At Cannes Yachting Festival, Princess has announced the new Princess C48 in both Open and Deck Saloon iterations
Princess has lifted the lid on its all-new C-Class model. And it’s every bit as exciting as hoped. Not only is it the first centre console design from the normally conservative British yard, it’s also the first to feature a stepped hull, outboard or sterndrive power, and two types of folding terraces.
Called the C48, it will be available in both Open and Deck Saloon versions and will be the new entry point to the Princess range when production of the V40 stops next year.
Featuring a modern centre-console design with deep walkaround decks, a hard top and an open bow, it picks up on the trend for fast, stylish weekenders popularised by the likes of Fjord, Pardo and Boston Whaler.
In Open guise the whole cockpit is open to the elements at the back and sides but sheltered by a wraparound windscreen that morphs into a long, full beam hard top. The Deck Saloon variant uses the same basic architecture but with glazed sides and sliding aft doors to create an enclosed saloon up front with a smaller open cockpit aft. An optional opening glass sunroof and helm doors on both sides ensure occupants can still enjoy plenty of fresh air and easy access to the side decks.
The Princess C48 Deck Saloon
It will be quick too. With the largest outboard option of triple 600hp Mercury V12 Verados, it will be good for an estimated 53 knots, making this the fastest Princess yet. Crucially, for European markets it will also be available with a pair of Volvo Penta’s brand new 480hp D6 diesel sterndrives. These should still deliver a top speed of 33-35 knots.
But perhaps the biggest surprise is Princess’s decision to fit folding side platforms. Unusually there are two different versions of these. As standard it comes with relatively small half-height hinged bulwark sections that fold out manually to become seats over the water but these can be upgraded to longer, full height quarter platforms that fold down flush with the deck to create proper terraces.
The cockpit is fairly typical of the breed, albeit with a number of clever twists. Both variants have three individual helm seats immediately behind the windshield but in the Open version the driver gets the middle seat, whereas in the Deck Saloon the driver sits on the right next to the starboard side door.
The Princess C48 Open
Moving aft, the differences become more obvious. The Open version has a large outdoor galley behind the helm seats with full width wetbars on either side of a walkway. This backs onto a large dinette with benches facing each other across a folding table. The rearmost bench also has a sliding backrest so it can be pushed forwards to extend the length of the aft sunpad.
The Deck Saloon has a smaller galley in the saloon opposite an L-shaped internal dinette and a second smaller outside dinette in the aft cockpit.
The lower deck is just as versatile. The standard layout is largely open plan with a U-shaped dinette forward that converts to a double bed, a small secondary galley module to port and a separate head and shower compartment to starboard. There’s also a private double cabin behind the companionway steps with a forward-facing bed to port and a sofa to starboard. However, you can choose to make a second cabin by enclosing the bow area with a bulkhead and cabin door and replacing the dinette with a permanent double bed.
Princess C48 Deck Saloon layout
Without any interior renderings to go, it’s hard to know how spacious these will be. The deep walkaround decks and open bow will have an impact on headroom down below but with an LOA just shy of 49ft and a beam of 13ft 8in (wider than a V50), there should still be enough volume for it to feel suitably luxurious.
As usual the C48 is the work of both Princess’s in-house team and Olesinski Design, but the hull itself is by American fast-boat guru Michael Peters. This features a distinctive patented SVVT (Stepped Vee Ventilated Tunnel) hull with two steps cutting across the usual variable-vee profile, the back one of which ventilates a shallow tunnel running along the aft third of the keel all the way back to the transom. This is said to improve speed, fuel efficiency and ride quality without the reduced grip experienced by some stepped hulls during a high speed turn.
Princess C48 Open layout
The diesel model has a fuel capacity of 1,500 litres, while the outboard model holds up to 2,346 litres of petrol.
The first C48 will make its show debut at Fort Lauderdale 2026. It will be an Open with triple outboards. The first Deck Saloon with sterndrives is expected to be shown at Dusseldorf 2028. It will be built in Plymouth on the same site as the current V40, which will cease production shortly. Pricing has not yet been announced but expect it to start at around £800,000 ex taxes.
Princess CEO Will Green describes the C48 as a “defining moment for Princess” and “a bold entry into an entirely new sector for us”.
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