Motor Boat & Yachting — November 2017

A quick glance at the conservative

profile of the Princess 360 reveals

no clues as to just how advanced this

boat was when it launched in 1993.

INTERIOR

The 360 represents an era when

intelligent boat layouts came to the

fore. Slice a Princess 35 along the

centreline and you’ll see everything

carefully sectioned – fore cabin, galley

with dinette or second cabin opposite,

and steps up to the saloon with the

lower helm. For the 360, the lower

helm was raised and the guest cabin

slipped back beneath it. You lose the

option of a lower dinette due to lack

of headroom but you gain twin berths

instead of bunks, and crucially,

by allowing the forward bulkhead

to move back in the boat, a proper

island double in the master cabin

forward instead of an offset double.

EXTERIOR

The outside was similarly radical.

Most obvious was the integral bathing

platform rather than the flat bolt-on

business of the 35, and the addition

of a transom door (added to the last

of the 35s). But look underneath and

you’ll find gently tunnelled propellers

reducing shaft angle to promote drive

efficiency and lower the saloon floor

over engines that were now more

horizontal. Even the spray rails were

modified, curving into the hull rather

than a sharp angle where rail met hull.

PERFORMANCE

Engine choice was more eclectic in the

’90s, with Mercruiser and Caterpillar

vying for space with Volvo Penta on

the order form. This boat started life

with a pair of Perkins 225hp motors

which offered a disappointing 20

knots before being swapped for a pair

of 300hp M300Ti units which gave 26.

SEAKEEPING

Radiused spray rails peel the water

cleanly from the hull giving a dry

ride. Shaftdrive offers a planted gait

offshore, bow and stern thrusters

on this particular boat allowing you

to ‘cheat’ in more confined waters.

DATA FILE

1994 £79,950

Length 39ft 5in (12.0m)

Beam 12ft 7in (3.8m)

Draught 3ft 6in (1.1m)

Displacement 5.5 tonnes

Fuel capacity

160 gallons (728 litres)

Engines Twin Perkins Sabre

M300Ti 300hp diesel engines

FOR SALE Ancasta.

http://www.ancasta.com

Key criteria

● Keenly priced

● Practical layout

● Roomy interior

Princess 360

Styling looks dated

inside and out

Modern layout and

features for its age

★★★★★

RATING

FIND ME A USED...

40ft

fl ybridge

Words Nick Burnham

100

The sociable

saloon could easily

be reupholstered

The fl ybridge

helm has all

the essentials

The galley is

two steps down

from the saloon