{"id":137687,"date":"2025-12-04T06:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T06:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?p=137687"},"modified":"2025-12-04T10:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T10:37:02","slug":"4-of-the-best-coupe-motor-yachts-you-can-buy-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/motor-boat-news-boat-reviews-pictures-and-videos\/4-of-the-best-coupe-motor-yachts-you-can-buy-right-now-137687","title":{"rendered":"4 of the best coup\u00e9 motor yachts you can buy right now"},"content":"What\u2019s the difference between a hard top sportscruiser<\/a>, and a coup\u00e9? No, it\u2019s not a tired Vegas comedian\u2019s joke (I\u2019m here all week, try the fish, etc) but a genuine question \u2013 after all, they look much the same from the outside.\r\n\r\nIn a word, it\u2019s doors. Whilst the hard top sportscruiser is like an open sportscruiser with a lid providing some shelter to the helm and cockpit, a coup\u00e9 closes off the section under that hard top with aft doors so that you can heat or cool the space inside depending on whether you boat in the UK, or somewhere more sensible!\r\n\r\nMost builders then fit a big sunroof (so you can still get a lungful of fresh air when you need it) and turn this area into an inside deck saloon with carpets and soft furnishings rather than cockpit-style teak decks and weatherproof upholstery, but that\u2019s it \u2013 doors maketh the coup\u00e9. And here are four splendid examples.\r\n

The best Coup\u00e9 motor yachts on the market now<\/h2>\r\n

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Nimbus 335 Coup\u00e9<\/h2>\r\nBuilt: 2014 <\/em>\r\nPrice: \u00a3172,500<\/em>\r\n\r\nIf you want practical all-weather thinking then you need to head to the Nordic regions. Finland, for example, has the highest number of boats per capita, while Sweden boasts the greatest number of islands at a staggering 267,570. Add short summers and challenging seas and it\u2019s clear that the focus is on extending the boating season by building all-weather coup\u00e9s with extremely capable seakeeping.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137693\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The main living spaces are all on one level for safe and sociable family cruising[\/caption]\r\n

Interior<\/h2>\r\nSwedish-based Nimbus takes advantage of the coup\u00e9 layout to put both the saloon and galley on the main deck. Surrounded by big windows for great views and plenty of natural light, it makes for a very sociable living area. The big dinette to port features a front section that flips over to create additional forward-facing seating next to the helm. That leaves space on the lower deck for a double cabin amidships and a vee-berthed forward cabin, plus heads.\r\n

Exterior<\/h2>\r\nThe coup\u00e9 format works well precisely because of its ability to shut out the weather when needed, but also the ability to bring the outside in when desired. So there are opening glass sunroofs in the deckhead but also a large sliding side door next to the helm, something that even the Princess V55 doesn\u2019t have. As well as creating the feeling of a more open boat, it also gives direct access to the wider starboard side deck for easier berthing, especially when cruising single-handed. The port deck is narrower in order to create more space in the saloon.\r\n

Performance<\/h2>\r\nUse of a vee drive allows the engine to live beneath the cockpit floor rather than the saloon\u2019s. This makes for quieter running as well as freeing up the space for the double guest cabin. The single D4-260 offers sufficient grunt for a circa 25-knot top end and a steady cruising pace of 20 knots.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137694\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The forward cabin has a vee berth that makes up to a comfortable double[\/caption]\r\n

Seakeeping<\/h2>\r\nWe\u2019ve discussed practicality, but the other area in which Scandinavian boats often score highly is seakeeping. Taking full advantage of that short summer means going out almost regardless of sea conditions.\r\n

Nimbus 335 Coup\u00e9 specifications<\/h2>\r\nLength:<\/strong> 33ft 10in (10.4m)\r\nBeam:<\/strong> 10ft 6in (3.1m)\r\nDraft:<\/strong> 3ft 4in (1.1m)\r\nDisplacement:<\/strong> 5.3 tonnes\r\nFuel capacity:<\/strong> 480 litres\r\nEngine:<\/strong> Volvo Penta D4-260 diesel engine\r\nFor Sale:<\/strong> Michael Schmidt & Partner<\/a>\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n

Princess V55<\/h2>\r\nBuilt: 2021 <\/em>\r\nPrice: \u00a31,399,000<\/em>\r\n\r\nThe very first Princess V models were the Princess V52 and V39, launched together back in 1993, the former morphing into the first V55 four years later. These were open cockpit boats, but the range grew and evolved through the following 30 years until there\u2019s not a single open V boat left. The smallest V40 is now a hard top only and everything above the V50 is now coup\u00e9 only, including this V55 which launched in 2019.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137696\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Drop-down doors completely disappear when open to link the inside and outside spaces[\/caption]\r\n

Interior<\/h2>\r\nThe layout is dramatically different. Where the original had all of the accommodation on the lower deck, the coup\u00e9 nature of the current model moves the saloon and galley upstairs, creating space for a massive full beam mid cabin for the owner and a generous VIP cabin forward. This has scissor berths so you can set it up as a pair of single beds or a double. There is also a third twin bunk cabin.\r\n

Exterior<\/h2>\r\nOf course the inevitable result is a smaller outdoor space, the idea being that you fling those doors open, slide back the sunroof and use the cockpit and saloon as a single combined living area. In fact, there\u2019s still plenty of outside space, from the L-shaped dinette in the cockpit to the sunpad over the tender garage, and a clever foredeck arrangement that provides yet more seating and sunbathing up front. Big hull windows and sweeping curves ensure it looks good too.\r\n

Performance<\/h2>\r\nIt\u2019s interesting to see how this model has grown. Over a foot wider than the original, as well as being taller, longer and heavier, which is why it has so much more space, but also why the original boat achieved close to 40 knots from a pair of 800hp MAN diesels whereas this version winds out to about 35 knots from its twin 1,000hp Volvo Penta D13 diesels.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137697\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Full beam owner\u2019s cabin ensures it\u2019s as comfortable to stay on as it is to helm[\/caption]\r\n

Seakeeping<\/h2>\r\nPrincess has always had a good reputation for seakeeping and that hasn\u2019t changed despite all the extra volume. In testing conditions off Plymouth we described it as \u2018as good to drive as it is to look at\u2019.\r\n

Princess V55 specifications<\/h2>\r\nLength:<\/strong> 58ft 5in (17.8m)\r\nBeam:<\/strong> 15ft 3in (4.7m)\r\nDraft:<\/strong> 4ft 9in (1.4m)\r\nDisplacement:<\/strong> 29 tonnes\r\nFuel capacity:<\/strong> 2,500 litres\r\nEngines:<\/strong> Twin Volvo Penta D13-1000 1,000hp diesel engines\r\nFor Sale:<\/strong> Princess Motor Yacht Sales<\/a>\r\n

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Sunseeker Predator 52<\/h2>\r\nBuilt: 2009 <\/em>\r\nPrice: \u00a3419,950<\/em>\r\n\r\nLaunched at the Southampton Boat Show in 2007, the Predator 52 was the smallest of the Predator range at the time (fun fact, in over a decade of Find Me A\u2026, this is the first Sunseeker Predator ever featured!). Sunseeker used the Manhattan 52 hull and much of its interior, but you\u2019d never know because this is a very different and far sportier-looking vessel.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137699\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The main deck is split into two distinct areas separated by a couple of steps up[\/caption]\r\n

Interior<\/h2>\r\nThat Manhattan hull equals generous internal volume, which is why the lower deck has a full-beam ensuite mid cabin for the owner (still comparatively rare on a boat of this style at the time) as well as a VIP guest cabin forward with a centreline double plus a twin bunk cabin that shares the day heads.\r\n\r\nThis boat does predate the galley-up layout so that\u2019s down here too, which means that the deck saloon, split across two levels, is all about comfortable lounging and eating on the lower section, leaving the raised forward section for helming duties with a few friends on the seats opposite. Matt walnut replaces the high gloss cherry of earlier Sunseekers, and still looks classy and well finished today.\r\n

Exterior<\/h2>\r\nA massive sliding roof across the raised forward section of the main deck opens the helm to the elements in clement conditions, or seals it off when the weather turns at the touch of the proverbial. Back aft, the huge sunpad hid either a tender garage or a small crew cabin for one person, depending on the choice of the first owner. This boat has the crew cabin option, the tender living instead on the high\/low platform.\r\n

Performance<\/h2>\r\nAlthough IPS was later offered using a pair of Volvo Penta\u2019s D12 775hp engines, the Predator 52 was launched with a pair of MAN 800hp diesels on shafts. Both options offered a top speed just short of 30 knots and a mid 20-knot cruise.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137700\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" A full beam mid-cabin was still a rarity on this size of coup\u00e9 back in 2009[\/caption]\r\n

Seakeeping<\/h2>\r\nIt\u2019s 25 tonnes and almost 60ft (LOA) of British beef so safe to say that offshore seakeeping should be suitably robust. This boat has been fitted with bow and stern thrusters plus a Raymarine camera system linked to two Axiom multi-function displays to help docking manoeuvres as well so you shouldn\u2019t have any trouble berthing it.\r\n

Sunseeker Predator 52 specifications<\/h2>\r\nLength:<\/strong> 55ft 10in (17m)\r\nBeam:<\/strong> 15ft 2in (4.6m)\r\nDraft:<\/strong> 4ft 2in (1.3m)\r\nDisplacement:<\/strong> 25 tonnes\r\nFuel capacity:<\/strong> 2,140 litres\r\nEngines:<\/strong> Twin MAN 800hp diesel engines\r\nFor Sale:<\/strong> boats.co.uk<\/a>\r\n

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Bavaria R40<\/h2>\r\nBuilt: 2023 <\/em>\r\nPrice: \u00a3360,000 ex VAT<\/em>\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s testimony to the amount of difference between a hardtop sportscruiser and a coup\u00e9 that Bavaria offers both at an almost identical size: the SR41 HT and this boat, the R40. But where the upper deck is all cockpit in the SR, the deck saloon layout of the R40 is very different. Indeed Bavaria even offers a flybridge version of this model.\r\n
<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137690\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Clean lines and contemporary colour scheme mark this out as a more modern offering[\/caption]\r\n

Interior<\/h2>\r\nBavaria has stretched the driving position of this boat right across the forward end of the saloon, placing two seats at the helm and a further one to port, making this a fabulous place for crew to gather when under way. The view is great; there\u2019s an opening sunroof overhead and a sliding side door next to the helm. The galley runs down the port side of the saloon opposite an L-shaped dinette, but it\u2019s the lower deck that is particularly impressive. Head downstairs and there\u2019s a cabin ahead and aft of you, both with centreline double beds and both ensuite (the forward one being slightly smaller, with its ensuite doubling as the day heads).\r\n

Exterior<\/h2>\r\nA nicely proportioned vessel, the coup\u00e9 arguably looks better than the flybridge variant. And it gains that sliding roof, which would be impossible with an upper deck. The cockpit is a good size, and there was the option of a barbecue unit hovering over the bathing platform. This boat doesn\u2019t have it, but it does have the very useful hydraulic bathing platform for tender storage.\r\n

Performance<\/h2>\r\nBavaria offered this boat with a pair of Volvo Penta\u2019s D6 330 and D6 370 engines when it launched in 2016. That larger engine option was later uprated to 380hp, which is what this boat has. This should push the top speed towards the mid 30 knots, ensuring relaxed, fuel efficient cruising in the mid 20s.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_137691\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Not many 40ft coup\u00e9s can offer a full beam mid cabin as stylish and spacious as this one[\/caption]\r\n

Seakeeping<\/h2>\r\nIn testing conditions in the Solent, our man at the helm reported, \u2018The hull rose to the challenge with gusto and took it all (which was a lot) in its stride\u2019. The dry ride also got a mention, with not a drop of spray hitting the windscreen, despite the lumpy conditions.\r\n

Bavaria R40 specifications<\/h2>\r\nLength:<\/strong> 41ft 11in (12.8m)\r\nBeam:<\/strong> 13ft 1in (4m)\r\nDraft:<\/strong> 3ft 7in (1.1m)\r\nDisplacement:<\/strong> 9.3 tonnes\r\nFuel capacity:<\/strong> 900 litres\r\nEngines:<\/strong> Twin Volvo Penta D6-380 380hp diesel engines\r\nFor Sale:<\/strong> Clipper Marine<\/a>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n

\"\"If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/h2>\r\n
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","excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s the difference between a hard top sportscruiser, and a coup\u00e9? No, it\u2019s not a tired Vegas comedian\u2019s joke (I\u2019m here all week, try the fish, etc) but a genuine question \u2013 after all, they look much the same from the outside. In a word, it\u2019s doors. Whilst the hard top sportscruiser is like an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":137719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[1593,344],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":[""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137687"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137701,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137687\/revisions\/137701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137687"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=137687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}