Buying & Owning a £1.6 million Princess F55 | Owner's Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- What is it like buying and owning a £1.6 million Princess F55? In this new YachtBuyer series, we aim to demystify the subject by touring and sea trialing a boat with the owner to find out why the bought their, which options they did and didn’t choose and how they cruise with it.
In this episode, Jack Haines meets Princess 55 owner, Henry Firman, a serial boat owner who took delivery of his new boat in early 2023. He discusses the boats he’s owned previously, what else he considered before he bought his F55 and why it works so well for him and his partner as a commercial charter vessel.
Let us know what you think of the video concept in the comments below and, if you would like your boat to be featured on YachtBuyer, email us at: editorial@yachtbuyer.com
“Mango”, Henry’s Princess F55, is available for charter in The Solent and you can find more information here: charter-solent...
#yacht #yachts #princessf55 #YachtTour #yacht #yachting #BoatTour #boating #boattest #seatrial #superyacht
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Performance & Specification:
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LOA: 17.7m - 58ft 1in
Beam: 4.9m - 16ft 1in
Displacement: 30.9 tonnes - 68,176lbs
Capacity: Category B for 15 people
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Performance
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Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D13 900
Top Speed: 31 knots
Cruising Speed: 25 knots
Range: 250nm
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Timestamps
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00:00 Intro
00:55 Previously Owned Yachts
03:25 Alternatives to the F55?
04:50 Hydraulic Bathing Platform
05:40 Will you have a Tender?
06:40 3rd Cabin for Chartering?
07:51 Cockpit
08:27 Perks of the Flybridge
09:35 Advantages of a Bimini
10:25 Sunbathing on the Bow
10:49 Is a Seakeeper worth it?
13:05 Why do you like the F55 Saloon?
14:51 No Washer/Dryer?
15:12 Inital Conerns with Living Area
16:40 Under-Rated Features
17:05 Accommodation
17:18 Owner's Cabin
17:35 Suprisingly Comfortable Beds
18:35 Why they opted for a Coffee Table
19:20 How's the storage?
19:35 VIP Cabin
20:14 Engine Room
20:45 Ideal Layout?
21:30 Pre-departure Routine?
21:50 Performance & Range
22:22 Driving from the Flybridge
22:53 Prefered Cruising Speed?
24:00 Testing her at 20 knots
25:18 Hand Steer or AutoPilot?
25:50 Screen Setup
26:20 Helm Position
26:40 Slow Speed Manoeuvrability
Thanks for the great feedback on this video and of course to the owner, Henry, for making it happen. If you’d like your boat to be featured please drop us an email to: editorial@yachtbuyer.com - thanks!
That was one of the best owner orientated videos I have seen , do like the princess , got to agree about the layout and useage , very knowledgeable owner and comes across as interested and interesting, very well done , hope you can do a few more
Glad you liked it, we’ll do our best!
It's great to know first hand experience of actual owners. Thank you.
Our pleasure!
That was massively informative and that's a man who nows exactly what he wants in a boat and looking forward to many more of these
Excellent! Very interesting and would definitely like to see more of these owner-orientated vids, I love Princess boats of this size (but can't afford one yet) but I'm seriously thinking about a short charter for our next big anniversary so am going to save this page as the charter prices look doable (relatively speaking). Cheers!!
Well done. Definitely need to do more of these. Its always good to get an owners perspective as a user. You tend to get the practical feedback.
As a prospective Princess buyer I backed off from the V55 which I really liked, because the factory would not put a TV in the saloon for me opposite the internal dining area behing the galley counter.
They have a TV on a swivel which services indoor and outdoor, but the problem when it faces into the saloon is that only one person can face the TV. One seat is lost because your back would be facing the TV and another two seats are lost because they are side on to the TV and you would end up with a sore neck.
Also, I spoke to a number of Princess owners who say they never use the BBQ on the V55, because it is too close to the saloon and the smoke goes inside the boat. I asked for the BBQ to be moved further down the ourdoor gallet and I was even prepared to lose the aft docking station to accommodate the move of the BBQ, because I could replace that with a remote.
A boat always faces into the wind so the smoke from a BBQ would blow back off the aft of the boat and not into the boat.
Two easy solutions that are logical and practical, but Princess would not make those changes. Pity. They should listen to their customer feedback.
Have you considered 3rd party solutions? I'm sure there are shops out there that could do those changes for you. Ones with GRP building expertise to change the BBQ station for example. Sure it'll cost you, but you already have the money for a 55' luxury yacht so I doubt you care that much.
@@rykehuss3435 Its more the principle. Here is what irks me: First, the changes would help other Princess owners and prospective buyers who have complained about the same thing. One of them has purchased a cheap portable BBQ which he attaches to the aft transom and stands in the scathing heat while he is cooking which is not a pleasant experience. You need to be under cover and out of the sun to enjoy your BBQ.
Second, it is a design flaw and they should make it a permanent change to improve their product. Every other boat designs the BBQ at the outer extremity, under cover (cockpit or transom) because the smoke always blows backwards off the boat (unless there is no wind).
I looked behind the indoor galley to see if there was room for another TV and it seems there is plenty space to put another up-down TV so that ALL seats face the TV. In that way you are not losing three seats when the swivel TV faces inwards. The fact that Princess could not work this out for themselves is astonishingly stupid. I am more than happy to pay for the extra TV and keep the swivel TV for outdoor viewing, even though you still lose a seat with that TV position as well. You can make up for the lost seat in the cockpit with a loose deck chair.
Third, it makes you wonder what other design flaws there are which are less obvious.
Fourth, I don't like dealing with companies who have no interest in continuous improvement and who don't listen to their customers. Its only a matter of time before they go broke.
And lastly, when I'm spending more than $3,500,000 on a boat, I expect the practical basics to be right.
What Princess does is the complete antithesis of my business culture, so I guess you could say we are unequally yolked.
Always good to hear how the boat behaves and runs day to day, more of the same please 👍
That's the plan!
@@Yachtbuyer Definitely would like to see a video like this about a Princess F50 owner
A great video with great presenter as well as a very interesting and knowledgeable owner, many thanks to the both of You!
Owners tours with several similar sized boats would be great, like an Azimuth, an Absolute Navetta, a Sunseeker and maybe some more…
such an amazing owner who really loves his boats, we wish to see more videos on this format. Great work
More to come!
Great idea, getting the owners perspective and a nicely paced tour of the boat at the same time. Brilliant. :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
I liked that video. I like that he talked about some more practical or impractical aspects of yachts, especially the washer dryer. Whenever I see one tucked away, my mind always thinks of worst case scenario regarding repair or worse replacement.
To expand on that in regards to the video I’d suggest asking what options the owner wished they had, or things they got they don’t need, or changes they’d make if they could.
Well done. It is truly valuable to hear from an owner operator's perspective. Especially one who is quite a bit more than a weekend warrior. He was forthcoming in each piont of view. Presenting both a personal opinion as well as all of the facts that were required to suport his conclusions. I enjoyed the video very much.
If you ask me, and I believe you did, you certainly have my vote to include more such videos.
Thanks Jack and crew for having us along!
Thanks David, we appreciate the feedback - Jack
Great video Jack and congratulations Henry. Having just purchased a 2022 F55 (with a little help from Jack) I thought is was a very informative and useful review and great explanation of the decision making process. 👏🏻 See you in the Solent.
Hey Jack, that was very interesting indeed, particularly hearing Henry's very detailed and nuanced take on everything re boat buying and chartering (underpants and all lol). Excellent stuff and another arrow in both yours and the team's quivers. Top notch and I very much look forward to you guys developing this pathway further. See you next time
Thanks for the kind words, we’re hoping to do more of these so stay tuned! - Jack
I've watched this for a second time today. Beautiful boat and Henry is such a personable and knowledgeable host. 👍
Nice to see you back in front of the cameras👍👍 I absolutely love this kind of content, would love to view more of it!! Princess F55 is a real dream boat for sure. Thanks a lot!
Our pleasure!
A really excellent interview, lots of useful info, particularly useful too hear about the gyro stabilizer as it's a huge item to spec.
Glad it was helpful!
More of these please. Great video. Interesting to learn why some people prefer somethings and really don’t get on with others.
Will do!
Thank you Jack. Very much enjoyed the owners views on how the boat works in normal use.
Jack, a really great video, its always good to hear from people who use the boat and how they make use of it. Really dolike the Princess range of boats. Look forward to more of these videos
Thanks, really glad you enjoyed it - Jack
Jack another great vid.Been with you since the early days and the channel just gets better with editing,production etc.Great stuff hearing from an actual owner and gives a better insight
Thanks for the support, we appreciate it! - Jack
Thank you Jack, the video really outline the linkages between owner aspirations and yacht features 👍
You’re very welcome, glad you liked it! - Jack
I’d actually buy one of these. I love how everything is functional & nothing screams form over function like you see in most boats this size. It’s the perfect size to have for you & your family to enjoy & you wouldn’t need any outside help which is cost prohibitive. Great video!
Brilliant episode.Henry hit the nail on the head saying that sunseeker are the lamborghini and princess is the porsche of boats.Really enjoyed it. Hopefully more to come 👌🤙
Why
The best real world yachting video till now. Thank you 😊
Wow, thanks! 🙏
Great new series, as an owner gives you the pros and cons of a boat for personal use or events or charter work. Very valuable for someone looking for a new boat.
Maybe the shipbuilders should also look at this the owners views and your professional questions and your camera person. Great video, unfortunately I've just checked up my money box - hummm think i got a way to go before I can get one. If i ever could.
Glad you liked it, thanks so much.
Jack that was a great production, really professionally filmed, unlike some other reviews on youtube. Having a camera man makes a huge difference to the continuity. It would of been nice to know who the owner was and his business
Glad you liked, we’ll definitely try to do more! - Jack
The owner is Henry from Charter Solent
Great pacing, questions, and b-roll. Fantastic work overall!
Much appreciated! - Jack
There seems to be a bug with the timestamps on the videos at the moment, so here they are:
00:00 Intro
00:55 Previously Owned Yachts
03:25 Alternatives to the F55?
04:50 Hydraulic Bathing Platform
05:40 Will you have a Tender?
06:40 3rd Cabin for Chartering?
07:51 Cockpit
08:27 Perks of the Flybridge
09:35 Advantages of a Bimini
10:25 Sunbathing on the Bow
10:49 Is a Seakeeper worth it?
13:05 Why do you like the F55 Saloon?
14:51 No Washer/Dryer?
15:12 Initial Concerns with Living Area
16:40 Under-Rated Features
17:05 Accommodation
17:18 Owner's Cabin
17:35 Surprisingly Comfortable Beds
18:35 Why they opted for a Coffee Table
19:20 How's the storage?
19:35 VIP Cabin
20:14 Engine Room
20:45 Ideal Layout?
21:30 Pre-departure Routine?
21:50 Performance & Range
22:22 Driving from the Flybridge
22:53 Prefered Cruising Speed?
24:00 Testing her at 20 knots
25:18 Hand Steer or AutoPilot?
25:50 Screen Setup
26:20 Helm Position
26:40 Slow Speed Manoeuvrability
8:57 ''I buy the flybridge for the cockpit''
Great points; ...can fully enclose it,
and when anchored, you're always
downwind. + you get the fly bridge
along with the deal, win win.
This was a great supplement to your usually terrific content. Not only the Princess herself, but the listening to the experiences of the owner as a charter operator was very engaging.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
A lot of interesting and well considered comments. The evolving design of motor yachts is fascinating, not least the gains to be had from going bigger, and seeing how far the design and technology has evolved in just a decade or two. Great review. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you.
This was a lovely boat and a new feature for YachtBuyer, Jack it's an excellent well equipped Princess F55 and Henry knows just what he wanted from her.
It is a lovely boat with a useful gyroscope N9 seakeeper which gives you a perfect ride or can be used when at anchor. A very interesting experience Jack, let's see more of these type of tours on your channel.
You will! Thanks John - Jack
Excellent video Jack! Great owner’s perspective. About to receive my very own after a 19 month wait! Thanks for the vid.
Amazing news, congratulations 👏 - Jack
Yes. Great video.
More of these please. When experienced owners give the true breakdown and show they actually use their boats.
Thank you
🫡
Great video, I love to hear about real world owners and how they spec their boats, and the plus and minus of the experience.
Charming dude. Very carefully spoken, I liked the part about coffee and underpants and how he'd get away with that because he's a good looking chap the best!
Seriously nice boat, if I'll ever win the lottery, that'd probably be my pick!
Henry is a gentleman, fair play to him and his success
Awesome video and great format to meet the owners and have them discuss the boat!
Thanks 😊
Loved this! Nice to get an owner's perspective - really interesting.
Oh yes, that worked really well - I tip my hat to you and the team Jack. I liked the format, the quality camera work and, above all else, a really interesting and personable owner. More of that please…
Glad you enjoyed it! - Jack
What a great video. The captain is very personable and loved all the little things he explained about his experience with the yacht.
Glad you enjoyed it, Len!
Great video when I was younger i did my work experience in princess yachts and worked on the x and y boats over at Devonport
I do enjoy the owner interviews. Love to hear the factors in the purchase decision and post purchase reviews.
More to come! 👍
I have seen several of you post and enjoyed them .Must say love d this with the owner great to hear their experience on the boats .Thank you!!
Cheers Todd, glad you like the format. More to come - Jack
Thanks Jack! Absolutely..do the OWNERS opinions! It's the name of the channel after all...
Will do, Chris! Cheers - Jack
Thank you guys! Henry, The Mango looks amazing. That is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have to have one of those F55. It's my Destiny. :)
Please talk with MORE owners!
That was so enlightening!!
Very unique video!
Your owner did a great job!!!
Please do more!!!
Thank you! Will do!
Definitely gotta do more of these videos. Really enjoyed the owner’s experience and perspective.
We will!
A massive 👍 to the person ho edit this video, fantastic job 👊🔥
That would be our man, Ed. Well done, Ed! 👏
@@Yachtbuyer fantastic Ed, well done 👏
Amazing video and huge thanks to the owners for been so helpful and detailed about the experience of owning one of this spectacular machines
Absolutely! Glad you liked it 👍
It was very interesting to get such an in-depth review of this lovely boat. I would hope one day to have such a boat.
Glad to hear it Ken, thanks!
I was on a F55 at Boot Düsseldorf - spot on the comment about never being allowed to sit on the bed. Really enjoyed this interview .
Glad to hear it, Matthew! - Jack
Really interesting vlog, thanks Jack and team.
I’ve briefly looked into chartering our boat, so would love to know more about how it works for them. Where they advertise, whether they make money, licences etc etc.
What a wonderful alternative to all those “tour” videos that give you little idea of what it’s like to live with the boat.
Safe sailing, my Commonwealth brothers 😎 🇬🇧 🇨🇦
Thank you! 🍁
Great video and very enjoyable. It's nice to know what owners feel about boats. I have learnt a few things. No early morning tea in my underpants with a galley up boat. Don't tick the dishwasher and washing machine options. I replaced a fitted washing machine at home a while ago and it was a pain so to do it on board would be a job for the boatyard, and therefore expensive. Top tips and I look forward to finding more top tips in future reviews. Nice one, Jack. 👍👍👍
Really glad to hear that you got something out of it, thanks for watching - Jack
Very interesting video from clearly a knowledgeable and experienced captain who looks after his charter customers very well.
Shame he wasn’t asked if he looked after his second hand car dealership customers as enthusiastically aswell - just thinking
Well done guys, very interesting and informative and a pleasure to watch. Loved the angle on fuel burn and running costs.
Glad you enjoyed it!
A Dreamboat! Even if had a 100 million in the bank this is what i would go for! Not a super mega yacht, maybe an s66 would be okay too😁
The bigger the boat, the less youre gonna boat on it. You'll quickly find out that finding berths on your journeys will become a pain. I wouldnt get anything bigger than this
Great review/owner interview! In fact, it's probably one of the best ones, and I watched hundreds 😂
Great to hear, thank you! - Jack
Fantastic video. more of this please. Thank you.
Loved this review! Would love to see more on other boats.
Great video, and great yacht 😀 This is the best video you have posted on YB so far 😀 Thank you 👍
Thanks Kim, glad you liked it! - Jack
Super interesting video. Good to get a bit of Owner perspective. Really enjoying your channel. Looking forward to your next video.
Thanks, glad you liked it! - Jack
Really Enjoyed this video. Great insight into an actual owner operator. Thank you
Glad you liked it, thanks!
First time watching the channel (and now subscribed). What an insightful and fun interview!
That’s what we like to hear! Thanks 🙏
Really enjoyed the video. Looking forward to another!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Really enjoyed that, Henry is an eloquent, knowledgeable owner, interesting to listen to. Only problem is his advice just increased the price of my next boat by £110k as it'll have a powered bimini and a Seakeeper.
Ha! Thanks for watching - Jack
😂
Love this format!
Brilliant video with superb insight and great host too.😊
Thanks so much! - J
Yes a great review, a day out on the water would be for a very special event.
Fabulous boat, and fabulous owner! Fantastic overview 💕
Glad you enjoyed it!
I LOVE These videos a sort of take on an
(Aquaholic meet the owner) great great job with this one huge fan since you and Nick were both with motorboat and yachting.
Thanks for the support, Brian - Jack
By the way, if you were navigating the med and looking to discover Baleares, Amalfi Coast, Greek Islands and much more, would you really trade your 53 ft motor yacht for an ultra luxury, push button, highly comfortable, carbon fibre build, 54 ft performance sail catamaran or you would stick to motoring. Thank You 😛
Great edit!! Would love a go on this one
Excellent video. It's a format which really works
Glad you like it!
good morning Jack, another triumph! I really enjoyed this review, I think you were very lucky with the guy you were interviewing, he certainly knew his stuff. Nonetheless, you did add your own particular panache, more of the same please.
Thanks Peter. Yes, Henry made the shoot very easy and was a natural on camera, which certainly make my job easier! - Jack
Great boat but also great banter from big Henry! Nice video
Henry knows the craic, all right! - Jack
Wonderful Beautiful Practical and such an elegant boat. Wow !
Worth putting into context that Henry owns (and has for a long time) a mid size second hand Car dealership in Buckinghamshire which supplies vehicles at super high prices akin to main dealer pricing contributing significantly to his continued ownership of his motor yachts.
Given that yacht ownership, just like private aircraft ownership, is a monetary sinkhole - not being a second hand car dealer would mean no money to fund the boats.
just goes to show that working hard pays off. Even now we work hard, just about to start a run of 4 charter days back to back.Today’s will be a 7.30am to 9.30pm day……
@@HenryFirmanoh please don’t preach the ‘mines bigger than yours’ you’re not selling second hand Porsche’s now. Save that for the car dealership along with the sheepskin coat
@@askiff1415 Sorry for the delay in responding, we've been working back to back on the charters.
Where have I suggested that the boat is bigger than anyone else's? In the world of international boating this is a minnow, I would never dream of playing the size game because I would only be setting myself up for failure. I was responding to your insinuation that the Porsche sales business was somehow an easy gig and we were living of the spoils. We sell a product much older than those sold by the main dealer and as such they are harder to source, require more preparation and represent a higher risk in terms of warranty work. The fact we've stuck at it for 30 years or more means we eat most nights but even now we have to paddle hard under the surface of the water to stay afloat.
All I can do is genuinely wish you well and hope you come to terms with the demons you are clearly fighting.
@@henryf9175 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 totally missed the point.
How on earth was I wondering around youtube and my mate Henry appears with his latest toy……(Martin B here Henry!). I knew you had a fairly tidy piece of fibre glass on the water, I had no idea how nice and tidy it is! Must look to book a date for a day out one day to experience the full fat Henry and Sharon experience. Keep up the good work 👍 (by the way, as ever and as per 911V videos, really well filmed and edited!)
Just seen this. Hi there Martin, this is a Yachtbuyer production rather than 911V, hence the great production. Definitely get in touch re: a charter-solent day out. After 12 years we almost know what we’re doing now 😂
Great tour thank you I enjoyed it.
A bit surprised to hear that the joystick not been very useful. I ve seen it in action in other boats and works wonders.
But great video 👍
You can be much more delicate using engines and the variable speed thrusters.
Really interesting video. Thanks to all involved.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fascinating vid, very interesting discussion, superb photography and editing and the F55 is really smart.
When my numbers come up you'll have to come out on my new S72 and Nordhavn 82 and possibly Rodman 55🤞🤞😁.
👍❤️🇬🇧
Thanks!
Does daycharter mean "from morning till late afternoon, or do the guests sleep over aswell untill the next morning (like, "they rented it for 24h")?
I believe a day charter is not overnight, rather it will likely be morning till evening, which if you have six people might cost around £500 per person, which is actually not bad.
Correct
This was extremely interesting. First time to watch one of your videos.
Glad you enjoyed! - Jack
Great insight in buying a boat 👍
Well done Jack a brilliant owner's review More please
We'll do our best! - Jack
Hey Henry. Congrats on the new boat. I still love the 50 mark 3 but then I'm biased ;-). Cheers.
P50 Mk3 is a peach of a boat which served us well for 10 years
Great owner, beautiful boat but wrong country regarding weather and tides for boating. I lived in Australia for 20 years (Sunshine coast) and have lived in UK for the last 5 years, going back to Australia to live out my days where I will be boating most days. I just find boating in the UK is so so hard and unpredictable. Great video by the way 👍.
Thanks 😊
In some ways the challenges of UK boating add to its appeal and I think it spurs native builders on to produce a better product.
Great post J. Loved it.
the amount of yeah yeah yeah responses is over the top .
Thank You for this really really good and great explanation! 🤝👍
You're very welcome!
Absolutely fantastic video.- more please!
Thank you! Will do!
Great video. More please.
More to come!
Thing of beauty. What more could you want without going OTT? Perfect size
Great video superb presentation ..love owner videos.
Excellent video!
18:36 perhaps if there's a hostess and she'll bring you the coffee downstairs, but other than that I agree with Henry
Yes enjoyed it very much. Thank You :)
I would love to see a video of a new owner taking delivery of their new boat in this size category from any yacht brand like Princess, Sunseeker and Fairline who make the luxury boats like the one in this video. It would be interesting to see the full handover delivery process filmed from start to finish with the owners permission of course so that would be future boat owners who watch your channel Jack know what to expect when you buy these nice boats from the 3 brands i mentioned Princess, Sunseeker and Fairline?
Interesting concept, thanks for sharing.
@@Yachtbuyer if you like my idea is it something you could put in a future video on your channel?