Captain's Report

Overview

It's easy to look at a boat like the Prestige 630 and talk about ease-of-use, lasting beauty, timeless charm, etc. The simple fact is that Prestige has made a name for itself and separated itself from the rest of the pack by providing more value for the dollar. Prestige yachts are, plain and simply, less expensive than others in class. The reason for this is that Prestige uses quality materials only where necessary.

That statement needs a little clarification. While some yachts use high-gloss teak trim, teak and holly decks, or marble counters, such frills will not be found on a Prestige. The owner of a Prestige is not looking for these kinds of puffery but instead focuses on quality of build, handling and solid construction. So what we then see is that the decks are all carpeted or Amtico, the overheads are infused fiberglass or wood covered with material, and the counters are Corian.

Quality materials, to be sure, but a marked level down from the floating luxury condominiums that seem to be infused into the market. This is a boater’s boat, not a showpiece. It’s about getting more boat for the customer’s dollar, and Prestige delivers on that goal, all while ensuring that pride of ownership accompanies the purchase of a Prestige.

And there's one more way that Prestige is able to keep the price down where others cannot: the incredible buying power of the Beneteau Group. They are able to buy in such bulk that the price is kept low and distributed across boats throughout the entire range of the Beneteau line. The savings are then passed to the end user.

The 630 is also a relatively light boat which directly translates to its efficiency. It’s constructed with a vacuum infusion process curing at 2000°F, making a stronger, lighter hull with all excess resin sucked out in the vacuum process. The resin is drawn into a balsa core with 1" x 2" (2.54 cm x 5.08 cm) squares.

Features Inspection

Swim Platform

We boarded the Prestige 630 from the swim platform and we can also board from side doors to both port and starboard of the cockpit. This is a hydraulically actuated platform and as the model we saw had a tender mounted to it, it clearly illustrates how this is an ideal place for storing and launching a tender. With the tender removed, this one platform serves its purpose as an ideal place for entering the water, and, when lowered, forms a private beach. Also, while in the lowered position, stairs, which are flush with the deck when in the “up” position, become exposed on the starboard side that lead directly to the aft deck stairs.

Flying Bridge

The flying bridge is accessed from stairs to the port side of the cockpit deck. Storage is underneath the stairs. At the top is a small recessed step that we’d like to see made to the same level as the rest of the flying bridge deck.

At the stern there is an L-shaped sofa wrapping around a solid wood table. This is the largest of the flying bridge gathering areas and also makes for a great place for alfresco dining. Stainless steel beverage holders are recessed into the center of the table. High rails around the stairs add a level of safety. Storage is underneath the seats.

Just ahead is an outdoor galley that includes plenty of counter space for food prep, a sink and an electric grill; a refrigerator and trash receptacle are below. When a cover to the sink is opened and laid flat, stainless steel beverage holders are exposed. We would also like to see this cover have an opening in the edge facing the sink. This would add to its utility and make it easy to clean.

To the port side is L-shaped seating with storage underneath for a life raft. Flipping the seatback of the helm bench seat forward completes the seating.

Fully forward, there is a sun pad just ahead of a doublewide bench seat. A smoked glass windscreen wraps around the front of the flying bridge, adding protection for these forward seats as well as safety with its stainless steel frame. Beverage holders are to the right side of the bench seat. This bench seat, combined with the doublewide helm seat, allows several people to accompany the captain while driving and, indeed, enjoy the same view. The bench seatback flips down to further enlarge the sun pad area just ahead.

Aft Deck

We access the aft deck from stairs to both port and starboard from the swim platform. Like the flybridge, the decking is all teak. As it is so close to the boarding platform, this area also serves as a welcome station and the first gathering area guests will be exposed to on the Prestige 630.

There is a bench seat across the aft section of the deck and a solid wood table rests on pedestals just ahead. Stainless steel beverage holders and grab rails are to both sides of the table; they are covered when the table is expanded. Fully forward there is open counter space with storage and an icemaker below.

The entire aft deck is protected from the extended flying bridge deck above. Additional protection can be had by electrically lowering a 4’8” x 8’ (1.42 m x 2.44 m) windscreen between the two support stanchions behind the aft bench seat.

Bow

The side decks are accessed from stairs to both port and starboard; Prestige makes excellent use of handrails that begin right at the steps. Additional handrails run along the cabin sides. Side decks measure 19” (48.3 cm) wide and side rails coming up to 23” (58.4 cm) add to the safety factor. Additional comfort comes from the fact that the cabin sides are recessed slightly at shoulder height and then come out as they move upwards. This small detail prevents us from being "pushed" outwards as we transition the side decks. As we said, it's a small detail, but one that serves a big purpose.

There is a wide sun pad located on top of the trunk cabin. It is a triple wide pad with the upper sections being in a fixed position; we’d recommend Prestige make them adjustable into chaise lounge position. A concealed cabana is at the head and deployed by simply unzipping the cover. This provides welcome shade, allowing guests to further enjoy the area.

Naturally, the cabana will interfere with visibility from the lower helm, but since it will only be used during times of beautiful weather, it is more likely that the boat will be operated from the flying bridge any time the cabana is being used.

Further forward is a four-across bench seat wrapping around the front of the sun pad. This has seatbacks that can either lay flat or ratchet up into five separate positions and create a forward seating area. This makes an excellent place to relax and enjoy the views, particularly at no wake speeds when winds will be at a minimum.

Interior

Galley

A sliding door allows us to access the interior of the 630, where we are met with the aft galley. We can also open up the aft glass window to allow a seamless blend of the interior with the exterior. This also makes it easier to serve food to the aft deck on the open counter space that separates the galley from this aft gathering area. Once inside, there's a feeling of openness with glass everywhere coupled with 7’ (2.13 m) high ceilings.

The galley is located immediately to port, and wraparound counter space aids in food prep. The forward counter conceals a covered single basin stainless steel sink, with a hatch over a trash receptacle right alongside. A three-burner cooktop is located further to the left hand side and a convection oven is below that. Further aft is a dishwasher. There's an upright refrigerator/freezer and plenty of storage both below and above the counters. Decking is low maintenance Amtico. Across to the opposite side is more counter space and a wine chiller.

Salon

Among the more notable features, and indeed a feature that is carried throughout the Prestige line, is the astounding visibility we experience from this main salon. The huge windows provide nearly 360 degrees of visibility, along with natural light, that help make it a more comfortable experience to be on board, especially for those who may be more accustomed to dry land.

The salon consists of opposing seating with a C-shaped sofa to the port side wrapping around a solid wood coffee table with leather inlay mounted to a hi/lo pedestal on an electric lift. The table slides in and out on its pedestal to make it easier to get in and out of the sofa. It also has flip-out leaves that allow it to convert into a dining table. Opposite is a loveseat to starboard with storage drawers underneath. Behind is a 40” (102 cm) flat screen TV on an electric lift.

Lower Decks

Master

The master stateroom has a private entrance at the starboard side of the salon. This is a feature that has been taken away from the smaller yachts of the lineup, but has made a welcome return in the 630. This keeps guests from walking past the owner stateroom in the middle of the night to get to their staterooms, and it keeps the late night trips to the head private.

The master stateroom is full beam with a ceiling height of 6'6" (1.98 m). The berth is mounted on the centerline and measures 6'6" (1.98 m) by 5'4" (1.63 m). Outside windows are to both port and starboard, and the port hand side has a freestanding loveseat providing a place to relax as well as enjoy the views out the window. Forward is a 60” (152.4 cm) flat screen TV with storage beneath. A desk with vanity storage and mirror is to the starboard side. The stateroom is beautifully decorated with ultra suede overhead trimmed with mahogany integrated with LED lighting. The decks are all carpeted.

Head

A frosted glass pocket door to the starboard side allows access to the master head. Immediately upon entering, mirrored doors to the left reveal closet space. Directly ahead is a Corian counter with integrated sink. To starboard is a separate water closet and walk-in shower.

Guest Staterooms

The guest rooms are located forward and are accessed by a centerline companionway directly adjacent to the helm. The VIP is located forward and consists of an island berth with access to both sides. Long skylights are located overhead and there are two as they flank the sun pad up above. There are the usual accommodations for hanging lockers and storage. A desk/vanity is located to the port hand side just abaft of the hullside window with an opening port light. There's private access to the head just behind.

The head has a separate entrance to the hallway, and this entrance is also directly across from the guest stateroom to port. This stateroom features side-by-side berths that are manually slid together to form a single berth.

Operational Features

Flying Bridge Helm

The flying bridge helm consists of a fiberglass console mounted to the port hand side of the flying bridge. It features a pair of 16” (40.6 cm) displays as part of the Volvo Penta glass dash. The steering wheel is mounted to the left, allowing room for an observer to join the captain at the helm. The IPS joystick and bow thruster control are appropriately located to the left side of the station, allowing full control while maintaining a full view of the entire port side. The engine control is located to starboard, with the trim tab controls directly alongside. The steering wheel is mounted to a tilt base and a stainless steel grab rail is along the starboard side of the console ahead of the observer’s position.

Lower Helm

The lower helm station is a bit better laid out than the flying bridge station. Here we have a leather-wrapped console to the starboard side. Three 16” (40.6 cm) displays take full advantage of the Volvo Penta glass dash technology. Just below, a leather panel houses a pair of stainless steel beverage holders, the chain counter, the SeaKeeper gyro panel and the autopilot control in the Volvo Penta EVC control. All the way to the right is the remote control for the three main displays, and, as always, we would like to see that moved well back so that it can be utilized better from the seated position, as a remote control should.

A subpanel to the right side of the helm houses the engine control binnacle, the trim tabs, and the joysticks for the bow thruster and IPS system. Opening side windows and the one to the starboard side allows us full view of the starboard side of the boat while still being able to rest on our elbows with one hand controlling both the bow thruster and IPS joystick, making docking not only comfortable, but convenient.

Just below, there are rocker switches for the main panel and battery parallel that we found to be right in the knee-strike zone. A better solution would be to move them up just ahead of the engine control binnacle.

Cockpit Station

There is another control station in the cockpit with both an IPS joystick and a bow thruster joystick. That makes a total of three stations from which to choose from when coming into the dock. Simply pick the one that provides the best visibility for the type of docking situation that is about to be faced.

What we really like about the placement of controls on Prestige yachts is that we can put our hand on the IPS joystick and the bow thruster joystick at the same time. This allows us to use one hand for controlling both joysticks, and our experience has shown that this is an ideal scenario that many builders just don't seem to grasp.

Engine Room

We enter the engine room from either a hatch in the aft deck or through a door from the crew space. Inside, there’s plenty of standing headroom with 6’3” (1.91 m) ceiling height. The focal point, of course, being the IPS 950 engines’ driving pods that are connected by jackshafts, so the propulsion is well aft of the engineering space.

At the forward bulkhead are twin fuel tanks flanking a 21.5 kW Onan generator atop a SeaKeeper gyro. With separate fuel tanks, we have the redundancy of both engines being driven by independent fuel and electrical systems, so one engine failing does not necessarily equate to the second one going down with it. However, if desired, there is a large crossover at the bottom of the tanks to interconnect the two.

Crew Quarters

The crew quarters are accessed from a door at the transom and set up for two people with side-by-side berths. Transom windows provide natural light, and shades can be pulled down for privacy. Headroom is 6'3" (1.91 m). Certainly, in an owner-operator scenario, this stateroom can be used as guest quarters, as it is both easily accessible and comfortable to be in.

A separate head is located to the port side. Inside is a modest head compartment, small but functional. It's a wet head that includes a pullout sprayer but no hangar, so we shower while holding onto the sprayer. The sink is molded into the fiberglass counter, and an opening port light provides ventilation.

Bow

At the working end of the bow is a vertically-mounted anchor windlass that leads out to a stainless steel anchor roller. A safety lead is attached to the chain to prevent accidental deployments. There is an all-chain rode, and the windlass has an integrated brake to take the load off when the anchor is deployed. However, this owner also added a cleat to the aft side of the windlass to secure a snubber line that eliminates the jarring effect of the chain being pulled taut every time the boat encounters a wake while at anchor.

Back in the cockpit, there are heavy-duty bollards that are mounted up high for ease-of-use. Beefy stainless steel rollers are mounted to the top of the cap rails. Just ahead is line storage framed in stainless steel. Warping winches are offered as an optional feature.

Test

The Prestige 630 has an LOA of 62’4” (19.02 m), a beam of 16’10” (5.15 m) and a draft of 4’11" (1.5 m). With an empty weight of 52,470 lbs. (23,800 kg), half fuel and six people onboard, we had an estimated test weight of 56,613 lbs. (25,679 kg).

With a pair of 725-hp Volvo Penta IPS 950s spooled up to 2600 rpm, we reached our top speed of 28.5 knots. Best cruise was measured to be at 2250 rpm and 22.6 knots. That speed produced a fuel burn of 56 gph (212 lph), 0.4 nmpg (0.11 nmpl) and a range of 259.1 nm. All while still holding back a 10% reserve of the boat’s 713-gallon (2,699 L) total fuel capacity. Planing speed was reached at 20 mph and 8.1 seconds.

Handling

With the pods moved back into the crew quarters, the weight and balance of the boat is such that there's very little bow rise upon advancing the throttles -- roughly 5 degrees. She’s got a slightly narrower beam than other boats in class, which gives her a combination of speed and performance that the others may be lacking in.

We had only light, choppy conditions during our test day, so we can't really comment on how well she handles offshore, but we did notice a characteristic that seems to be prevalent across the Prestige line, and that is how quiet she is and how comfortable it is to be on board. This is something we noticed when we first started testing for Prestige years ago, and we’re happy to see that this observation remains intact. These are among the most comfortable boats to be on when underway.

Crossing wakes did show a smooth transition through waves, as she has a roughly 27.5-degree deadrise at the bow that flattens to 17 degrees at the stern, so that sharp entry allows you to carve through the waves rather than oppose them.

Docking

When it came time to return to the dock, the joystick functionality made for an easy experience as the IPS system is so well dialed into the boat. With opening side windows, it was easy to lean out while still keeping one hand on the joystick to bring the 630 up against the dock while maintaining a full view of the starboard side. In this manner, we were able to lay her up with exacting precision, even with current and crosswind working against us. Clearly, this is a boat meant to be driven by an owner-operator; moving up from a smaller boat should be no concern whatsoever.

Observations

Prestige yachts have a very good return on their investment in that they hold their value so well. A quick look at the national classifieds shows only a small handful of this model’s predecessors are currently on the market. Prestige is also working on managing a wait list for this existing model. That bodes well for the Prestige brand and speaks volumes towards the boat itself.

But if we were hard pressed to sum up the Prestige 630 into just a few bullet points, they’d be:

• • Ease of operation


• • Ideal for owner-operator


• • Private entrance for master stateroom


• • Quality where it needs to be

Standard and Optional Features