Having entered the multihull motoryacht sector in 2022 with the M48, now totalling 70-plus sales, Prestige surprised the yachting market the next year by scaling up to 65ft with the ultra-luxurious M8. Recently, the Groupe Beneteau-owned shipyard followed up with the slightly smaller but equally beautiful M7, which marries its 58ft length with a near-25ft beam.
“It’s not a secret that while we have always been very strong in the 40-60ft flybridge range, we need to grow our customer base and we want to do that in steps,” says Michelangelo Casadei, General Manager of Groupe Beneteau’s Motor Yachts Business Unit. “The M8 was a big jump. Now with the M7, we are filling out the range and showing our clients that we can grow with them, step by step.”
The ‘M’ in M-Line stands for multihull, a growing sector of the motoryacht market and one in which Prestige has already made strong inroads. “We don’t hide our ambition to be the best in class in the multihull motoryacht segment. When I say multihull motoryacht, I mean something that isn’t derived from a sailing catamaran because those are completely different animals,” he explains.
“Sailing catamarans need to have a wide beam to provide a good righting moment, thin hulls to minimise wet surface, and low headroom to maximise the mast and boom above. On multihull motoryachts, you don’t have these constraints. For one, your beam can be a bit narrower overall, so it’s easier to enter a marina.
“Also, you can have larger hulls because you can have more wet surface. This allows for more comfortable cabins with beds placed transversally looking out to the water and you can have a master cabin on the main deck. Above all, you can get good headroom because you don’t have the constraints the mast brings.”
Comfort and the quality of customer experience are the main factors driving Prestige’s development of multihull motoryachts.
“If you want to move fast, turn on your chine or like a sporty look, those are monohull features,” Casadei states. “If you want a spacious interior and an excellent quality of life with comfort and space for family living, and your typical navigation is just moving from one beautiful spot to another, then a multihull is right for you.”
GRAND ENTRANCE
The exteriors of the M7 contrast the verticality of the architectural elements with sinuous lines used in elements such as the hull glass. These eliminate the sense of bulkiness that sometimes plagues wider boats and balance out the proportions.
Offered with several furniture variations, the full-beam cockpit is situated two steps up from the transoms and three below the saloon
Balance and proportion – generous proportion at that – is what you feel when boarding the M7. The boat’s stability on the water is excellent, and the feeling is of quality and solidity. Symmetrically placed couches overlook a hydraulically operated central swim platform. Steps into the boat are wide, easy and feel practically palatial.
The saloon is tastefully set up like a city apartment with sectional couches to starboard and an open-plan galley to port – but just try finding an apartment with views like the ones you get through the M7’s huge floor-to-ceiling windows. The colour palette is neutral, but a variety of materials and textures keeps visual interest high.
After the initial ‘wow’ effect wears off, closer inspection reveals a TV screen hidden behind a mirror, Miele appliances, and everything you need for entertaining, from a wine cellar to an icemaker.
The lower helm station is in the saloon. However, when the M7 is at anchor, the helm can be enclosed in cabinetry that matches the rest of the panelling, as this is a boat meant more for living than for navigating. All that you perceive is tonnes of space, including the headroom that Casadei mentioned, and the best sea views you can find.
There are just four steps down to the owners’ cabin fore, a space where you can really wallow in the luxury of the 25ft beam, and enjoy the light and views through the long hull windows. The bed is aft-facing and centrally placed, and there’s plenty of room for a desk and a couch to starboard, and elegant closets with frosted glass doors to port.
Behind the closets there’s still enough space for a well-appointed bathroom with twin sinks open to the cabin, and separate shower and toilet compartments concealed behind glass doors. “This is the type of master suite you just can’t have on a 70ft monohull,” Casadei says with notable understatement.
Four more steps down from the master cabin is an en-suite VIP with a centrally placed bed facing port windows, a real invitation to spend too much time relaxing in bed watching the world go by. Another en-suite double cabin and a twin with bunk beds are in the second hull, accessed via a separate staircase. A crew cabin in the port hull has an independent access route to ensure guests’ privacy.
OPEN SPACES
The outdoor living features on the M7 are also exceptional. The foredeck is accessed by wide and comfortable side passages and has large sunpads with flip-up backrests and drinks holders.
The flybridge has sunpads fore, a galley area with a grill and sink aft, and a dining area under the hardtop. The hardtop comes with the option for installing 16sqm of solar panels that can provide up to 3.6kW of energy to run the boat for up to 10 hours in hotel mode. This isn’t the M7’s only environmentally friendly feature, as Casadei points out.
“If you compare cubic living volume to wet surface, you use a third to half of the amount of installed power to get from one place to the other on a multihull motoryacht compared to a similar monohull.”
In fact, the M7 has twin Volvo Penta D8-550 V-Drive diesel engines that lower consumption and operational costs. Plus, there’s no need for stabilisers on a multihull, so that also saves energy.
“With the M-Line we’re not just moving up in size,” Casadei says. “It’s a completely different product segment and we think that there’s a space for us to become leaders and best in class with this type of boat.”
So, is Prestige effectively splitting into two different shipyards, with the M-Line so different from the F-Line and X-Line series of monohull motoryachts?
“No,” Casadei emphasises. “While the M-Line is very different from our flybridge boats, we’ll keep the same brand because we think that the brand DNA of quality of life and home-like feeling is shared across the product line, albeit with a different soul.”
And maybe “soul” is the word that best captures the feeling you get aboard the M7. This is a boat where spaces, amenities and movement through the water offer all it takes to really soothe your soul.
prestige-yachts.com
Words: Clare Mahon; Photos: Prestige
This article was first seen on YACHT STYLE
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