Prestige M8 - Powercat or yacht? Why, both Captain!

Following on from the successful launch of its M48 last year, Prestige Yachts is building on the powercat concept with its new M8. In this larger size (we’re talking 65 feet here) the French brand is offering high-end features with the undisguised aim of taking on the superyacht world. We were invited to Monfalcone, Italy, where the manufacturing headquarters are based: an opportunity to discover an ultra-modern shipyard and, above all, the new flagship powercat of the M range.

The surprise that the M range caused by the sudden appearance of a major monohull motorboat specialist onto the powercat market is now old news. The manufacturer is moving forward and intends to get down to “serious” business with the launch of a new flagship yacht in its new range. M is for multihull, and 8 is for “80-foot monohull equivalent”. A terminology already found in some of the other Bénéteau Group products and, above all, now used in Fountaine Pajot’s MY range.
As soon as I saw this multiyacht tied alongside on the dock, there was no doubt: we were talking very top-of-the-range positioning. The high freeboard of the hulls and the streamlined coachroof combine to create a powerful, imposing yet elegant look, typical of exceptional boats. We were welcomed aboard by Erwin Bamps, the brand’s vice-president. For once, he remains quiet - I’ve known him to be really very talkative... But here, he’s content to observe our expressions, which are struggling not to express a childlike wonder. In short, Erwin was savoring our bemused looks and Wow-type expressions as we discovered his prestig...