OnBoard Magazine - Issue XII - 2020 Season

O riginally known as Marine Projects, Princess Yachts got their start in Plymouth, England in 1965 building sporty run-abouts and cabin cruisers. Through the years, their product offerings and yacht sizes grew while their attention to detail and focus on luxury was unwavering. However, it would take 30 years for this European luxury motoryacht builder to become known in the United States and throughout the Americas. Tom Carroll, now President and CEO of PrincessYachtsAmerica, traveled toEurope to visit the Cannes boat show in the early 1990s. He was impressed with the quality, style, and design concept of a line of motor yachts built by a company named Marine Projects. During a factory tour in Plymouth of what would eventually become Princess Yachts, Carroll met company principals and discovered many similarities between this European company and Viking Yachts. At the time, Carroll was the Executive Vice President of the Viking Yacht Company in New Gretna, New Jersey. CONVERGING INTERESTS Like Viking, Princess is a vertically integrated company that manufactures most components in-house andhas ahands- on approach to design and manufacturing. Similarities aside, it was a ride in the rough waters of the English Channel that proved to be the convincing factor for Carroll that these boats had a future in America if the right partnership could be struck. “In 1995, an exclusive relationship between Viking and Princess introduced Viking Sport Cruisers, a new class of luxury performance cruising yachts for the American market,” explains Carroll. Many changes and updates were made to Euro-spec Princess models of the day to fit the American market. Interiors were redesigned with more spacious accommodations; refrigeration was increased to accommodate extended cruising and engine rooms were reconfigured to accept more horsepower. They even chose appliances from recognized and high-quality American brands and shipped them to Plymouth for installation on a newly designed 120/240V 60Hz electrical system. As popularity of the Viking Sport Cruisers line increased, newmodels were developed solely for the American market as opposed to revamped and Americanized European models. In 2011, Viking Sport Cruisers began receiving the Princess Yachts badge and name and by 2013, Viking Sport Cruisers became Princess Yachts America. However, the partnership between Princess and Viking endures today. Princess continually makes significant investments in new facilities, engineering, design, materials, and production techniques. This continual reinvestment PRINCESS YACHTS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS IN AMERICA Crossing thePond 26 BLUEWATER