Privilege 465 and 495 experience and feedback appreciated

[lawdawg]

Looking hard at these two boats, and would appreciate some real world experience with them and some of their features. Planning on booking a trip in a few weeks to take a look at a few.
How is the optional centerline master stateroom on the 495? Is it comfortable when not underway, decent headroom, or claustrophobic and wasted space?
I'm going back and forth between the galley down with more prep room and work space, thus also larger saloon, and the half up/half down option.
Were you happy with the purchase?
How is the sailing below about ten knots?

It is my wife and I and our two young children, 3 and 1. The plan is to keep the boat at our dock in Charleston the next few years with long weekend trips and 3-4 weeks twice a year in the Bahamas to learn the boat, then off for a couple years. We've been looking at a lot of Lagoon, FP, etc, as these are easier to go visit, but like what I hear about the quality of Privilege, seems to have good space, and so are thinking of going a few years older for the same price as a Helia or 450F that might be newer.

Looked at Catana, Outremer, etc, and while I like performance, this will be a much smoother transition for the family with a little more 'creature comfort' and space based on her feedback from looking at a few daggerboard style boats.

[Jeannius]

I don't have a huge amount of experience of 465/495 but I have spent some time aboard one.


As you probably already know, they are essentially the same boat. The 465 was always available with 3 ft added to the sugar scoops as a factory option. Most people took up this option so the vast majority of 465s are 49ft something.


There is a decent amount of headroom in the master cabin of the 465/495. It was little more cramped on the 435/445 range that I owned but the extra beam on 465/495 makes it a really nice space. That cabin is also very comfortable at sea providing you are going downwind. Upwind in anything other than smooth seas it is pretty much uninhabitable (as with the bow cabins on most cats in those conditions!)


Galley up/Galley down. For me galley up is definitely preferable at sea. Others may disagree.


Sailing below 10 knots of wind. Not brilliant with just main and genoa. Fine with a downwind sail of some description. We circumnavigated with just main and two genoas simply for ease of handling with just two aboard.


Quality. Privilege really is a step up from the big three manufacturers. What you see generally looks and is better and the stuff you don't see so much is also generally better. I was once on a boat from one of the big three, in a marina, moored right next to me and the furniture was squeaking on this boat in a very slight chop in the marina. My boat was silent.


The only other boat I seriously looked at buying was a Catana. That had the same great quality but I didn't like the exposed helm position. Anything else with an exposed helm of any description would not make the cut either.


If I was buying now, I'd buy a Privilege, but it would have to be a used model as I couldn't afford the starting price of a new Privilege anymore! For just the two of us I'd probably still have a 435/445. For a bigger crew a 465/495.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by lawdawg

How is the optional centerline master stateroom on the 495? Is it comfortable when not underway, decent headroom, or claustrophobic and wasted space?

I'm going back and forth between the galley down with more prep room and work space, thus also larger saloon, and the half up/half down option.

Both features are amazing. The centerline master has plenty of headroom unless you and your wife are partial to the Mexican Cartwheel. It’s a very cool layout.

I’ve only been on the galley half up version and really liked it a lot. The interior fit and finish of these boats leaves almost all other cats in the dust. They’re gorgeous, and that’s very evident in the galley up.

[lawdawg]

Mike,
Thank you very much for the response, and no, I didn't realize that the only difference between the two was the extra waterline on the transom. Glad to hear the master is as nice in person as it looks in pictures. I'm definitely buying used, and like you have confirmed, keep hearing great things about the quality and finish. With limited volume, it seems that galley up/down and US/Euro wiring will end up being some main issues we may have to pick between.

Thanks Suijin, and I figure we can save the cartwheel for the cockpit and deserted anchorages

[Jeannius]

You are welcome.


Good luck with finding what you want. There are more galley up than down available and I think there'll be more 240v/50hz boats around than 120v/60hz.


I had my boat done as 120v as I planned to spend most of my time initially in the BVI. As it turned out, that was a good decision as I ended up selling the boat in Florida where of course a 120v boat was more popular than 240v.

[gsuescum]

Hi all, I just bought a P495. Looking for a tender. I supposedly have reinforced davits. The tender I am looking at is 440lbs/220k.

Any insight into davit capacity?

Thanks!
Guillermo
Hopes & Dreams
P495