When British Engineering Meets Real-World Cruising
The Princess Y80 is a go-anywhere flybridge yacht: optional MAN V12-1900s deliver a 33-knot top end, four en-suite staterooms, and British i…
Read the articleThe Princess Yachts Y Series
The flybridge motoryacht line — 74'9" to 83'8", MAN V12 power, 33 to 35 knots
You want the boat that makes a 300-mile weekend ordinary. The Y Class is Princess taking the traditional flybridge yacht upmarket — the point in the range where crew quarters stop being an option carved out of a lazarette and start being part of the design.
Both boats we have reviewed are four-cabin yachts with dedicated crew accommodation and MAN V12 power. The Y72 is the owner-operator boat that has sold seventy hulls on the strength of its Olesinski hull. The Y80 is the flagship of the pair, with crew quarters for three and the volume to keep twenty people aboard comfortable at anchor.
The Y Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Princess Yachts Y model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Princess Yachts.
The Princess Y72 is a 75-foot flybridge yacht with a true single-level main deck and full-beam owner's suite — twin 1,650 HP MANs deliver a 35-knot top end, four ensuite cabins, and crew quarters.
The Princess Y80 is an 84-foot flybridge flagship built for real distance — twin 1,900 HP MANs, a 33-knot top end, four ensuite cabins, and crew quarters, over 80% built in-house at Princess's own Plymouth yard.
Don't see the Y model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the Y Series
The Y72 is 74'9" on a 17'11" beam at 113,152 lb, on twin MAN V12-1650s — the only engine Princess lists for it — for a published 33 to 35 knots. Three guest cabins plus an aft en-suite cabin that serves as crew or occasional guest space, 1,189 gallons of fuel and a crew of two.
The Y80 is 83'8" on a 19'11" beam at 135,688 lb, on twin MAN V12-1800s or V12-1900s for a published 30 to 33 knots. Four en-suite cabins sleeping eight, 1,849 gallons of fuel, and separate crew quarters — a single cabin to starboard, a twin to port and a bathroom — for up to three.
The step between them is not really nine feet of length. It is the crew arrangement and 660 extra gallons of fuel, which is what changes a long weekend into a season.
Our Take
The Y72 is the better-judged boat and the Y80 is the more capable one. Seventy hulls is not an accident; that hull handles a confused sea better than its length suggests, and the single-level main deck is the layout Princess has refined the longest.
What gives me pause on the Y72 is the crew arrangement. That aft cabin is doing two jobs, and if you actually run with a captain and a stew you will find the boat smaller than the brochure implies. The Y80 solves it properly, and that is most of what the extra money buys.
Against the X80 at almost the same length, the Y80 is the faster, more conventional boat and the X80 is the one with the enormous enclosed upper deck. If you cruise in weather, look hard at the X. If you want the traditional flybridge yacht done properly, the Y80 is it.
Princess Yachts Y Articles & Guides
Watch Our Princess Yachts Y Reviews
Official Princess Yachts Premieres
Videos courtesy of Princess Yachts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What separates the Princess Y Class from the F Class?
Crew accommodation and fuel. The Y Class is where dedicated crew quarters stop being an option carved from a lazarette and become part of the design, and where tankage grows enough to change what a weekend looks like. The Y80 carries 1,849 US gallons against the F65's 1,083, and has separate crew quarters for up to three.
How many cabins do Princess Y Class yachts have?
Both models we have reviewed are four-cabin boats. The Y72 has three guest cabins plus an aft en-suite cabin that serves as crew or occasional guest space, with a crew of two. The Y80 has four en-suite cabins sleeping eight guests and entirely separate crew quarters for up to three.
Which Y 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 Y series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Princess Yachts ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819