2023. Prestige M48 changes the rules of the game

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Prestige M48. Changing the rules of the game

From Boats by Motor 2023, no.30, Oct.-Nov., pp. 104-109.

A whole new segment, a chance to rethink everything. Prestige inaugurates the M line with a catamaran full of winning numbers.

A legacy of millennia-old cultures, the catamaran is an ancient vessel whose conception is lost in geography and time. Nonetheless, in its own way, and always escaped the ‘native’ taste, only to return to it with overbearance recently. Today, the child of a revival born in the last century, the catamaran is instead experiencing its own ‘renaissance,’ increasingly appreciated especially in its motor yachting forms. Prestige Yachts, which knows how to address its audience well, seizes the moment here, offering a catamaran that is not the result of novelty, but almost a re-invention of the concept itself: the Prestige M48, firstborn and progenitor of the new M-line. Conceived around a winning philosophy, the Prestige M48 is designed to maximize comfort and on-board space, offering volumes worthy of 60-65 foot monohulls, enclosed however, in its mere 48 (14.79 m).

Designed to be a high-end motor catamaran, it combines large, voluminous spaces in deliberately small dimensions, thus offering an excellent combination of luxury and usability. In fact, the design – by Camillo Garroni, Philippe Briand and Valentina Militerno de Romedis – proves that it can stand out without failing on the comfort-performance front, emerging well on paper, as well as in the water. Starting from the outside, the new M48 already stands out from the sector it belongs to, presenting volumes and lines that are yes similar, but in their own way unprecedented, streamlined by a particularly contained beam (6 meters). A solution that might mistakenly suggest reduced space, but instead, absurdly, does not affect livability, which, on the contrary, surprises instead once on board. A detail that is certainly advantageous when maneuvering and in tight spaces. At times soft and curvilinear, elsewhere more dynamic and clean, the design also serves volumes well, creating spacious and cohesive areas. Indeed, moving around the deck one can see the comfortable footprint given to the design, with well-organized aft areas, starting with the central swim platform, usable both as a beach area and as a tender lift, ideal access to the garage hidden under the cockpit.

In the bow, on the other hand, we find a comfortable lounge area, complete with sofa and sundeck, but the real centerpiece of the deck gravitates between the salon and furnished cockpit, one overlooking the other, joined together by a large opening window, ideal on warm summer evenings. Topping it all off is the fly, not just an elevated wheelhouse but a true terrace overlooking the sea, served by every comfort a lounge area needs. Moving indoors, as soon as you enter the salon you are plunged into an unexpected world. The entireliving area feels airy, oversized compared to expectations, while the design of the furnishings blends particularly well with the entire setting, complete with full optional galley, furnished salon, and wheelhouse. Marbling and textiles dominate the area, which is pleasantly bright thanks to the large windows that surround the whole. The lower deck, on the other hand, as properly understood, does not exist, and so we find three separate entrances to services and cabins. One per hull, accessed independently from the salon, we have the guest cabins, a twin with single beds, and a double. In the bow we find two separate cabins or a single extra-large master cabin.

Indeed, the forward space is remarkably voluminous, thanks to a feature perhaps unique to theM48: in fact, to compensate for the reduced beam, the design takes advantage of the ‘hanging’ spaces between the hulls, moving the lower limit of the deck downward. An operation that not only thus lowers the overall center of gravity, but simultaneously also provides additional volumes, useful in this case, to the gain in volume and comfort of the forward cabin. Finally, to complete a design that already satisfies, sailing performance comes into play, which we had the opportunity to test in Barcelona, on a slightly wavy day (0.9 – 1.1 m). Here, it is first of all to emphasize the comfort on board, which is particularly pleasant even at brisk speeds (16-18 kn) and slightly formed seas. Speed and maneuverability are positive, offering a docile feeling at the controls even in the tightest turns, or on the worst wave passages, facilitated by well-designed lines and hulls. TheM48 is then optimized for long cruising with water lines and tanks that enhance range. Finally, in this sense, pleasing to have fast but displacement hulls, which allow sailing at any speed, without having to suffer the disturbances given by the displacement-planing transition phase, thus allowing sailing to be adapted to one’s own style, with an eye on consumption as well.

Length: 14.79 m – Width: 6.00 m – Draught: 1.08 m – Displacement: 17,480 kg – Water tank: 600 liters – Fuel tank: 1200 liters – Engine 2 x Volvo D4 320 hp V-Drive – Maximum speed: 20 kn – Cruising speed: 18 kn – Cabins: 3-4 (+1) – Sleeping places: 6-8 (+1).

by Doi De Luise

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