[Prestige][], as you might guess from its name, styles itself as a builder of refined luxury yachts to about 70 feet in length. The company designs its yachts on three basic concepts: all living spaces are on one level, each yacht has an independent owner’s suite, and every salon has 360-degree panoramic views.
This is a significant order to fill in a 41-footer like the Prestige 420 Fly. The salon has a raised area to provide headroom for the stateroom below — not quite one level, but this is a good thing because both the dinette and the helm are on this raised platform and have a wonderful view of the scenery passing by. There are two blind spots aft on each side, but our test boat resolved this with the optional cockpit joystick control for backing into slips. A galley is aft near triple sliding “patio” doors, which open this entire area for alfresco entertaining. This vessel’s stand-up fridge/freezer is to port under a microwave, and the galley has a surprising amount of stowage overhead and in the undercounter drawers, including one partitioned for flatware.
The helm is equipped with the owner’s choice of electronics, which, on our test boat, was a Raymarine package with a HybridTouch e125 monitor. Volvo Penta provided the digital monitors, shifters and a joystick by the single-wide helm seat.
Most visitors to the Prestige 420 will be surprised to see the stairway descending from opposite the galley, since few boats of this size have separate stairs to the amidships cabin. Tucked into the stairwell is a comprehensive electrical and breaker panel, although it may take North Americans a while to understand the European symbol markings. I suspect our test boat’s panel will soon sprout peel-and-stick labels to identify the switches quickly.
More surprises await in the amidships stateroom, since even your basketball-player friends will have full headroom fore and aft to the private head. The berth, facing athwartships, is roughly queen-size.
Prestige calls the forward cabin the owner’s stateroom, although the head has a foyer door and serves as the day-head. Were I the owner, I think I’d opt for the amidships stateroom because my mother said I didn’t share well, and that applies to the head.
The forward cabin has another nearly queen-size berth, twin hanging lockers and a wet head.
Up top, the 420’s flybridge design is spot on. Easy steps from the cockpit lead to an oversize bridge with the helm in a tidy console forward and to port, surrounded by a sun pad. Aft, guests get a wraparound settee with a folding table for drinks or dining. Another fiberglass console holds an optional grill, sink and fridge. Abaft the settee, a Raymarine radar stands at about head level for the average-height adult. I’d add an arch to go with the Bimini top and raise the radar dome or array.
Power for the Prestige 420 is a pair of 300-horsepower Volvo Penta IPS400 engines or 370-horsepower IPS500 engines with pod drives that, with the larger engines, give a top speed of 31 knots and a comfy cruise of 24 knots. Base price on the 420 Fly with the larger engines is $692,125. With a thoughtful list of options, our test boat was priced at $722,508.
The Prestige 420 is an enjoyable yacht that, with two private staterooms and two heads, is a perfect weekender for two couples or a family.
Siblings
