At Cannes 2025, Princess Yachts revealed the C48 and C48 Open concept, one unlike its familiar flybridges and hard-tops. Triple 600 hp Mercury V12s sit on the transom. Beneath the waterline, a stepped hull by American performance designer Michael Peters promises lift and efficiency. Add drop-down terraces, walk-around decks, and a centre-console layout more reminiscent of New Zealand than Plymouth, and the change is unmistakable.
This is Princess thinking ahead, way ahead. The yacht hasn’t yet been built and won’t appear in the flesh until the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show 2026, and production won’t reportedly start until 2027, but its renderings show exactly where the brand is heading. For a builder with six decades of tradition, it’s a bold course change.
The C Class marks a new way of thinking for Princess Yachts. It’s compact, owner-driven, and designed for the weekend cruiser who values simplicity over size. The C48 is offered in both an open and enclosed deck version.
Positioned between the high-performance V Class (12–20 metres) and the luxurious F Class (14–20 metres), the 14-metre C48 sits at the heart of coastal performance. It trades sheer volume for easy handling and self-sufficiency; it’s not as large as their X- and Y- Class models which reach up to 29-metres, but bigger and more comfortable than most trailer boats.
For Kiwi boaters, this evolution feels familiar. We grew up with outboards: V8 Yamahas on aluminium hulls, Mercurys pushing hard-top runabouts through the Hauraki Gulf. Maintenance is simple, fuel economy predictable, reliability proven. Seeing those same principles scaled up into a luxury craft feels almost inevitable.
“Kiwis love the freedom of outboards; easy maintenance, instant performance, and shallow anchoring. The C48 brings that mindset into the luxury space,” says Chris Woodhams, Boating New Zealand’s web editor.
Everything about the C48 is purposeful. Its SVVT stepped hull, developed with Michael Peters Yacht Design, is shaped for efficiency and stability at speed. Princess expects top speeds exceeding 50 knots, making it the fastest yacht in the company’s history.
Key figures (outboard version):
- LOA 15.38 metres (50′ 5″)
- Beam 4.16 metres (13′ 8″)
- Draft 1.36 metres (4′ 6″)
- Fuel 2,346 litres
- Displacement 13,279 kg
The forthcoming inboard variant trims draft to 1.21 metres, carries 1,500 litres of fuel, and displaces slightly more.
Below deck, the layout reflects a weekender’s priorities: two cabins (owner’s and VIP), and one head. Above, a small galley but still enough to cook the day’s catch.
Also above, fold-down wing decks (the growing trend in boat design) turn the cockpit into a terrace, expanding the living area over the water. The open transom flows straight to the sea; no barriers, no formality, just access. And ideal for floating the latest water sunbed.
The design language is light, efficient, and outdoors-first — “balancing efficiency, performance, and elegance,” as Princess design director Andy Lawrence puts it.
The C48 reads almost like a blueprint for Kiwi boating in 2027. We want the ability to cruise fast to the Bay of Islands on Friday evening, drop anchor before sunset, and be back in Auckland by Sunday night without a crew list or a fuel truck.
Those drop-down terraces are made for morning swims in Matauri Bay. The compact galley and two cabins suit couples or small families on long weekends. And those outboards keep servicing reasonably straightforward.
Where older Princess models evoke Mediterranean or Riviera luxury, the C48 feels far closer to home; open, adventurous, and refreshingly unfussy.
The first hulls will leave Plymouth in 2027, built on the line that formerly produced the V40. It will sit at the entry to the Princess range yet carry the technology of a flagship, stepped hull, digital systems, and dual propulsion options.
Beyond its looks or speed, the C48 is a signal of change. It shows Princess listening to how people actually use their boats: shorter trips, smaller crews, more spontaneous escapes. For New Zealand, where practicality has always mattered as much as polish, that evolution feels right on cue.
