Boat Tests

PRESTIGE F4, sea trial of an out-of-the-ordinary yacht

PRESTIGE YACHTS, the art of sophisticated living

Backed by decades of experience, PRESTIGE YACHTS represents the pinnacle of French nautical engineering. Today, this willingness to innovate and offer cutting-edge products has resulted in the birth of the new PRESTIGE F4.

During the presentation held in Portopiccolo, Erwin Bamps, Vice President of PRESTIGE YACHTS tells us that this model “innovates to meet customers’ expectations while remaining true to the brand’s DNA.”, and it is from this strong identity that PRESTIGE F4 literally amazed us.

Thanks to Camillo Garroni, the designer of the new model, who has already launched many best sellers in boating, the new PRESTIGE F4 inherits all the elegance of its predecessor and blends the experience of the past with the needs of modern boat owners.

The new PRESTIGE F4 in detail

Arriving at Porto Piccolo, it is Camillo himself who welcomes us aboard the PRESTIGE F4 with a warm welcome, and immediately we realize how much work has been done to replicate the success already achieved by the previous model.

The stern is impressive, with a really spacious platform, but it is going up on deck that we get the real surprise as everything is laid out to be comfortable and functional.

A table longitudinal to the boat with two sofas on either side allow six people to have dinner comfortably, and best of all, even at high speed I have personally found that it is possible to talk in total comfort without excessive wind and noise. It is also possible to choose a different layout, with an L-shaped sofa and a table transverse to the boat.

On the port side we find the staircase to get on the flybridge, which the shipyard decided to expand further, increasing the surface of the steps to make it even easier to move from below to above and vice versa. Below it space is positioned to accommodate a very practical and capacious external refrigerator.

The large horizontal compass-shaped window set alongside the entry door gives light to the interior and allows natural ventilation while leaving 360-degree visibility. The OceanView galley and the location of the master suite are key features of the PRESTIGE F4.

Exteriors

The side decks of this PRESTIGE F4 are stunning, really spacious both in height and width, allowing a comfortable passage to the bow; a handrail placed above the large window accompanies the walkway along its entire length. Here is a sundeck conceived and designed to provide a really comfortable area for four people. Cushioning wraps around the entire central part, leaving plenty of room for walking.

Wider side windows and sporty hull lines are the perfect combination for this model that acquires a large yacht flavor while remaining under 20 meters in length. Stepping onto the Flybridge we find all over the aft beam a large L-shaped sofa with a chaise-longue on the right that would be the envy of a 70-footer.

To our left as we climb aboard is the helm console and to the side an additional L-shaped sofa flanking the station, again allowing three people to lie down in comfort.

Interior

It is inside that Italian design really comes to life, adding boldness and beauty to the spaces, which are rich in both volume and light. The exquisite materials and rich finishes are the right mix of comfort and design; curved wood and woven wicker are just some of the details that make the boat truly captivating, Inspired by the colors and reflections of the French Riviera with an unparalleled level of quality.

The layout of each individual component is designed to offer quality of life and greater privacy on board, now a real must for PRESTIGE YACHTS.

To the left of the entrance, the galley is designed to be experienced as if it were outside; in fact, the compass window, when open, creates truly practical visibility for the cook, with the sink and burners being placed in such a way that those using them have ample visibility towards the stern.

A refrigerator and a cabinet placed on the beam delimit the galley area from the center of the boat where a large L-shaped sofa encompasses the entire central and side area of the boat, leaving space for the interior steering console on the right.

A lateral window placed on the starboard side, between the galley cabinet and the helm seat, allows to go out amidships in the event of emergency needs and especially can be used to ventilate the boat on hot days, without having to resort to air conditioning.

From the helm console the visibility is good, the two Garmin monitors placed at the sides allow all the information we need to navigate to be read, at the side of the steering wheel the shipyard has arranged the pushbuttons and the on-board controls. The staircase placed in the middle gives us access to the sleeping area.

Sleeping area

The master cabin with the entrance placed on the starboard side offers an exceptional interior volume, very bright thanks to two large windows placed on both sides that literally flood the entire surface.

Equipped with a king-size bed that laterally leaves room for walking, a generous wardrobe, a large bathroom with two sinks, separate shower and 2 meters of headroom, it has nothing to envy from what can be found on a larger yacht.

In the stern, on the other hand, two twin cabins can be used with two separate beds or a single double bed, both served by a midships head. Here, too, side windows facilitate the entry of natural light and allow good visibility to the outside.

A relaxing atmosphere

Everything is thought out and designed to provide an inviting atmosphere, with the use of refined colors, high-quality fabrics, and special attention to the space layout. This at least is the feeling we had while climbing aboard. Personally, I appreciated the abundance of space and natural light in all rooms.

PRESTIGE F4 Sea Trial

We leave the Port calmly given the beautiful sunny day and little wind; the sea is almost a board and we just have to give a little throttle to immediately appreciate the balance of this boat.

The helm station allows excellent visibility and the large windows make it really easy for us to keep an eye on the whole boat. The two VOLVO IPS 650 (D6 – 480 HP/HP) come into their own even at low revs. At 1000 rpm we reach 5.5 knots with a consumption of 8 L/h, increasing the throttle takes us to 2000 rpm and the speed is around 10 knots with consumption around 43 L/h.

The internal noise is practically nil, there are 5 of us in the saloon and we chat like in the living room at home. Bringing the boat to 2500 rpm we feel that the hull begins to plane and it is enough to increase 500 rpm to see the wake detach and feel all the balance and power of this hull, which between 3000 and 3500 finds the right balance with speeds on 21/23 knots and consumption between 120 and 140 L/h .

PRESTIGE F4: speed and comfort

Just at this speed I decide to perform a couple of tight turns to get a better feel for how the boat reacts, I pass several times in my own wake realizing the stability and handling. The right beam, the right hull shape, make everything stay easy and safe.

We speed up again until 3400 rpm, we are travelling at 23 knots with a consumption of 150 L/h. This is the cruising speed, the boat is in perfect trim and glides over the sea slicing through the water.

Cruising at 23 knots with the boat maintaining a respectable trim is really pleasant, especially since we are still chatting in absolute relaxation. The new model from PRESTIGE YACHTS represents an excellent combination therefore of cruising, sportiness and elegance, with a comfort on board that really amazed me and made me particularly love this model.

The return to port is accompanied by the latest descriptions and information from Camillo who as always, loving his job, makes true icons in the yacht world and I assure you that this will be the next one. The appointment is at the next Cannes Yachting Festival where the new flagship of PRESTIGE YACHTS will have its official debut.

RPM

Speed

Consumption L/h

Consumption  L/Mg

600

3.06

3.5

1.14

1000

5.43

8.1

1.49

1500

7.8

21.2

2.71

2000

9.6

43.5

4.5

2500

12.3

82.5

6.7

3000

17.6

129

7.3

3400 (cruising speed)

19.5

146

7.48

3700 (max speed)

25.9

198

7.6

Giorgio Bruno

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