Brand new Princess 55 Flybridge - Quality Issues

[Ritiwej]

Hi folks,

Just wanted to share my experience with a brand new Princess 55 Flybridge purchase.

A quick note to say that it is definitely not my intention to badmouth any brand or company. I am just writing hard facts for you guys to read and evaluate.

I’m writing this post on the 50th day that the boat is stuck at the dock waiting for Princess teams to bring the boat to a condition ready for handover.

Listing below some of the *issues that we have encountered so far:

—Tech issues—
Aircon system not working.
Passerelle not deploying with Tender on Platform
Watermaker not working / Leaking after repair due to faulty membrane.
Mastervolt system not properly configured, not charging batteries
Bimini hinge torn apart from GRP (reason not specified)
Faulty main electrical panel
Stbd engine alternator rotor grinding.
Genset gas discharge noisy/splashing water.
Yacht controller system triggering alarm
Sea water flooding in Lazarette due to unplumbed watermaker brine pipe
Navigation system faulty compass constantly swinging.
Autopilot not working.
Aft station Volvo controls not working, locker damaged.
Water leak from cockpit to engine room, water drip to inverters/chargers top section
Failed Mastervolt combi inverter
Inverter/Chargers derating/shutting down due to overheating/poor air circulation in Lazarette
Water leak to Guest cabin. Damaged ceiling and speakers.
Damage caused by stainless steel chain mismatching windlass gipsie drum. Chain piling up and getting stuck in chain locker during anchor drop and recovery. Chain locker not draining. Chain counters on both stations not working. Wireless chain controller not working.
Bimini top sagging with rain water on 3 sections
Trim tabs operating out of sync
Foredeck awning pole bases coming off
Guest cabin aircon system fault
Saloon Audiovisual system not receiving command from remote controllers
Faulty bilge water alarm in Engine Room
Water leak from engine room hatch drains
Port engine seacock not operational due to watermaker pump obstruction
Genset battery charger exposed to water and debris
VIP cabin lights not working
Grey water tank faulty float switch
Master bathroom shower mixer not supplying hot water
Transom shower mixer not supplying water
Gyro inverter support brackets loose.
Lazarette extractors not working. Missing components.
Dirty aircon fancoil filters
Damaged engine oil dipstick
Water leak from flybridge access hatch. Hatch hinges loose.
Hot air backfeeding from engine room extractors to lazarette
Unsecured drain box in lazarette
Master cabin aircon duct twisted
Engine coolant residues in Generator casing
Broken water inlet elbow in lazarette.
Damaged bimini support shackle
Paserelle stanchions not folding properly to allow retracting of the passerelle
Bilges containing water and debris
Broken chain & storage locker gas struts
Misaligned crew area door hatch grinding gelcoat surface
Engine ladder impossible to remove without tools in order to access genset area.
Loud gurgling sound from Galley sink
Heavy corrosion of metal fittings in platform area

—Cosmetic Issues—
Damaged ceiling falling down in Guest cabin
Cracked/Damaged/Stained teak planks on 6 locations
Stains/Dents/Gelcoat damages in superstructure and hull (total 57 spots)
Sagging ceiling in Galley
Defective master cabin window (needs replacing)
Defective dining table. Leafs not holding up.
Damaged bed frame in guest cabin.
Broken gas struts in 3 locations.
Tender cover supplied not matching order
Entrance curtain supplied not matching order
Saloon storage cover lid dropping
Exterior covers not fitting
Scratched/stained teak tables in Cockpit and Fly
Carpet edges coming off in steps
Loose bow awning pole sockets
Broken guest cabin door restrainer
Dirty cockpit and interior seating
Stained carpets
Damaged mosquito porthole nets (4x)
Missing crockery/cutlery.
Messy sika jobs on flybridge repaired bimini
Corroded screws/parts in 14 spots
Scratched Stbd electric window
Missing flybridge sink cover
Broken fancoil panel in Saloon
Small damage in platform outer edge, port side

Saved the best for last
162 days past since a simple child safety net has been ordered to be fitted onto sidedeck handrails (3700 EUR extra cost paid in advance). First version delivered in wrong material. Second version delivered in wrong size. Still no safety net onboard.

We have recently decided to start a blog in which we will explain in great detail each and every problem we have encountered so far. We have started to populate our blog and we covered about 1/3 of the issues so far. Enclosing a link just in case you might want to have a look. Your comments are very welcome.

http://princess55fly.blogspot.com

In any case, thanks to you guys for reading such a long post and I hope that this was an exception for Princess in that they do not deliver all of their boats in similar conditions…

[Almost-There]

Wow, when I worked for Viking we had some issues but nothing like that. It's possible some of it is the people you bought it from. But I honesty can't believe they accepted the boat like that. I've seen dealers refuse boats with a tenth of that wrong and we'd have to fly a crew there.

How was the boat delivered? Or did you go to Plymouth? Some of the things could be from the delivery.

I have to admit I'm surprised by your problems. I did see a few issues on the Princess/Viking yachts but never anything like that list. Granted the one's sold as Viking's here are finished here in NJ. Viking finished all the systems etc to US specs so I've never seen one fitted out by Princess.

What has your broker said about the problems?and how was it delivered? It sounds like they ran it through a hurricane.

[Ritiwej]

Originally Posted by Almost-There

Wow, when I worked for Viking we had some issues but nothing like that. It's possible some of it is the people you bought it from. But I honesty can't believe they accepted the boat like that. I've seen dealers refuse boats with a tenth of that wrong and we'd have to fly a crew there.

How was the boat delivered? Or did you go to Plymouth? Some of the things could be from the delivery.

I have to admit I'm surprised by your problems. I did see a few issues on the Princess/Viking yachts but never anything like that list. Granted the one's sold as Viking's here are finished here in NJ. Viking finished all the systems etc to US specs so I've never seen one fitted out by Princess.

What has your broker said about the problems?and how was it delivered? It sounds like they ran it through a hurricane.

Well, this is actually a brand new (unfinished?) boat delivered by the dealer. They say they produce 300 boats per year and with the market booming, they are pushing the boats out of the yard as fast as possible. The only 2 items that did not cause any issues are the main engines and generator. I guess these are what they interpret as major items and as long as engines and genset work, the rest is detail to be handled during warranty works. We are extremely disappointed with this purchase and we find this delivery neither legal nor ethical. Yards usually get away with problems discussed behind closed doors. We will pursue this and keep updating our blog and forum posts to make potential buyers aware of the issues we are facing with our new purchase.

[gmakhs]

Why did you accept the boat in such condition?

If it seems like most of the system haven't been setup properly or tested before deploying, this can mean other hidden issues.tou haven't noticed yet .