Prestige 500S

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Something I found particularly appealing about the 500S is the split floor plan. Rather than owner and guests all sharing a common foyer to the cabins, the owner’s stateroom has private access from steps opposite the galley, and it is here that you will find one of the real benefits of the IPS drives. Pod-drives make the boat more maneuverable, but they also move the engines much farther aft, which, in this case, allows for a full-beam master suite with a centerline queen berth. Two immense windows provide a great view and, with opening ports, fresh air. The port side has a pair of seats separated by a table with built-in vanity, and the cabin has an oversize hanging locker. To starboard is a counter with stowage below. The en suite head has a full stall shower.

Pod-drives also move the source of noise away from the living areas, and the Prestige 500S is an extremely quiet boat. Even at full throttle, my decibel meter never tagged 80 and conversations were carried on at normal levels.



The tender garage is reached through the hinged transom. It can hold a 10-foot inflatable complete with outboard. A remote-controlled electric winch and keel rollers make launching and retrieving the tender effortless.

Two hatches from the cockpit lead to the port and starboard sides of this divided engine room, and, though space is tight, there is access to all the usual service points and checkpoints. There are two doors from the engine room into the lazarette, where jack drives from the engines terminate at the pods.

On deck, the Prestige clearly draws on the seamanlike qualities of Beneteau and Jeanneau sailboats, with high stainless-steel rails surrounding the deck, grab rails everywhere, a recessed anchor windlass in the foredeck and a warping winch on the port corner of the stern.

I’m not a fan of sun pads, being of an age where I’m now putting my dermatologist’s kids through Harvard. But the foredeck sun pad on the Prestige 500S was alluring. Its backrests tilt up to form chaises, and it has its own Bimini top. At anchor, with a nice breeze, a cold drink and a hot paperback, this could be my favorite place.

Under way, the 500S gets up to a freckle shy of 30 knots, and planing at 2250 rpm, the speed and fuel consumption curves bend nicely to a comfortable and economical 14.6 knots at exactly one nautical mile per gallon. With the usual 10 percent margin, you’ll run about 310 nautical miles on a tank of fuel.

The Prestige 500S is stylish and comfortable, fast without melting your fuel credit card and unquestionably well built. Equally appealing, she’s priced far below many competitors without her features. And that surely warrants an ooh la-la.

Test Conditions: Speeds were measured by GPS off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with flat seas and light winds, with ½ load of fuel, no water and two people aboard. Fuel consumption was calculated by the electronic engine-monitoring system. Sound levels were measured at the helm.

RPM    Knots   GPH   dB(A)
600    4.0    .6    62
900    5.5    1.2    62
1200    7.1    2.0    64
1500    8.1    5.3    64
1800    8.5    8.2    66
2100    10.2    12.0    68
2400    17.1    19.0    71
2700    20.0    22.4    73
3000    23.1    26.5    74
3250    26.5    33.0    75
3500    29.8    42.5    79

LOA: 49’10”
BEAM: 14’9”
DRAFT: 3’4”
DISPL.: 28,279 lb.
FUEL: 344 gal.
WATER: 168 gal.
ENGINES TESTED: 2 x 435 hp Volvo Penta IPS600 diesels
BASE PRICE: $764,740
PRICE AS TESTED: $830,000
Prestige Yachts, 410-280-2775; www.prestige-yachts.com