Princess Y85 Yacht Review, Layout and Market Value

The Princess Y85 opened a new chapter at Plymouth

The Princess Y85 was the boat that launched the Y Class, the line Princess created to sit between its F Class flybridges and the larger semi-custom X and M Class yachts. It appeared in 2019 and was on show at the Cannes Yachting Festival that September, and its design team set the template for everything Princess has done since: Bernard Olesinski on lines and naval architecture, with Pininfarina and the Princess Design Studio collaborating on the design. Princess no longer lists the Y85 in its current Y Class, which now runs from the Y72 through the Y80 (unveiled at Cannes in 2023) to the Y95, so every Y85 is now a brokerage purchase.

For a broker, the Y85's importance is its position. At 86 feet it is just large enough to need professional crew and just small enough that an experienced owner can still take the wheel and run it like a big flybridge. BOAT International's directory counts around 49 Y85s, which makes it one of the most produced yachts in its size class and gives the used market real depth.

Gen 1 or Mk2, and why the glass matters

Gen 1 boats were built from 2019 to 2022. In 2022 Princess introduced a Mk2 with three meaningful changes. First, a single-sweep, elongated hull window that floods the lower deck with light. Second, an optional infinity cockpit with a glazed transom, electrically sliding seats and a lift-and-drop table that converts between coffee and dining heights. Third, flexibility on the flybridge, where buyers could choose a crane and tender stowage aft or a spa pool, along with a rising bar panel and door that close the galley off from the saloon.

Which one should you buy? The Mk2's galley partition is a bigger deal than it sounds. On the Gen 1, the galley is part of the main deck social space, which works beautifully when the family cooks for itself but is less ideal when a chef and stewardess are working through a dinner service. If you plan to run with full crew and entertain formally, the Mk2 is worth its premium. If the boat will be a family cruiser with a captain and mate, a well kept Gen 1 delivers the same hull and the same V12s for less.

Four en suite cabins across a 20-foot beam

Guests sleep in four cabins, all with their own heads. The master is amidships and uses the full 20-foot 8-inch beam, with a centerline king, a walk-in closet, curved timber detailing, large hull windows and a double-sink bathroom with a rainfall shower. The VIP is forward with its own walk-in closet and en suite, and two further cabins, one double and one twin, complete the lower deck.

Upstairs, Yachting magazine's reviewer highlighted the main deck saloon with its 9-foot 8-inch picture window and walnut sole, a round dining table with a bar and hidden wine chiller, and a U-shaped media lounge with a pop-up television. A day head on the main deck means guests never wander below to use a cabin bathroom. The galley carries Miele or Wolf and Sub-Zero equipment depending on the build, plus ice makers and wine chillers, and has its own deck access so crew can serve outside without crossing the saloon.

Crew quarters, and where the Y85 shows its size limits

Crew live aft, reached through the swim platform. On early boats there is a mess area, a single cabin for the captain, a twin bunk cabin and a head with a separate shower, which accommodates three permanent crew. YachtBuyer's 2022 test boat had two twin bunk cabins either side of the mess for four crew, sharing one bathroom.

This is also where the Y85's compromises are clearest. A YachtBuyer test noted the crew mess is tight and cannot seat a full crew of four at once, and that Princess did not fit a Boening monitoring screen in the crew area, so whoever is off watch cannot keep an eye on systems without walking to the bridge. Neither is a deal breaker, and an aftermarket monitoring display is an easy addition, but if you plan to charter or run four crew, inspect the crew area with your captain before you commit.

• Captain's single cabin and twin bunk crew cabin
• Separate crew head with shower and a compact mess
• Access via the swim platform keeps crew traffic out of guest areas
• Consider adding remote monitoring screens aft

MAN V12 performance, from a Gulf Stream dash to 1,000-mile passages

Most Y85s carry twin MAN V12-1900 diesels, each producing 1,900 hp at 2,300 rpm, on conventional shafts. Early boats could be ordered with V12-1800s as the base package. Princess quotes up to 33 knots; independent testers have recorded just over 30 knots, and Yachting's first sea trial on a new boat saw almost 28 knots before the engines had settled in. Plan on 30 knots as a realistic top end with fuel, water and a tender aboard.

The real strength is versatility. Yachting's test team reported the boat had crossed more than 180 nautical miles of open water, including the Gulf Stream, in about nine hours, a 20-knot average that puts Nassau within a long day of Fort Lauderdale. With 2,906 gallons of fuel, Princess quotes a range of 425 nautical miles at 19 knots, which implies a burn of roughly 120 to 130 gallons per hour at that speed, and over 1,000 nautical miles when slowed to displacement speeds around 10 knots. Princess also claimed a 13 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over the model it superseded when the Y85 launched.

Flybridge, cockpit and foredeck in practice

The flybridge carries an upper helm, a large dining area and sun loungers, plus either crane and tender stowage aft or a spa pool on later boats. A tender on the bridge frees the swim platform for water toys and swimming, which is how most American owners use these boats in the Bahamas. A boat with a spa instead usually stows its tender on the platform, so think carefully about which configuration matches your cruising.

The cockpit on Mk2 boats with the infinity layout is one of the most attractive aft decks at this size, with the glazed transom giving an unbroken sightline to the water. The foredeck adds a third lounging area that stays private when the boat is stern-to in a busy harbor.

The real annual budget for an 86-foot Princess

A useful starting point for any crewed yacht is 10 to 15 percent of its value per year. For a Y85 in the US, that translates to roughly $550,000 to $900,000 annually. Crew salaries for a captain, mate or engineer and a stewardess or chef are the largest single item. Insurance, dockage for an 86-foot boat, two MAN V12 services, generator and stabilizer servicing, a yearly haul-out and the inevitable refurbishment of soft goods and teak make up most of the rest.

Fuel varies with how you use the boat. At planing speeds the V12s are thirsty, so a season of fast Bahamas crossings will cost far more than a summer of slow coastal cruising in New England. Owners who regularly run at 10 knots between anchorages typically spend much less on diesel than they expected.

How the Y85 trades on the US brokerage market

Recent US listings put 2019 Gen 1 boats around $5.3 million, 2021 hulls between about $5.8 and $5.9 million, and a 2022 boat near $7 million. Outside the US, Gen 1 boats in the UK, Europe and Asia list between about $4.8 and $6 million, and Mk2 boats from $5.6 to $6.9 million. That spread means a European or Asian boat can look like a bargain, but importing it, converting to 60 Hz power and paying duty can erase the saving quickly.

With almost 50 hulls built, the Y85 is a known quantity. That helps resale, and buyers will find good comparison data, but it also means a boat with poor maintenance records or tired interior finishes will sit. Presentation and paperwork drive the price.