A boat show organised by Princess Yachts is set to be repeated after it attracted wealthy potential customers to Plymouth from across Europe and North America to view vessels worth up to £10m.
Bosses at the UK’s largest luxury boat manufacturer said they were delighted with the response to The Princess Exclusive event, which saw six yachts displayed in the Royal William Yard’s marina over 10 days - including two that had never been shown before anywhere in the world.
The showcase was arranged at the eleventh hour after Germany pulled the plug on Boot Düsseldorf, Europe’s largest boat show, where Princess Yachts was due to exhibit its newest models.
So instead Princess Yachts showed off eight boats at the Royal William Yard giving its employees, the public and prospective customers the opportunity to see the boats at close quarters.
The display, organised with the help of RWY developer Urban Splash, included the global debut of the Princess X80, which costs between £5m and £6m, depending on specifications chosen by the buyer. The boat sleeps eight people and four crew and is ideal for longer stays at sea.
Princess Yachts also revealed the all-new V50 for the first time anywhere, a smaller vessel aimed at day trips, but which sleeps four and retails for about £700,000.
Joining them in the marina were the Y72, F55, V40, S62, V55 and the gigantic X95, the largest boat on show, which sells for between £7m and £10m and can sleep up to 12 people plus four crew including a captain and engineer - and can cost up to £1m a year to run.
The Princess Exclusive attracted distributors and prospective customers from across Europe and North America including the USA, Russia, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and France.
But it also gave Plymouth residents a chance to see the boats up close, and for Princess Yachts workers, who sometimes only work on specific components of the vessels, and their families the opportunity to view the finished product.
Adrian Bratt, general counsel and external affairs director, said Princess Yachts was delighted with the event and would like to run more.
He said: “We are really pleased with how it turned out. Being able to do this after two years of lockdown has been a breath of fresh air.
“The local impact has been amazing and it was good for our staff to see the boats as well.. This demonstrates our commitment to Plymouth in a big way.”
He said Princess Yachts, which has six sites with main manufacturing at Stonehouse and Devonport, can be “a bit Willy Wonka” and said: “People walk past the gates and don’t know what’s in there. It’s taken the pandemic to realise what is down the road. We put this together in two weeks. We are looking at more of these events.”
He said Princess Yachts exports 95% of its boats, with them going to more than 100 countries, and is therefore a key element of Plymouth’s economy.
“That brings £300m a year into Plymouth, money that would not be here otherwise. And it keeps 3,000 people in a job in Plymouth,” he said.
“These yachts are world class and world renowned and that means our staff are world class too. The best trades people in the world are here in Plymouth. Our boats are aspirational, inspirational and made by Janners.”
Nicola Cope, marketing director, said: “Because of Covid we can’t open (the boats) to the public but we are looking at what we can do to make this an annual event. It’s nice to give back.”
The Princess Exclusive event ran from January 22 to 30.
