Prestige 60: testing an iconic 20-meter, the first Prestige Yachts – From the Archives

Riding on the wave of the previous popular Youngtimers – the

Continental 50 S

, the

Rizzardi 55 Incredible

and the

Mig 43

– here, thanks to the unique content in our archives, we can offer you another super-proof, a true classic, the Prestige 60. Innovative in design and absolutely iconic in style, the Prestige 60 was the first model of the then newly formed Prestige Yachts, immediately ranking as an iconic boat, now a 5/5 star youngtimer.

Prestige 60 – The Good Giant

Immediately appreciated as a ‘Good Giant,’ the Prestige 60 launched the shipyard of the same name to the highest standards thanks to the goodness of a design that focused on the balance of forms and rationality of spaces, rather than aiming for extreme or now exaggerated solutions. In fact, II Prestige 60 offers various convivial cues combined with high quality furnishings, using fine materials and well-maintained finishes, first and foremost ensuring high-end comfort. But, still remaining a child of a boat industry used to “churn out” thousands of boats a year, it was not a totally custom design, thus keeping its costs more ‘humane’ and virtually opening up the line to a wider market.

Prestige 60 – Design and Exterior

For the Prestige 60, its own ‘first’ on the market, the shipyard spared nothing on the research and design front, relying on hull ‘guru’ Michael Peters for the water lines and Garroni Design studio for the interiors. The teamwork, together with the in-house technical study, thus developed a design that was deliberately classic in form and taste in furniture, but without sacrificing new and sophisticated concepts, especially in the distribution of space. The large superstructure fenestration is perhaps the most noticeable element, whether looking from the outside or finding oneself inside the living room. But the hull also boasts very pronounced and almost continuous windows, which give a lot of light to the rooms below deck.

Starting with the outdoor spaces and the deck, certainly one of the strengths of the Prestige 60 is the livability and usability of the spaces. II cockpit, well protected by fairly high bulwarks, features a forward-facing sofa and a nice table with a fixed structure, while maneuvering areas on the sides are fairly far apart and well organized with compartments for storing lines.

The forward deckhouse offers ample sunbathing space and two practical folding chaise lounges recessed into the deck, while always well distributed and finely furnished is the fly, with teak dunnage, large L-shaped sofa toward the stern, center console with equipped cabinet, and full-width sun deck well sheltered and protected by the windshield. On deck, space is also well utilized, with many compartments and lockers for storing personal equipment and fenders. The inflatable has its own, easily accessible accommodation on the fly.

Prestige 60 – Interior

Moving indoors, the living area is first of all visually striking thanks to the beautiful furniture consisting of two sofas and two armchairs arranged alternately on each side of the room. The dinette remains on the left-hand side, on the same broadside as the practical galley, which is a bit of a setback but boasts direct access from the cockpit as well. The dashboard, which is well distributed and logical in its instrumentation, which is comprehensive and easy to read, has dual electrically adjustable seats with the ability to fold down a portion for standing driving with lumbar support.

The subdivision of the sleeping area then provides three double cabins with private bathrooms. The midships owner’s cabin is located on a lower level and takes advantage of the full width of the hull, while the VIP takes up the entire bow area. Absolutely first-rate materials and components used for the furnishings, from the upholstery leather to the wood species that adorn the cabins. The accompanying accessories are also well made and carefully applied without smudging and poorly matched. The guest cabin, which in standard configuration is twin beds, can be converted to a single double bed. Of note, finally, is the “sailor” quarters at the stern, which is not the usual makeshift space carved out with a bit of wizardry, but a real two-bed cabin equipped with a decent bathroom.

Prestige 60 – Construction and Plant

In terms of production, lamination involves fairly common materials, such as fiberglass and polyester resin, although the technology used to make the artifacts is sandwich layering by infusion. With this method, you can still get a good artifact in terms of stiffness while preserving some weight, as infusion allows you to maintain a proper fiber-to-matrix ratio. The structure is made off-site on special mold and then glued to the hull. The same is done for bulkheads, of which the structural ones are resined perimeterwise. Most of the furniture structures are made by means of the countermold technique.

Absolutely excellent workmanship then turns out to be the original installations, made with quality materials and care taken in every detail, from fixing to identification by stickers and plates of each element. The engine room appears to be well organized with well-defined areas and watertight panels for electrical and plant safety equipment. Very good is the fuel reserve of 2800 liters (above average for engines of this power) and also the fresh water reserve that boasts no less than two electric boilers of 60 liters each and heat exchanger with engine circuit.

Of course, wastewater collection boxes with two tanks of 200 and 120 liters and black water, with an integrated disposal system and 150-liter collection box, are provided. Electricity on board is 24 volts, distributed with as many as 4 separate battery packs: services, engines, bow thruster and generator (the latter at 12 volts). There are three chargers, two for 24-volt and one for 12-volt. The air conditioning (and possibly re-heating) system offered as an option means the genset will be increased from 11 to an impressive 17.5 kilowatts. With such a high-powered generator, it is almost a must to install the dishwasher and washing machine on board as well.

Propulsion and Performance

Shifting attention to the powertrain front, the original planned powertrain consists of Volvo Penta IPS 900s with thrusters of 700 horsepower each. For design reasons (carving out the sailor’s cabin) the thrusters are spaced from the IPS transmissions by a universal joint. The power and thrust provided by the engines appears from the start to be adequate for the hull, which, admittedly not designed for speed performance, nevertheless does its job well. Not bad is in fact the hull of the American designer, despite the not-so-light displacement, in fact the glide is reached in 10 seconds and it can be maintained up to a minimum of 14.7 knots at a speed of 1600 rpm. The trim below 20 knots stays a little lean, but just beyond that it lays down instead without even using flaps.

Although somewhat slow in sudden changes of direction, the boat is not abrupt and holds the turn consistently without losing speed, even in the tightest turns. Maneuverability at the berth is also very good, thanks to the joystick provided as standard by Volvo Penta, the allows one to move in all directions and rotate on oneself in a few tens of seconds.

Technical Specs

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