The Princess X80 is Plymouth's take on the enclosed-flybridge concept: a full-beam skylounge on the upper deck that turns 25.18 metres into genuine year-round living space. At 99 gross tonnes with eight guests in four ensuite cabins, it borrows superyacht volume for an 82-foot platform, and the formula won it a 2024 Motor Boat Award.
The layout
The X Class trick is the enclosed upper deck. Instead of an open flybridge, the X80 carries a proper skylounge with full headroom and panoramic glazing, which turns the upper deck into all-weather living space rather than fair-weather seating. Below it, the main deck runs in one long volume from the aft cockpit to the forward cabin, and that forward cabin gets its own private access to the bow, so the owners can take breakfast on the foredeck without crossing the working deck.
Eight guests sleep in four cabins, each with a private ensuite, and three crew are accommodated separately. For a yacht of this length, four proper ensuite cabins is generous planning.
Specifications
| Builder | Princess Yachts, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Length overall | 25.18 m (82 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 6.06 m (19 ft 11 in) |
| Gross tonnage | 99 GT |
| Hull | Composite deep-V planing hull |
| Engines | Twin MAN V12, 1,650, 1,900, or 2,000 hp |
| Top speed | 31 knots |
| Range | Approx 325 nm |
| Fuel | Optional 8,800-litre long-range tank |
| Guests | 8 in 4 cabins |
| Crew | 3 |
| Design | Princess Design Studio with Bernard Olesinski (exterior) |
On the water
Motor Boat & Yachting's sea trial of the 1,900 hp MAN V12 installation recorded 31 knots flat out. The deep-V hull is a proven Princess and Olesinski shape. Range is the honest compromise: roughly 325 nautical miles, with an optional 8,800-litre long-range tank for owners who want to stretch it. This is a coastal and island-hopping yacht, not a passage-maker, and it is specified accordingly.
The verdict
The X80 makes its case on volume per foot and refinement. If the brief is maximum yacht for the length, with genuine all-weather living space, there is little at 82 feet that matches it.
What we have and have not done
This review is based on published specifications and Motor Boat & Yachting's sea trial. Yacht & Ocean has not sea-trialled this yacht.
Photography: Photograph of a Princess X80 via Princess Yachts.
