AI seems to have taken hold in Plymouth, England. Actual intelligence, not the artificial kind, that is. For at Princess Yachts, the principle of platform production has been fully embraced. This new V65, launched at the Cannes show last fall, shares not only a hull design with the F65 and S65, but also its lower deck layout. And when it comes to the two sportier models of the trio, even their main decks are difficult to tell apart.
All of which is good news, because streamlined production means lower overheads at the shipyard, and that translates into higher profits for dealers—sorry, that should read lower prices for customers—as well as more refined and better engineered components, as increased production encourages more investment in the design and manufacturing processes.
Outwardly, the three boats could hardly be less alike—a sporty hardtop, a sleek coupé, and a flybridge cruiser—and each undoubtedly lends itself to a different style of boating.
Not sister ships then, but close cousins. With no flybridge or upper deck, the V65 is significantly lighter than its S-Class stablemate, and although the shipyard claims the same speed range for both boats—34 to 36 knots with the MAN V12s—with its lower center of gravity, the V65 will probably be the livelier of the two to drive. The notably tidy machinery space is designed around these substantial engines, which are mounted flat with good access all around. The tender garage has not been allowed to intrude.
Don’t let on to the Princess people that I told you, but if you ask nicely, they’ll fit a pair of the smaller 1,200-horsepower MAN V8s in your V65 instead of the V12s. Replacing 24-liter lumps with 16-liter lumps would lighten the boat by a substantial 1,400 pounds, and free up about 15 inches of engine room. But the boat would lose a bit of zip, and smaller engines aren’t necessarily more fuel-efficient than bigger ones—so the advantages brought about by the swap would need to be considered carefully.
The common lower deck layout is a four-cabin, three-head arrangement. In traditional Princess fashion, its straight lines and right angles are all about using space efficiently, and both the forward VIP and the midships master stateroom feature roomy heads, a reasonable expanse of floor area-—some of it stepped, in the case of the VIP, as the bed is mounted fairly high—and a lot of useful stowage volume.
To starboard, the twin cabin has also been well thought out, with stowage under the berths and in a good-size hanging locker. Across the corridor and sharing the starboard head, the fourth cabin with its bunk berths is pretty compact, but it too has a decent hanging locker and further stowage overhead. The beds are all 6 feet, 3 inches or longer, and the two doubles are 5 feet, 3 inches wide, while the singles range in width from 30 to 25 inches. Headroom all along the lower deck is a uniform 6 feet, 4 inches, or more.
Up on the main deck, the saloon is organized around separate seating areas, and an aft galley within easy reach of the cockpit. The windows are substantial, and in the dazzling sunshine of the Cannes show, the dark walnut interior décor provided pleasantly shaded relief for the eyes—as good as a pair of sunglasses. The alternative schemes are lighter-hued—oak or ash—and that gigantic opening sunroof is supplied as standard. The helm station has two seats, pretty good all-around visibility, and a door out onto the side deck.
With no flybridge, the V65’s exterior spaces are limited to the cockpit and aft sunbed, and a surprisingly well-furnished foredeck. This space offers a nice, big sofa, a pair of sunbeds with adjustable backrests, a small ice locker, and a neat little table. These spaces are linked by safe side decks which not only have tall, secure guardrails but well-placed handrails inboard as well.
Let into the superstructure moldings on each side of the foredeck sofa are a pair of useful fender lockers, with lids that spring up willingly on gas struts. At first glance there doesn’t seem to be anything especially unusual about them, but I found myself admiring their complex shape, and the borderline perfection of their heavy-duty moldings. It looks like the designers set the production people up for a challenge, and the production people rose to it—and then some.
This kind of thing doesn’t generally make it into the marketing material, but it made me stop and look. I even took a photograph. If this is what happens when the economies of a common-platform approach encourage investment in quality, then bring it on. It’s my kind of AI.
Princess V65 Specifications:
LOA: 67’7”
Beam: 16’7”
Draft: 5’4”
Disp: 80,418 lb.
Fuel: 1,083 gal.
Water: 211 gal.
Power: 2/1,200-hp MAN V8; or 2/1,400-hp MAN V12
This article originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
