The French shipyard Prestige Yachts has just unveiled the very first information about the Prestige M48, its very first luxury motor catamaran. Yachting Art invites you to discover the Prestige M48 in preview!

With the Prestige M48, the French shipyard Prestige Yachts continues to deploy its upmarket strategy, announced during the presentation of the Let's Go Beyong plan of the Bénéteau Group.

In 30 years and 4,000 motor yachts, the French shipyard Prestige Yachts, based in Les Herbiers in the Vendée region, has become a key player in the luxury yacht market, positioning itself as the world leader in the 40 to 60 foot flybridge yacht segment.

With the Let's Go Beyond plan, the Prestige brand has become the spearhead of the world's number two yacht company on the motoryacht market, with one constraint: not to exceed 80 feet, the maximum size set for the group's units.

Prestige Yachts has turned this constraint into a strength, by imagining a two-stage move upmarket.

First of all, with the X-Line, monohull crossover motoryachts, available in 70 and 60 feet, characterized by a unique volume on board for this size of boat, and a strong increase in range in terms of finishing.

Private Island on the Sea

Then with the M-Line that you are the first to discover today on ActuNautique Yachting Art, a brand new range of luxury motoryacht catamarans, whose first model is the Prestige M48, a model that Prestige's boss, Erwin Bamps, does not hesitate to describe as a "Private Island"!

In fact, the French shipyard has set itself the ambition of offering family motoryachts highlighting the French Art de Vivre, of relatively limited size, capable of being sailed without a crew, with timeless lines and particularly luxurious, simple to pilot, easy to maneuver and offering a lot of space on board.

The design of the Prestige is by Garroni Design, the Italian firm that has signed all the Prestige since the launch of the brand. Its naval architecture by Philippe Briand.

A classic motoryacht profile

The Prestige M48 is distinguished by a classic motoryacht profile...., not a catamaran! The high and powerful planking, the sporty roofline and the well-integrated flybridge give the Prestige M48 a nice presence without being aggressive. The relationship with the shipyard's conventional motoryachts is obvious and capitalizes on the brand's 30 years of development.

The functionalities and the volume on board offered by the Prestige M48 bring it closer to a classic 60/65 foot motoryacht, with nearly 130m2 of living space.

At 14.98m (49 feet) long, with a beam of 6m, the Prestige M48 is "relatively narrow" for a powercat, a good point in port! Its high planking (the deck is raised compared to the competition) allows the nacelle to be positioned 70cms above the water, a good point when sailing, while allowing to re-imagine the layout on board, using in particular the space located under the floor of the nacelle.

The organization of the Prestige M48's exterior spaces provides 4 living areas, between the aft Beach Club and its garage for nautical toys, the well protected aft cockpit, the 20m2 flybridge, equivalent to that of a 60-foot monohull motor yacht, and the forward saloon, allowing for greater intimacy, especially in port.

Inside, the raised deck (high planking) allows the saloon to be arranged without the inconvenience of the side tunnels of the hull, typical of traditional catamarans. The Prestige M28's saloon is therefore full width, which changes everything, as much for the side galley, which is very large, as for the saloon or the cockpit.

Like the other Prestige, the Prestige M48 offers a private access to the full width owner's suite located in the forward quarter: This walk-through suite is more than 30m2: incredible for a 15m long unit!

On the guest side, each cabin also has its own private access and is characterized by a bed positioned in a transverse way, allowing to have a direct view on the sea!

Efficient and economical

In terms of engines, the Prestige M48 opts for 2 Volvo Penta D4 with joystick and V-Drive transmisson, the IPS being justified neither from an efficiency point of view (IPS are especially efficient from 22-25 knots), nor from a maneuverability point of view, due to the spacing of the propellers and the integration of a joystick. 

With a maximum speed of 20 knots, the Prestige M48 consumes 80 liters at 17 knots! At 8 knots, a speed often used on this type of motoryacht catamaran, the Prestige M48 offers a range of 600 nautical miles.

The Prestige M48 will be officially launched next September, during the Yachting Festival 2022!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PRESTIGE M48

• Length HT - 14,98m (49 feet)
• Main beam : 6m
• Engine : 2 Volvo D4 V-Drive / Joystick
• Maxi speed : 20 knots
• Cruising speed : 8 knots
• Autonomy 8 knots : 600 MN
• layout : 3 cabins, 3 bathrooms, or 4 cabins, 4 bathrooms
• Design of the Prestige M48 : Garroni Design
• Naval architecture of the Prestiqe M48 : Philippe Briand