Princess Yachts, Plymouth Built and Viking Supported in America

Plymouth roots and a string of owners

Princess began in 1965 as Marine Projects (Plymouth) Ltd, founded by Brian Phillips, Cliff Viney and David King. The company grew from small cruisers into one of the largest builders of motor yachts in Europe without ever leaving Plymouth, and it adopted the Princess Yachts International name in 2001.

Ownership has moved several times. South African businessman Graham Beck held the company from 1981 to 2008, Bernard Arnault's L Capital and later L Catterton controlled it from 2008 to 2023, and US private equity firm KPS Capital Partners acquired it in February 2023. Through all of it, design leadership has stayed remarkably stable, with Bernard Olesinski's studio drawing hull lines for decades.

Why Princess hulls ride the way they do

Princess builds a remarkable share of each yacht in-house, from resin infusion and composite parts to furniture and stainless steel. That control shows in consistency: panel gaps, hatch fits and joinery tend to be tighter than on most production rivals. Hulls are true deep-V forms on the planing models, which gives a dry, confident ride in a short Gulf Stream chop where flatter-bottomed boats pound.

We cover seven models. The Princess V40 and Princess V50 are sport yachts for day runs and weekends. The Princess F55 and Princess F65 are flybridges. The F55 we cover, built from 2017, has been superseded by an all-new, smaller F55, with the F58 added above it in 2025, while the F65 replaced the F62 in 2022 and remains in the F Class.

The Princess 78 Motor Yacht is the oldest boat in our coverage and the one most US buyers will meet on the brokerage market at a big discount to newer tonnage. Built from 2009 to about 2013, it was the second Princess built entirely by resin infusion after the V78, an Olesinski deep-V flybridge with twin Caterpillar C32s good for around 35 knots, four en suite guest cabins and crew quarters aft. Princess returned to that size with the Y78 in 2019, the same year the Y85 opened the Y Class, a planing 85-footer with around 49 hulls built, a big number for its size. The Y85 has since dropped out of the current lineup after the smaller Y80 arrived. The Princess X95, launched in 2020, introduced the super flybridge, bringing superyacht volume to a 95-foot hull.

The Viking connection and US support

Princess Yachts America is owned by Viking Yacht Company, the New Jersey sportfish builder, which gives Princess a US sales and service network few European brands can match. Viking's service centers in Florida and New Jersey support warranty work, and many Viking dealers sell both brands. That relationship is one reason Princess resale values in the US hold up better than several Italian and French competitors.

Used Princesses still carry European specification items that buyers should understand, including 230 volt shore power on boats not originally built for America, MAN or Volvo engines depending on size, and Seakeeper or fin stabilizer choices.

• Confirm whether the boat is a US-specification build with 60 Hz electrical systems.
• Review MAN or Volvo service records and any warranty claims.
• Inspect flybridge hardtop seals and bimini fittings for leaks.
• Check teak decks for remaining thickness on boats older than ten years.
• On a 78 Motor Yacht or other pre-2014 boat, review Caterpillar C32 hours, crew area condition and electronics upgrades.