Prestige is Jeanneau’s brand for premium quality power yachts. Now, for the first time in 37 years, the French boat manufacturers have built a power catamaran. Looking at the new Prestige M48from the side, you wouldn’t know that she has a double hull. Yet this impression is deliberate. Outwardly, the new model looks similar to the other three product lines with their classic hulls, but it features a sumptuous 130 square metres of usable space over a length of 14.5 metres and a beam of 6 metres.
These dimensions are perfect for the target group that has been identified in a market research study commissioned by Prestige: people who believe that plenty of space, on-board comfort, cost-effectiveness and stability are a bit more important than a traditional shape.
The “M” in the name of the new line thus stands – obviously – for “Multihull”, though also for “More”. The Prestige M48 does indeed offer a lot more than a classic multihull. Strictly speaking, it is a wide monohull with two slender keels and a central wave breaker at the bow protruding from the boat. The underwater hull with a draught of 1.08 metres thus resembles a triple V.
This creates more space, although the body of the boat is relatively low, which makes it safer thanks to a low centre of gravity and less wind resistance. According to the manufacturers, the Prestige M48 uses around 80 litres of fuel per hour at 17 knots, making the boat 20 per cent more efficient than similar monohull power yachts. Prestige quotes a range of 600 nautical miles at speed of a – still respectable – eight knots. The maximum that can be reached by the M48 is about 20 knots.
Three large cabins are located below deck, with space for a large salon on the main deck. There is a tender garage at the stern with space for a dinghy up to 3.5 metres in length. The M48 also has a boat lift. For the engines, Prestige recommends two Volvo D4 diesels as inboards, each with 320 hp. The M48 can accommodate up to 16 persons.