Prestige M8 first look: French yard doubles down on powercat range
Prestige Yachts is launching its second powercat in just 12 months. The new Prestige M8 comes hot on the heels of the M48, its first ever multihull, which launched last summer.
The new model is just under 68ft long but the M8 designation is Prestige’s way of showing that it boasts the same space as an 85ft monohull. Together, the inside and outside decks measure 3,000ft², similar to a typical five-bedroom house.
Like the Prestige M48, the Prestige M8 is based on an all-new semi-planing platform with a 29ft beam that is wider than a monohull but narrower than most catamarans of this length. The profile has also been designed to look like a monohull.
One of its key selling points is a spectacular two-tier foredeck, with a vast sunpad on the upper level and a more protected lower seating area at the bow.
The design of the aft end is equally innovative, featuring a transformer-style platform that can be lowered to launch the tender and create a stairway into the sea or raised to extend the cockpit. A long transom lazarette can hold up to four inflated SUPs as well as Seabobs.
Both the flybridge and expansive cockpit are equipped with free-standing furniture that can be arranged however you choose, while glazed transom gates ensure unencumbered views aft.
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Two sliding patio doors either side of a central fixed unit with a lifting window give access to the saloon. This measures over 500ft² and has a lounge area aft with dining and galley areas forward. There is also a galley down layout with an extra crew cabin aimed at the charter market.
As with the M48 an unusually deep central deck bridges the gap between both hulls, allowing for a full-beam owner’s suite forward and up to four more ensuite guest cabins. This central deck is 10in higher than the M48’s, which should allow it to ride over 3ft waves without impacting them.
Propulsion comes from twin 600hp Volvo Penta D8s on V-drive gearboxes. The estimated top speed is 20 knots with a fast cruise of 15 knots and a range of 350nm. However, at eight knots the fuel burn drops to just 20 litres per hour, extending the range to over 900nm.
We expect it to cost around €5m when the new Prestige M8 makes its debut at the 2023 Cannes Yachting Festival in September.
Prestige M8 specifications
LOA: 65ft / 19.82m
Beam: 29ft / 8.85m
Draft: 5ft 5in / 1.65m
Displacement (light): 41,120kgs / 90,654lbs
Engines: Twin 600hp Volvo Penta D8
Top speed: 20 knots
Cruising speed: 15 knots
Cruising range: 350nm
Price: €5m (approx)
This article Prestige M8 first look: French yard doubles down on powercat range appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.
