on 25 Jan 2023
Prestige Yachts continues its foray into luxury motor catamarans with the new flagship of the M-line, the 26m M8
Prestige Yachts, the luxury motor yacht brand of the Beneteau Group, used the occasion of Boot Dusseldorf to announce the new M8, which will be the 85-foot flagship of the brand’s new M-line of luxury multihulls. The announcement follows the launch of the M48, the first yacht in Prestige’s catamaran line, at the 2022 Cannes Yachting Festival.
The new M8 is to be built at the Beneteau Group’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, which specialises in large yacht construction. It will debut at the 2023 Cannes show.
Garroni Design, which has designed Prestige yachts for the past 30 years, handled the design for the M8 to ensure a stylistic continuity with the rest of the Prestige range.
Prestige Yachts says that its catamarans are designed from the beginning as motor yachts. They have developed their catamarans with a narrower beam and a taller height than designs that start from a sailing design.
“The new M8 represents a concentration of innovation,” said Camillo Garroni, designer of the M8. “Here, there is no reference to the world of sailing catamarans, as so often is the case. Proportions are typical of a powerful, contemporary motor yacht. The M8 is a true villa on the sea.” The M8 has 270sqm living space, with spacious suites occupying the full beam of the yacht.
The hulls were designed by Marc Lombard and the vessels is equipped with twin Volvo D8 600hp engines. “The power catamaran will be certified in category A; the hulls are designed for passing smoothly through the waves at any speed, for up to 20 knots. The multihull configuration offers great stability at anchor and while under way,” said Rosalie Le Galle, product manager at Prestige Yachts.
Prestige Yachts estimates that their new M8 will consume about half as much fuel as a monohull luxury yacht with the same volume of living space. At 8kts, fuel consumption is estimated at 20 litres per hour, while a range of speeds, from 8 to 18kts, are at the throttle for the captain. The M8 can operate at night and for several hours during the day on batteries only. An optional Silent Boat Pack includes the installation of solar panels and a large Lithium battery bank.
A key element in the design is the beach club. A 4.2m wide platform can be lowered from the aft cockpit down underwater. It can be used to deploy a tender or create a beach club area. There is also a large storage locker for water toys and equipment.
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