As the name suggests, Prestige stands for boats that aspire to be something special - and has been doing so successfully for over 20 years. The company operates worldwide as an independent brand, but is part of Jeanneau, which in turn belongs to the Beneteau Group, a leading international motor and sailing boat manufacturer.
Our test boat 680 Fly, of which a sporty flybridge version 680 S is also available, belongs to the Yacht division, one of the three currently existing model series; there is also the Flybridge and the Coupé line.
Prestige dispenses with spectacular accents on the outside and - in keeping with the times - is timeless and solid. Instead, the designers have concentrated on the interior and created a cosy and harmonious atmosphere with intelligently implemented ideas and high-quality materials.
You wouldn't have guessed it from the outside. The bow cabin, for example, which is usually reserved for VIP guests on competitor yachts, is reserved exclusively for the owner. Prestige skilfully arranges this cabin in the foredeck; thanks to the ample space and plenty of natural light, it outstrips the owner's cabins that are usually located in the midships.
A spacious bathroom with WC and shower, walk-in wardrobe, sofa and dressing table are state of the art. In addition, the owner's cabin has its own access from the saloon and is therefore completely separate from the other three guest cabins below the saloon, which are also separately accessible. Two of these lower deck cabins are equipped with en-suite bathrooms, while one serves as a day bathroom.
The saloon and cockpit are on one level and are separated by a large, sliding glass front.
When this is open, you have an almost unobstructed view through the entire boat into the distance. It's nice to sit at the galley bar at the entrance to the ship and let your thoughts wander, or head to the flybridge to relax. In other words: well-being on all levels.
Until now, boats of this size could only be equipped with shaft drives, which sometimes made handling more difficult for self-propelled boats. This is because with this drive system, it is only possible to manoeuvre in almost any direction at slow speed to a limited extent with the help of bow and stern thrusters and gearboxes engaged in opposite directions.
However, since Volvo Penta has now launched a more powerful IPS version on the market, it is now also possible to equip large and high-torque diesel engines with pod drives.
And with these, any motorboat can be manoeuvred and driven in any direction at slow speed using a joystick. This means that even a boat like the Prestige 680 can be manoeuvred anywhere by non-professional skippers - additional personnel are almost superfluous.
If you still don't want to do without it, you still have the option of hiring a skipper and assistant and can accommodate both in the crew cabin at the stern. Otherwise, this is available either for additional guests or just as a large storage space.
A bulkhead door leads from the cabin directly into the accessible engine compartment. If necessary, you can still get in from above through a cockpit floor hatch using a ladder. All of the technology inside is easily accessible for daily checks or servicing.
There is almost nothing to criticise about the technical and electrical installations. The only point of criticism: the two fuel pre-filters make no sense without water alarm sensors, but the shipyard has assured us that they will be fitted with them in the future.
Due to the system, speeding is not on the programme for boats with IPS drives. There is nothing extreme to report in any of the manoeuvres performed in fast planing mode. Turns in particular are wide; if you want to go round in a tighter radius, you simply have to ease off the throttle.
Our test boat is no different. That's why sailing the Prestige 680 is unspectacular, but remarkable in detail. Boats of this size are usually referred to as semi-planing rather than planing boats, and cruising speed is usually in the region of around 85% of maximum power. Prestige also mentions 25 kn as cruising speed.
During the test drive, we realised that the Prestige 680's handling is more like a glider and that there is a real displacement and planing range. The transition on the test boat is at 1400 rpm or a speed of just over 10 knots.
Only 200 rpm above this, at 16 knots, there is a minimum consumption; here the theoretical range with one tank of fuel is just over 350 nm plus 15% reserve. This means that the test boat falls just short of our minimum range requirement of 380 nm at fast planing speed.
At the 25 kn specified by the shipyard, you would have to look for a bunker station after 300 nm if the reserve is to be maintained - at maximum speed (30 kn) even after 270 nm.
If you have to make distance, you should therefore sail at 6 knots as a displacer, which gives you about 1730 nm plus reserve. We can't give any information on rough water behaviour: On the Markermeer in the Netherlands, there were no waves other than those caused by the boat - but when we sailed over them, the hull showed us that it could do more.
They can be used to display pretty much everything you want and need to know about the processes in and on the boat and the two engines. Both helm stations are clearly structured and their operation is not a mystery. The skipper and co. sit on double benches above and below and are always in control.
Conclusion
As soon as you step aboard the Prestige 680, you start to feel at home. Perfect space everywhere, high-quality materials and a high standard of workmanship guarantee the boat a top position - especially because you could still drive it yourself with the family.
