PRESTIGE 450 REVIEW

The Prestige 450 Flybridge is a well-mannered and sensibly laid-out flybridge cruiser

The Prestige 450 Flybridge is a well-mannered and sensibly laid-out flybridge cruiser. Coming from the Jeanneau stable, it has good ergonomics throughout and is from a pedigreed design house.

As a family man, I immediately related to the practical two-cabin Prestige 450 Flybridge, largely due to its versatility that allows several lounge-to-bed conversions and split doubles. The Prestige 450 is an important flybridge cruiser for the company, as it is the new sister ship to their biggest selling model, Jeanneau's Prestige P500.

PRESTIGE 450 FLYBRIDGE

Stepping aboard from the old stone quay at Cannes I quickly picked out some good features on the aft deck of the Prestige 450 – the teak-clad hydraulic swimplatform which has useful dual access from the deck, while in between lies a dinghy garage that can hold a 2.6m deflated rubber ducky.

Moving under the shade of the aft cockpit’s flybridge protection brings me to the inviting transom bench that neatly converts into a double sunpad. In front, there’s plenty of space for a removable table that sits on the same level as the saloon with double sliding doors and wide drainage.

Inside, the saloon has the favoured (and sensible) aft galley with central dinette, behind the starboard main console. Despite the high step between the galley and dinette, headroom remains good at 2m forward. The L-shaped galley uses the starboard side for the main appliances – ceramic cooker, deep sink and worktop.

Stepping up to the U-shaped dinette, our test boat (hull #12) didn’t have the optional adjustable table that turns the area into a berth, but I would tick that box personally. Six can comfortably sit around it, while opposite, several more guests can relax on the lounge bench.

For the skipper there’s a wide seat at the main console (just enough room for a partner), while all analogue dials and screens are angled for easy viewing. The essentials – electronic twin throttles and Volvo Penta IPS joystick – sit beside one another, while the 10hp bowthruster is slightly awkwardly placed to the right of the steering column.

CABINS

Moving below deck to the forward guest cabin is done safely via the wide stairwell with guide rails. This takes you to a small corridor with bathroom (and dayhead) before stepping into the guest cabin.

The tall topsides give this cabin plenty of volume and as mentioned, the particularly useful feature is the split double bed which becomes two singles. The high step onto the island bed does limit headroom but it’s sufficient to avoid stuffiness.

Cupboard and drawer space is at a premium here, again confirming the practical credentials of the Prestige 450. The dual-access bathroom has the shower/head in a separate cubicle leaving a pleasant vanity area with cupboards.

Returning aft of the saloon the owner’s cabin has the same style of wide stairway to these private quarters where the athwartships king-sized bed has ample space around it, a vanity table at its foot. There’s also a couch at the end but mind your head as the height reduces to 1.8m in this otherwise comfortable cabin.

The en suite is similar to the guest one, with moulded base for easy cleaning and useful overhead locker space.

FLYBRIDGE

Solid teak steps and dual guard rails guide you safely aloft to the spacious flybridge where a comfortable corner bench with table awaits. The flybridge helm is a functional space for steering, although acres of white GRP do cause some glare and its location well behind the forward visor prevents viewing of the bow, so it’s best to stand when manoeuvring. The upside is a very sheltered perch to deflect the wind at speed.

The helm seat is not quite a double – 20cm more would create a comfortable perch for two – while the surrounding sunpad space could house three kids easily.

The console has the throttles and IPS joystick alongside one another. All that was lacking on the test boat was the Raymarine plotter, but there’s space for it. Looking around the decks from up here shows a fairly practical layout including midship cleats, guide-rails around the triple sunpads on the wide bow area, while the Lewmar windlass is sensibly sunken into the deck.

ENGINES

Moulded indents house the forward-facing IPS pod-drives which are now widely used, despite initial industry misgivings about their vulnerability of potentially being hit by debris.

The hull was designed specifically for Volvo Penta D6 IPS500 and 600 power units, and the IPS600 models on the test boat went straight through the hull without using jackshafts. Access to the engineroom is on the aft deck where a large hatch reveals the tops of both six-cylinder 435hp motors.

The centralised alloy ladder gets you down there easily. There’s enough crawling space around the engines and the wall-mounted filters and electrical boxes are at hand. In the forward space sit the two 600lt fuel tanks with 7kVa Cummins Onan generator in between to nicely balance the trim of the P450.

PERFORMANCE

A typically mild Mediterranean Sea awaited as I sped along the shoreline of the Riviera, with hardly a breath of spring wind to blow off my cap while I crouched at the flybridge console. The slightly aft position means the apparent wind is directed mostly above your head, allowing you to enjoy the ride unhindered.

With little traffic about I was free to throw the boat into some turns, heeling to about 10 degrees as we went tighter into a circle. Handling with the pod-drives is predictable, although the customary wide turning arcs are the only downside of these forward-facing propellers. Slowing down below cruising speed tightens the turning circle significantly.

Of course tight manoeuvring is when the joystick pods do their job so, along with the 10hp bowthruster and twin electronic throttle controls, the P450 can be docked without drama.

Underway, the hull got up on the plane quickly (at about 14kts) and the bow came nicely down at speed without any trim tabs fitted. We were soon speeding along reaching a top speed of 31.8kts with the engines turning at 3500rpm and showing a fuel burn of 170lt/h (with three adults and 75 per cent fuel aboard). Throttling back to a sedate cruising speed of 22kts and 2900rpm gave a more economical 112lt/h fuel burn, putting the cruising range at useful 235 miles.

With the glare and midday sun driving me below decks, the main steering position came into play and here again there were no dramas of note – the bow rose then fell at speed while the side views were good and gave me confidence to handle the boat without a spotter-person sharing my enjoyment.

THE VERDICT

Upon completing the test, I checked my notes. My conclusion was as follows: “A well-mannered and sensibly laid-out flybridge cruiser,” which reflects the fact these boats really do show their 25-year pedigree.”

HIGHS

• Practical owner’s layout

• Roomy galley

• Good attention to detail throughout

LOWS

• Flybridge helm slightly obscured

• Shallow bathroom sinks

PRESTIGE 450 SPECIFICATIONS

PRICE AS TESTED

$900,000

OPTIONS FITTED

Upgraded IPS600 engines, hydraulic swimplatform, bowthruster, Raymarine pack, LED TV, Fusion hi-fi and other smaller items

PRICED FROM

$799,000

PRESTIGE 450 SEA TRIALS

Twin 370hp Volvo Penta IPS500.

* Sea-trial data supplied by the author. 

GENERAL

MATERIAL GRP (solid under waterline and balsa core above)

TYPE Planing monohull

LENGTH OVERALL 13.96m

BEAM 4.3m

DRAFT 1.05m

WEIGHT 11,332kg

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE (NIGHT) 4+2

FUEL 1200lt

WATER 520lt

ENGINE

MAKE/MODEL 2 x Volvo Penta IPS500

TYPE Six-cylinder turbo-diesel

RATED HP 370 (each)

DISPLACEMENT 5.5lt (each)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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