Princess V48 owner, Elliott Maurice, invests in the ultimate everyday runabout
Emigrating to Florida nearly six years ago saw some big changes in my boat life. I E took my current boat, a 2006 Princess V48, with me and ran it out of Miami for nearly five years, enjoying a wonderful trip of nearly 2,500 miles, up through New York and into Lake Erie. But the Covid lockdown also saw some big changes in my lifestyle. I sold my main home at a Florida country club and bought a threestorey town house on a canal, just 15 minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway. I also sold my one-bedroom marina apartment on Lake Erie and bought a big house right on the lake. The idea behind all of this was to split the year in two. I wanted to enjoy perfect winter boating in Florida before heading north for equally perfect summer boating on the Great Lakes, with vast cruising grounds, multiple islands and plenty of waterfront cities like Chicago and Detroit.
A BOAT FOR THE SOUTH
Once my Princess was safely installed alongside my wife’s 1999 Donzi 22 up north, awaiting their summer of fun, I needed a boat for Florida. My wife suggested a military-style RIB or an adventure boat like the XO DFNDR – but I had other ideas. As the boat was going to sit in warm saltwater behind the house, outboard power was a must. Access to our end of the canal is via a low bridge, and a big spring tide only provides about six feet of clearance for hours at a time, so air draft also had to be considered. Really good shade significantly increases a boat’s usability in Florida and a decent heads was definitely on the wish list.
In terms of size, we needed it to be under 25 feet for easy docking at busy waterside restaurants but we still wanted enough space to take six people out in comfort. Our choice quickly moved toward a centre console with walkaround decks, a decent helm and raised bulwarks so we could take our little dog along without any safety concerns.
But having whittled down my choices, it seemed that almost every sub-25ft centre console boat was optimised for fishing. They all seemed to have forward seating areas with big aft decks, fold-down bench seats, live bait wells and rod holders. But I don’t like running at speed with people on the bow and I had no intention of fishing off this boat. So when I passed the Axopar stand at the Miami Boat Show and caught sight of a bright blue 22 T Top JOBE addition, I was immediately impressed. With its aft U-shaped bench layout and huge canvas T-Top, it appeared to tick every box.
A quick chat with the dealer revealed a sixmonth lead time but that was no issue for me, as I was heading north for the summer anyway. So with a sea trial booked and a provisional deal worked out, I went home and mentioned my choice to my wife. Her only comment was slightly cutting: “Kind of expensive for a runabout,
