Privilege 50' Catamaran. Guided Tour and Our Review

We took a guided tour of the Privilege 500 Catamaran at this year's Annapolis Sailboat Show. It has a great reputation for being a quality built boat that is designed for full-time liveaboards. Is this the perfect Catamaran for our needs as we sail the world? Watch the video to the end to find out what we like and possibly don't like about this Cat.
If you found the video informative our helpful, please like and share this video.

[@danieljohnston5306]

Sailing Zatara is by far my favorite KZbin channel, their Privilege 585 is amazing to watch!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I am sure it is a great boat.

[@edwardethridge1483]

I loooove the series!😍

[@r.maj.7065]

@@guenthermichaels5303 The prices are in the sky. 2-3 million dollars boats, and still alway little places for relax. Theses boats for 500-600K dollars is ok, but not for 2-3 millions. Joke. Just the profit.

[@r.maj.7065]

@@guenthermichaels5303 OK. You have true 100%. But theses things are very expensives. :// My favorite boat the Jeanneau 42DS. That is not a catamaran, but the 2 cabins version is a fantastic spacious boat. And just for 150K€ - like a new condition. With 200X220CM bed! Ps: a new house in my country with 700nm plot is 200K€ - these boats are super expensives. But for most people 10K€ is a very big money. :-) I love the boats and i like to see them. :) But this is just dream as for all people too.

[@r.maj.7065]

@@guenthermichaels5303 Guenther! I live in Hungary. A nice little country - and i love my country. You have true, yes - "a boat will last a Life time and you have years of Summer pleasure." It is a big true! Thank your for conversation, dear Guenther! This boat gorgeous, just that price. :-) Hehe! God Bless You, Guenther!

[@SuperMurf44]

Every design should have a “reason”... this tour is great for getting the reason why it’s done this way..great tour Craig!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Murf

[@glenpeters955]

Another really interesting review and this was one of the best guides so far, not just his knowledge but the 'extra' information that is so important. One thing - is he related to Christoph Waltz because the similarity is amazing. As always stay safe and keep having fun.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Glen. I don’t know if he’s related to anybody in particular but he does mention a few times about his experience with another boat that we know well. In case you’re wondering he was one of the key owners of Antares. So he spent years building the Antares 44

[@MrMarkymark005]

Alot of awesome insight by those with experience and first hand knowledge on one of my TOP catamarans. I haven't seen or met a Privilege I haven't fallen in love with, YET. I did immediately notice the changes with the helm....I instantly didn't like it until the gentleman explained that there would be changes with the safety glass & that it will eventually be water tight. I also wasn't really excited by the galley being up in the salon rather than down in one of the hulls. Thank you for another awesome video!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Hey Mark. I was also glad to hear that the new model will have some improvements. Bigger windows for a brighter salon would be a plus. Better safety glass around the helm will also be a plus. I think on most catamarans it or around the size. They’ve all gone with a galley up. Only the smaller catamarans tend to try and squeeze the galley into the hall and that’s because if they don’t do that then the salon is just too cramped to be good at anything. Janice prefers galley up because she feels like the person slaving away in the kitchen will miss out on social opportunities if they are down below.

[@Mr4pete]

This was one of the hardest Tour video's I've had to endure. Wonderful boat and Kudos to you guys.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks? Hardest?

[@bigcity2085]

@@Bowmans-Woods Everything we were looking at was getting apologized for...and getting "fixed" ,so why are we here.(?) But we learned sales technique.(imho) But I do love Privilege...the big boys are awesome.

[@whotknots]

As a law enforcement officer Craig you are undoubtedly acquainted with body language and 'tells' and what I observed with this rep, indicates he 'doesn't necessarily believe' a number of the things he is saying. For example another name for a davit is, a 'crane' so 'a Rose by any other name will smell as sweet'.

[@livingfree9553]

Navy thing is not 100 percent correct submarines are nuclear powered surface war ships have generators but when you do that it tells the bad guys your location .Same for a submarine like a SSBN

[@lucianosantucci108]

A wise man, speaking from much experience. Nice

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@soulone1000]

Hey I had to stop this at the 18 minute mark, in saying to the contrary of the post below here, to say this the best video I have seen with regard to practical in formation regarding top side reasons for designing features with considerations for mechanics of a boat!!! Awesome!!!!!! I was all about the Lagoon 42 and 52 and just flipped the script! Thanks for a excellent video! Saude!! Mike Abrahamsen ~ SF Bay

[@chodeoriki4113]

Loved this review. Loved the guide too. Really interesting and beautiful boat.

[@25mitchel]

No wounder you were exhausted, I felt the same way listening to this guy going on and on about every detail.

[@5amH45lam]

There's no pleasing everyone... Dictionaries are good, and all, but the detail. Oh man, the detail. There's just too much detail!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I had to laugh at your reply. You said what I was thinking. You can’t please everyone. Rob had some good points and he has a lot of knowledge that I found very interesting. But there’s always someone like this little complaining it was too long winded and why don’t you just show us the boat and make this a 10 minute episode. I just learned to ignore the haters. If they are polite like this I leave the comment on for people to see. If they’re rude about it I just delete them.

[@t147han]

@@Bowmans-Woods This is what i want to hear.The more detail for me the better.I would also like to know more.Foam or balsa etc.They claim that they use lighter construction on the hull.interesting to know what they use.You will find that those who think the detail is to long ,baffles me.Do they buy a car for its stereo.

[@Mark_Lacey]

@@Bowmans-Woods Nah, I loved this guy and his obvious passion for what he is doing. BTW, the master suite bunk layout is stunning.

[@lordschelken]

This is funny. First I thought it was too much detailed. And stopped this video - because I thought it was not entertaining enough. A couple of days later I had more time and watched it again and to the end. And this time I thought it was just perfect and interesting to hear and learn new things. So it is not always just the video - it depands on you and your current mode. And an other guess is that the description of the video also leads you sometimes in the wrong direction (so that you read it for example and innerly hope it's entertaining more than it actually is and than you're just a bit disappointed. Just because it has a wrong description and got you in a wrong expectation for it).

[@TorturedPeace]

Mention of Zatara! Love em!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. We like them as well. They got a used privilege so maybe that is something we will consider down the road as well. They seem to make very good quality boats.

[@TorturedPeace]

Cruising Off Duty thanks for your videos! I do really love seeing you go through the different boats and comparing the different build qualities... my question that I wanted to ask, you’ve mentioned 4-5 yr old boats as your pricing point for certain models; but what about 10-15 yr boats? What builders would you consider if that boat had been brought up to date? Sadly that may be more in my price point if I ever do pull the trigger on a sailboat. Janice loves her princess seat, double sink and cabinets... what grabs you? Thanks again for letting me pick your brain!

[@whotknots]

Locating the tech hub in a high and dry location makes utter good sense!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

True.

[@normshifferd9728]

This was incredible, very well built. Thanks much

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Agree. Thanks.

[@AlessandroCardano]

What a tour! What a BOAT! One day… -A

[@bmjforbes]

Great video. Lots of good advice based on experience. Interesting to learn where design is going on the newer boats - especially boats designed for circumnavigation. Been looking forward to hearing about the Privilege 500/510/50.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Brian. It was a very nice boat and I am also curious to see what the 510 looks like. Out of our budget but for those that can afford it I think this is a boat to consider.

[@Starmania_FR]

70/5000 Thank you for all these excellent videos, happy new year Craig and Janice.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

thanks Jacques.

[@PepeDeezNutz]

Great tour

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks

[@NJ-Cathie]

Excellent video! Thanks for the tour!

[@5amH45lam]

'slight catastrophes'?? I'll file that alongside 'unbiased opinions'! ;) great video, as ever, guys. Detailed and descriptive! Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Sam

[@MichaelSmith-dg1fb]

Yes the Z crew does exelent videos. Very nice family..

[@putterpants]

Very informative video but as someone who spent 4 years on a nuclear submarine assigned to the electrical division. His comments on running generators every day is inaccurate.

[@tangomechanic]

Thanks for your input. Would you care to elaborate? My ideal situation would be to max the solar, have electric motor and directional propellers acting as an alternator under wind, perhaps an additional wind generator at the back. All this in order to use incinerator toilets, invective cooktop and/or electric engine. All this w/o diesel generator. Would this be possible?

[@koisolare1266]

@@tangomechanic I am an off grid PV solar designer/installer with a minimal amount of cruising (2wks) experience in smaller sail boats. When designing systems with generators I always program timers for weekly exercise. Topping off is a term for Liquid Lead Acid batteries! Lead acid AGM or Gel cells take time to "top off" during a trickle charge (not required) and boiling/equalization is something to avoid. A Lithium bank(no top off) is the likely solution for an electric drive along with regeneration options just like an e-car. It would be more of an issue to just charge a bank to keep it out of LVD area for better life. (>25% to 50% state of charge) I feel there is still a need for a good diesel generator or two if you want more range than a couple hundred miles. As a minimalist on a smaller boat I would still consider a 10kw propane gen set that can be much more simple for fuel storage and monthly exercise. In any case it is important to remember that batteries, propane, diesel and gen sets all have lives based on age (corrosion/stagnation) and not just hours of usages. Salt water environments are harsh on any electrical equipment.

[@AORD72]

Less to fix is better, however probably best to have some redundancy. A lot of cats seem to happy to just run solar with motors with big alternators as back up and a few with electric turbine to generate while under sail. With big alternators I see no point in having a heavy generator.

[@jersonjim3605]

Like this boat. I consider this as one of the top boat to consider buying.

[@Buttaman2218]

This guy gives me the “I can sale a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves” vibe. Thank you for enduring him. The X5 still gets my vote.

[@5amH45lam]

I have a friend that installed two dishwashers in his home, instead of a dishwasher and a crockery cupboard.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ha ha. Well I’d be happy with just 1 full sized one on a boat.

[@ek9772]

Finally, a galley with a microwave, DISHWASHER, sink, stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer, and an ice maker. They are only missing the washer and a non-vented dryer in the galley.

[@NJ-Cathie]

They need to go with Miele. They have an excellent dryer that does not need to vented to the exterior & is very compact.

[@davidolson7575]

Very nice tour, awesome boat! Thanks for taking us along!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mrmped1]

I laughed about the princess seat issue. He did say these boats are custom and I bet the would Change that for free to make the sale. Lol.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I laughed as well. You’re spending this kind of money I’m sure they can make the seat as big as you’d like it to be. But it was just a small point she wanted to point out because the boat wasn’t perfect.

[@co4x4]

Awsome salesperson, very knowledgable. I'd buy from him without hesitation if I had that kind of $ coin.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes Robert is very knowledgeable. He referenced a boat he has worked with for years and that is the Antares 44

[@danielw.1939]

Looks like an incredible boat, with 2 caveats: in the aft cabins on person has to climb over the other to go to the bathroom. these are guest rooms but still. The owner's cabin straddles the bridge deck, I wonder how much banging you would be subjected too offshore.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I agree. The back cabins are underwhelming. Especially when you consider it’s a $1.7 million boat. They seem to of focused all on their attention on the owners cabin area. I guess they assume the other cabins are for short term gas and if somebody’s coming on a boat as a guest and is complaining that the bed isn’t as well situated as it should be then they probably need to be asked to leave. Ha ha.

[@ferdberffle]

Good review. I enjoyed the walkthrough/sales pitch. My only problem with this boat is a custoner is paying premium French rates when there are comparable boats out there at 60% of the price.

[@stormtrooper9404]

Fred P. Hmmm would like to hear what 50' cat is comparable to Privilege,and for ~1mil$ on top of that?

[@ferdberffle]

@@stormtrooper9404~ $1,000,000 IS 60% of the price of the Privelege serie 50/510... so, how about the Knysna 50 for starters?

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Hey Fred. I agree with you. This is a very good boat and seems to have quality in all the areas you would want it. But if this was built in South Africa or somewhere with cheaper labor rates I’m sure this boat would be more like $1.2 million to 1.3 million at the high-end. Boats built in France tend to be more expensive than places like South Africa or Argentina. The other commentor wanted an example of a well-built boat that’s substantially less expensive. I would point to the Xquisite X5.

[@stormtrooper9404]

Cruising Off Duty Hello Craig and compliments for the great tour. Anyway I would like to correct you as the price of the X5 is 1.4mil(last time I check) with 2 years waiting period,and you should pay extra if you want to jump the row. That mute the point of labour rates,if not completely overturns it to Privilege side. Its Marc Lombard design(not some Dean 2000),its build by yard with immpecable reputation,its over-build and over-engineered,and Privilege has a portfolio on which any other manufacturer would envy. That in my book is called "win"! @Fred P Knysna are not even in the same league,but at least they were decent enough to not overprice their old mold... unlike St.Francis ,Majestic and especially the afforementioned Xquisite.

[@dragonfly8080808]

Your tour guide had great knowledge and experienced opinions, a lovely boat but I'm still sold on the X5 lottery ticket allowing.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I agree. We certainly would need to win something to afford $1.7m. But we make the videos for many with deeper pockets.

[@cyclomaniac9086]

Great video tour and review.... thanks.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Maniac.

[@andrewlabat9963]

Some might think he went on to much, but this is a gigantic purchase and info is everything. That's is my favorite dingy system, the side decks are so wide raises hatches isn't a real factor, and the rest of the boat, well it's crazy sweet. Money is always an issue for most, but with the customization theres no way this Cat couldn't satisfy if you can drop the $$$$$...

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Agree completely. Good info from Robert and good to get his insight. He use to be the main guy in the Antares 44. So he knows what a quality live aboard needs.

[@moderngod1]

give this guide a raise! I N F O R M A T I V E

[@Bowmans-Woods]

He knows his boat and is clearly passionate

[@the101connection]

Great video guys and a lot of great info.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks 101

[@bar10dr]

I really like this boat, both feels amazing and its made for some real sailing

[@Bowmans-Woods]

A lot to like. Well, perhaps not the price for us but Solid.

[@michaelmorgan3415]

$1.6 million, WOW that is a lot of cake. The build is gorgeous but the the price being +20-30% higher than most boats in it's class, or maybe more, I don't see the value for money here. You stated 16.8 tons gross weight, loaded probably a lot more. I would thing this is a pretty slow boat as well. I chuckled at the dig he dealt Exquisite with the ipad nav station/do everything component. Great review as always. Cheers, Happy New Year.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Michael. I agree with you that the boat is definitely not priced to be a bargain. They are banking on the fact that they are building a top-quality boat and people will pay the premium. I guess for the ultra rich spending a little bit more to get a boat you feel is top quality is worth it. It’s way out of our price range. So, unless we find a used one at some sort of fire sale price, we will not be sailing the world on a privilege.

[@opcn18]

These real closets, they are amazing to see.

[@LJL98]

Great episode. I disagree with a lot of what the sales person had to say lol but just my opinion. In the video you said a centre steer tender. I would suggest something wide open with plenty of cargo space. With provisioning and family visiting with luggage. The last thing you want is a steering column blocking your cargo area and having to make multiple trips to and from a dingy dock. Or worse, a beach landing. I would suggest this tender for you. Light and can haul a sh%t ton. Can get on plane with a load and a small outboard. Costs pennies to operate. The builder use to cruise and they thought all the tenders on the market just didn’t work for cruisers. So they designed their own and it’s great. It’s a company out of New Zealand OC Tenders. Check it out.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks for your input but the OC trnder was on the X5 I did the trans Atlantic. It is light but it feels tippy when getting in an Without the inflatable tubes around the outside every wave just hits the side of the dinghy and splashes you. So if you move in any sort of waves you get soaked. I was not a fan. I think everybody on the boat was not a fan except for maybe the owner that had chosen to buy it. No one likes to admit they made a poor decision I guess.

[@LJL98]

Cruising Off Duty Oh I forgot there was one on the x5. Yeah they can be bit tippy. That’s due to the flat bottom that gets them on plane with ease and with small motors But I Like their capabilities. We have ours with a Elco electric outboard and the area under the bow fits our batteries really nice. We have just two adults and two kids. Not five grown men on our boat lol so the splashing issue hasn’t shown it’s self, yet lol to be fair, 5 men plus outboard, fuel and what ever gear you’re all carrying. Must have been upwards of 1000lbs or better. Not sure many 12’ boats would keep you dry under those conditions lol but I think getting wet would be a small trade off compared to a deflated boat or ripped tube in the middle of God’s no where. Our highfield was great but it was just getting to damn expensive to keep. Especially with hypalon. It’s designed to last longer but damn it’s expensive to fix.

[@simonjones7785]

my personal fav feature was the landing points for the tender having lost one before this makes a lot of sence to me / crane set up to lift it on is a bonus

[@dragonfly8080808]

Great tour lovely boat, But I'm still sold on the X5

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Agree. This boat cost more as well so that is a point in the X5 favor.

[@srqlisa7881]

He sounded more like a car salesman then a boater . I hope you two had a Happy New Years. : ) peace

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes we did, thanks. Hope you all did as well.

[@srqlisa7881]

@@Bowmans-Woods Yes I did thank you spent it with my dad he is 88. : ) peace

[@simonjones7785]

The map of the world in the table was very interesting to me

[@2squiffy]

The best boat by far.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Agreed. But the price is higher too.

[@2squiffy]

Cruising Off Duty we have a deposit on one for 2021. How did it compare to the X5?

[@livingthervlocalifecarlosa3111]

X 5 and save a lot

[@polishking4372]

Great Tour guide!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ek9772]

I was just recently checking out a global voltage and frequency converter for one or three phases. The thing is massive and a pain to install it. This boat comes with it standard from factory. The only things missing are an ATS, a shore voltage regulator, and a shore surge protector.

[@marceld6061]

That's not an owner's cabin- that is what I would call an owner's apartment! A walk-in closet, plenty of storage, and a FRIDGE! The walk-in isn't my cup of tea but it isn't a bad idea. I think I could get used to the low headroom over the bed. I don't think bridge deck slamming would be an issue because it would mostly be used at anchor. I like the shaft drive design coming out in the new model. I am not sure about adding TOO big of a dinghy on the back of the boat. I am sure it can handle the weight- but we all know about weight and catamarans. A lot of weight at the back can't be a good idea for balance.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

All good points Marcel. I agree there should be some consideration and how heavy you’re doing is even if you are loading it onto the back deck. You don’t want the catamaran to be overloaded. But, this 50 foot catamaran seems big enough to handle a normal 10 to 11 foot rib and we are kind of leaning towards a center steering rib. That way it is it comfortable “car“ to get around and explore when our boat is at anchor. I agree completely with him that hanging a dinghy off your davits full time while you sail around the world is probably just asking for something to eventually break and probably at the absolute worst time. Janice is a fan of that open concept owners cabin. The head room is only an issue if you’re trying to walk straight up and down. When you’re sitting on the bed there is plenty of headroom. The guy in the video was just super tall so he made it seem shorter than it really was. Robert got on the bed and all of a sudden there looks like there’s a ton of extra headroom. Ha ha

[@secondstartotheright]

Best catamaran yet!!!!!!!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

It was very nice. The price was a bit too steep for us to consider. But, for those with deep pockets this might be the perfect boat.

[@livingthervlocalifecarlosa3111]

You may be right, however, we are still leaning towards the X5

[@aardvarkmindshank]

He certainly loves the boat, doesn't he... :P

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes, I am sure he does.

[@petermcgrory5267]

I never knew you had to run a generator daily; thank you very much ! Oh yeah, great video

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks. I’m not sure you need to run a generator every day. That seems a bit extreme. But I can imagine you should run it at least once every few days just to keep it lubricated.

[@markivan5324]

Yeah you don't

[@RichardGetzPhotography]

I really like this guy. He doesn't just talk about his cat, but about sailing.

[@whotknots]

A spinnaker may not be essential, but as someone who sailed an Xquisite 50 the substantial distance from Cape town to the Caribbean Craig, I am confident you agree that one is sure as heck desirable. The performance advantages of a spinnaker you reported on that voyage alone convinced me that spinnakers with a parasail feature incorporated are highly, desirable. The comment by the former submariner technician may in fact be an example of captains doing 'donkey drops' where what staff officers stipulate and what line officers are actually doing can be different things. As the old sayings go 'it is difficult for the Turkeys to get the work done while Eagles are constantly crapping on them'. And, 'when you look upwards on a ladder of rank all you see are a**holes'. As someone who is undoubtedly acquainted with making an awkward or even bad system work to the benefit of society despite itself, you must be familiar with the 'ways and means act'?

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. After that passage I am 100% sure I will have a Spinnaker on my future Cat. If you are going to follow the trade winds around the world and doing 90% down wind sailing then it is a MUST in my opinion. Sailing down wind with just a Genoa would make for a very slow passage in comparison. And trying to do wing on wing is like sailing while balancing on a high wire. No thanks. Spinnaker all the way. :-)

[@kenmccaslin7096]

Wasn't Rob one of the owners of PDQ Yachts / Antares for awhile? Is his experience with the shaft drive and skegged rudders on the Antares the push behind the shaft drive of the new 510? Did he say if the 510 will also have skegged rudders?

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. Rob was one of the owners of Antares and that’s what he kept alluding to. He has a lot of experience building boats to be full-time live aboard cruisers. I guess he now works with privilege. It’s a bigger boat with some serious Bluewater cruising capabilities. I agree with almost everything he said. You want shaft drive. You want your dinghy to be up on the deck and not dangling off the davits. He gave us some good knowledge and that’s why the video was as long as it was. I found it interesting. Hopefully most of you did as well.

[@dragonfly8080808]

@@Bowmans-Woods Yes he was a well rounded very well experienced in his field of knowledge a joy to listen to, made a great deal of sense. I was impressed with his liveaboard opinions, not the size of the hanging closet but the dinghy mounts the anchor usage and storage, the need to run the generator for the generators upkeep all made good sense. Your point however about a solid cover over the steering position was equally valid, why buy an expensive yacht and have a tent over the steering position? On a boat of this specification and price just run an AC vent to the cockpit and put a hard top on it. Great review though and I hope you find an affordable boat of your dreams.

[@cbthomas9577]

Love the privilege! The salesman is a bit of a windbag! LOL

[@Bowmans-Woods]

It is a really nice boat. Bit above our expected budget but a good option for those with more $$$

[@lindsayliddell4297]

Thx Guys, very informative :)

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Glad you liked it!

[@Wakeywhodat]

You did a nice job on this.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks.

[@ek9772]

He has a point when he says that generators need to run every day. I used to, also, think that you needed a lot of solar; however, these days I would emphasize a very LARGE battery bank. The idea is to, also, have regeneration under sail to bring energy into the batteries, but you can only sail so many hours from the battery bank when there is no wind (assuming electric propulsion). Therefore, you have to run a generator both to cruise while it is on and to simultaneously fill the batteries. Then you cruise from stored battery energy, and you wait until the wind picks up again, and the cycle repeats. There is not enough space on a sailing boat for using only solar for propulsion. You have a sail, and if there is no wind to sail, then you need a backup plan. You can use Diesel engines or electric motors. I prefer electric motors since I hate dealing with the maintenance aspect of several Diesel engines. A generator for me is a both a compromise (versus two Diesel engines), and it is a necessity due to weather unpredictability (safety). Solar and wind turbines become, therefore, the energy sources when under anchor. Privilege made a nice boat which has not been sufficiently shown ‘Le Penseur’ together with Torqueedo. It is a pity because I think there is a bigger market than their HQ estimates.

[@phamnuwen9442]

I think if you redesigned the boat with solar in mind solar propulsion becomes a lot more feasible. Something like the Planetsolar boat which has made at least one circumnavigation on solar alone. The question is would a mast block too much of the sunlight without the sails? When there's wind and the sails are up you wouldn't need electricity for propulsion obviously. With enough solar panels and batteries you could probably eliminate the diesel generator. As a backup plan you could split the solar and battery system in two isolated systems so that you still have power if one fails.

[@ek9772]

Pham Nuwen it all depends for what and how you use a boat. Even the Energy Observer boat had to be redesigned since there is not enough solar energy in Northern Europe in the winter. In addition, approximately 35% of the time there is no wind. Therefore, the only alternative is to motor. At very low speeds over 80% of the energy used daily is taken by electric motors compared to less than 20% for house loads. At some point the batteries will go empty. So on days without solar or wind energy what do you do? You can go back to the way people did this hundreds of years ago, and you wait and pray for some wind. Or alternatively you use a Diesel generator, and it will to do five things while it is running: 1- It will run the electric motors. 2- It will run the house loads. 3- It will heat up the hot water. 4- It will fill up the house batteries. 5- It will fill up the propulsion batteries. This will buy you time, comfort, and safety until the weather changes. Moreover, on a daily basis a Diesel generator will only run for a few hours each day. Compare this to using Diesel engines 24-hours a day when there is no wind. The Energy Observer after trying several different propulsion schemes recently changed its energy configuration. It is now using sails as the main propulsion system, and as a backup it uses stored energy for electric motors. They use lithium batteries for short term storage, and for longer storage they use hydrogen energy. However, making Hydrogen from salt water and storing it requires energy, and using Hydrogen requires fuel cells to convert it to electricity. The cost to make, store, and use Hydrogen is too expensive for most private boats; however, it might be an alternative for large commercial ships. In addition, handling Hydrogen is relatively dangerous. Look up what happened to the Hindenburg blimp. In summary: For most private boats sailing is still the best way to travel long distances, and these require either Diesel engines, or alternatively Diesel generators with electric motors and batteries. If you will only travel around the shore for several hours and in a sunny environment, then a solar boat might make sense, and electric motors with batteries might be appropriate. This is particularly true if you can hook up your boat to the grid and recharge your batteries when you anchor overnight. Large commercial ships might have the financial resources to invest in Hydrogen technology for storing energy. Like I said it all depends on why and how you use a boat.

[@ek9772]

Pham Nuwen I forgot to mention that once the wind comes back and if you have hydro regeneration electric motors, you might make up about 60% of the energy used up when motoring by electric motors during a 24-hour period. The other 40% gets more difficult. If you have a 400 watt wind turbine, on average you will make about 6% to 7% of the energy used up by electric motors at low cruising speeds in one day. Solar panels will not make up much energy on rainy, cloudy, and / or winter days. A 3,000 watt solar panel array is capable of making 11-kWh during the summer; however, it might be able to make 3.6-kWh (or around 5% of the energy used up by electric motors) on an average winter day due to the angle that occurs between the Sun and the Earth in the winter. If it too cloudy, you will make a fraction of this. In other words, you have an energy deficit problem. Even if you had the money for a large enough Lithium battery system to run for a full day, eventually you will probably run out of energy, and you need an additional source of energy. Keep in mind that the above numbers only considered propulsion energy, but you, also, require energy to cook, to shower, to keep warm, and to run all the electric and electronic navigation equipment. Depending on your house appliances and navigation equipment, these can add up to be a significant amount relative to the energy used for propulsion. This number is, also, strongly dependent on the number of people aboard the boat.

[@moejaime2654]

Great boat but , I think that some other builders from South Africa have more competitive pricing for 50 foot cats ! Yes it is good price for what you get but if you are on a lower budget cats that make your dollar go farther with good quality !

[@MalloyUnfiltered]

Very interesting, much experience shared. Thanks!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Your welcome John.

[@delriv5238]

Excellent. Thanks

[@Bowmans-Woods]

You are very welcome.

[@robweiss748]

Craig thinking of you amid reports of shootings in Ottawa this morning. Stay safe.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks. Yes. I’m out on the streets taking calls. Ottawa, like every big city gets more dangerous every year. Only a little over 4 to go. I’ll try and keep my head low and on a swivel until that final day. 😁👍

[@simonjones7785]

I love the long passage having driven a truck from soyuthwales to the eastern border of Russia this is why I say I can sqail the atlantic followed by the pacific I have relitives and friends in austrailia and new Zealand I wish to travel too

[@bigcity2085]

Sailing Nahoa has been out there for a few years now in a 41....without a generator at all.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

It can be done. But, it wont be done by Janice, so it wont be done by us. ha ha

[@shaneshaw1895]

Gorgeous boat but the only way I could ever afford one is to hit the lottery. We have a plan to get a Cat in the next 5 years to retire on but it will mostly likely be a former charter Cat that we can afford.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I hear you. We couldn't afford one of these new. Maybe not even used. We shall see.

[@LuisPerez-hj6pt]

As usual Craig, an informative and well done video. Thank you for taking the time to share brother.

[@bobrose7900]

As mentioned, lots of detail, but I didn't catch anything on sailing performance and construction. Perhaps it was in the specs that were listed mid way through. I liked the boat a lot, but gulped at the price. The new 510 is probably more impressive, I was a bit under whelmed at this price point. Great video as usual. I really look forward to these reviews.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ya. The price is pretty steep. Hard to say sailing performance without test sailing it ourself. We will do that in the future when we narrow down our future boat.

[@telljames]

Looks great but this guy sounds like a classic sales man !!!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

He is passionate, you have to give him that. I appreciate him doing the tour. Many builders will not provide a person to do that.

[@MarkLawrenceKiefer]

if you look in the used boat market you can get an older Privilege in your price range, you may have to get a 10 or 12 year old boat.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I can’t wait to see what we end up with. There’s that balancing act between getting something that’s old enough to be a good bargain but not so old that everything on the boat needs to be replaced in the imminent future. I don’t want a project boat where all my time is spent fixing and repairing things that were worn out. So, we shall see what we end up with.

[@Adeus555]

As an electrician, i approve

[@simonjones7785]

tht panel reminsme of the industrial electric panels I used to instal

[@diliplahiri9052]

When i win Powerball, i will buy you one and myself one, as long as you teach me how to sail.

[@bboysmith]

If I win Powerball… You all get one!

[@jestnessj3574]

@@bboysmith I'll hold you to it.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Cool. I will help you sail for months if you win the powerball and allow me to leave work now. ha ha.

[@osw1970]

Hi how much do you like this boat compared to the Xquisit X5? The new price for both boats is almost the same at 1.5 to 1.6 million?

[@Bowmans-Woods]

You are right. I forgot that Xquisite is bumping up the price with their new longer hull. Now that you’ve drawn that to my attention and they are the same price I have a hard time picking between these two. I would need to sail the privilege to get a better feel for which one performs better. They both seem to be very well-built boats so it might come down to personal choice of how you want your cabins laid out and which one has more performance. Without test Sailing the privilege I can’t say for sure.

[@jaydeeification]

I disagree about the need to run the generator DAILY- I see plenty of liveaboards going far longer than that. Seperately, the electric grill outside would be interesting if they also did an induction cooktop inside, as you could avoid having propane at all. Yes, the price is high!

[@pain_weaver]

Running them increases life span. He explained that. Not using them is not good and 2 hours a day wouldn't be bad either

[@pain_weaver]

Running them keeps the life of them higher than not running them at all. 2 hours a day isn't bad.

[@brianlitz5102]

@@pain_weaver technology is really close to being able to eliminate the generator all together. On my boat I can live for weeks with just solar, I don't have a generator, and yes it is better to use devices as not using them is very hard on them, but daily? I think a couple times a week would be more than enough to extend the lifespan.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

In a perfect world you to have so much solar that you don’t even need to buy a generator. On most boats that is just not possible. There’s just not a lot of good and shaded area. So if you’re going to own a generator anyway, all he is saying is that you should fire it up once a day. Motors don’t like being left unused for long periods. Especially in salty air.

[@webheadusa9377]

I liked the engine bay size - very accessible. Dual chart plotters is smart. What about auto pilot, radar, satellite antenna, emergency life raft, air conditioning, heater? Is this boat too big for a couple? At $1.7 million US, what would be the cost to insure? Personal space may be a need, but there is plenty of room to hide out for hours at a time. Thanks for the tour. :¬) Webhead USA

[@Bowmans-Woods]

He didn’t get into detail in the video and the video was already going on way too long so I didn’t list everything that you would get for the $1.7 million. But pretty much everything you mentioned would be included for that price. I guess that’s no shock because that’s a pretty steep price. At that price the boat comes fully loaded with everything you would ever need to live full-time on this boat as you cruise the world.

[@acpliego]

Quality salesman

[@Bowmans-Woods]

He is passionate and knows his stuff.

[@mutt1112]

Dumping the sail drive for the shaft, WIN WIN, would like to know Draft, keel type and can you beach without damage?

[@stormtrooper9404]

mutt1112 Stub keels, 1.6m draft,but I seriously doubt if the manufacturer allow beaching at all! Still this is 20t cat at half displacement,not a weekend racer.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

You got and answer from Vlad. I gave specs on screen. Nothing mentioned about beaching it. I doubt you should try that with a boat this size.

[@timlucas4014]

Hi Guys Another good video on cat decisions Maybe be only my bad hearing but I found it hard to her him above other people talking Is it possible to put a mike on the presenters ?? Cheers Tim

[@Bowmans-Woods]

It’s possible but it would require a wireless mic system and it’s hard to make that work on a powered gimbal. So we went with a shotgun mic but there is a lot of noise around.

[@kaisersoze2741]

Rob is a guy who can sell me this boat even if i'm looking for a toaster only.

[@tomrichmond6931]

That was my favorite catamaran at this years show.

[@Andy_M986]

Very interesting design,obviously not wanting too many people on that boat with that large cabin taking up the whole width.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Seems clearly designed for a live aboard couple. Guest accommodations are secondary

[@Andy_M986]

@@Bowmans-Woods Fair call.

[@Mookiejr2001]

Hopefully you've looked into the Williams Jet Tender dinghy now. I would LOVE one, but they are VERY heavy. I think 700lb at minimum. Also, probably very difficult to troubleshoot/maintain on your own in remote places.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ha ha. Ya. Too much for us. Just a regular center steering RIB would be fine for us.

[@Mookiejr2001]

@@Bowmans-Woods My wife and I checked out their lighter offerings at Boot Düsseldorf. Nice! But still too heavy.

[@grantmyers7593]

I'm not sure I like that master suite setup, but this boat had other nice features.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Janice loves the open concept master cabin. I think the back cabins were a bit disappointing but if it’s just a cruising couple, having a huge master is a selling feature

[@jdiazr1286]

After all the reviews your done. Which brand(s) are most well built ....like you can pass it on to your kids ?

[@sctenz]

In the words of Bob Wiley, "Gimme, gimme, gimme. I need. I need." Guess I better start working on getting rich.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Agreed. Very nice. But you need a serious budget for this one. Hopefully you are lucky enough to win the lottery or you invested in Crypto when things were cheap. :-)

[@Berelore]

Just looked up Williams' Dinghys lol what. Now I gotta have one.

[@srua2936]

some advice for the operator, it's will be better if you can just leave a guy's voice and shooting more the catamaran thanks for the video!

[@jdonalds2001]

Your videos need a wireless lapel mike.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ya maybe. But at the show, we are trying to run and gun. Keep it simple.

[@antonditt1661]

Is hanging cloth a good idea on a life aboard? I had a small hanging locker in my VW T4 camper and used to keep a spare set of cloth in it...until I discovered it chafes to death in a matter of weeks.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I never thought of hanging clothes rubbing against each other until they’re worn out..hmmmm. Something to think about

[@ingriddubbel8468]

I love the Annapolis boat show but it can be overwhelming.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ya. It can get a bit too overcrowded if the weather is nice.

[@soundbeings1]

Thanks you for sharing guys - beautifully finished boats but the sloping cabin roof and very small windows not for me - needs way more visibility in there. Also looks very dated because of that. Have seen some with the sink at front of the cabin and anyone over 5'7" would struggle - pointless. I know they are lifting it for the 510 but will need to be by a good margin and introduce huge windows a la the Leopard 50 for instance.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ya. I think that is why a new design is coming with the 510. Will be interested to see.

[@soundbeings1]

@@Bowmans-Woods Agreed. All the best for 2020 - another chalked off towards the retirement!

[@robertlee8042]

Your saying you can’t have a genset and only run it under load once a week or whenever needed? I thought the only bad was running under light load.

[@dagooglenet]

that step down to the kitchen... one day somebody going to get hurt...

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Perhaps. But, I am sure you would get use to it.

[@jkstricko]

That sales guy is full of it. We quite easily live aboard without the need for a generator.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Really? No generator? Are you on a 50' Cat? I could see a smaller boat with minimal fridges etc being able to get away with just solar panels and possibly a wind generator but on the bigger Cats there is just such a huge constant draw for all the freezers, fridges, lights, computer and Nav gear etc etc that you would need to fill every space on deck with solar to keep up with it and also need to hope you don't have back to back rain days blocking out the sun, to keep things charged. So a generator is pretty much a must for those days that you don't get much sun (or wind, if you have a wind generator).

[@livingthervlocalifecarlosa3111]

Lots of people live without ac, however, is it nicer to have it? 😂

[@user9b2]

This review is all over the place.

[@AORD72]

You don't need a generator if you have enough solar, battery capacity and in emergency big alternators on your two engines.

[@simonjones7785]

common sence and engineering practicality meet with this set up

[@JohnCarter-eg4ws]

I don’t know the price difference,but compared to the exquisite 50’ ,which do yo like of the two ?You seemed pretty impressed with the exquisite.thanks love you videos.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

The Privilege is more. So, I'd get the Xquisite if I had the money for it. They are both very nice though

[@livingthervlocalifecarlosa3111]

For the money X5

[@JonniArmani]

beauty.)

[@t147han]

It is also much easier to service your outboard when its chocked.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

That is a good point.

[@wileycsg]

I feel betrayed..that salesman used to sell Antares.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. He use to be part owner (I think?) of PDQ / Antares.