2026 Princecraft Vogue 27 RL

Boat Reviews

Boat Review by: Rick Layzell

This is it. The flagship model in the flagship series. The Vogue 27 RL. Tested under embargo as Princecraft finalized its global launch. Over 100 years of manufacturing. Millions of dreams made for families across North America. And here I am, standing dockside about to test the biggest and baddest of them all. Did I mention the new Mercury 425 V10 Verado on her transom? Somebody pinch me because this seems impossible.

Forget every preconceived notion you have about pontoon boats, this one is going to shatter them all. Clear your mind to accept and embrace the wildest visions of the coolest engineers. Get ready to be blown away by the sweetness of the ride and the exhilarating performance.

She sat dockside with her ABS (thermoplastic) side panels curving and flowing like the ripples of the water. Her dress was metallic black. Yes, there are several colour options, but seriously this was wicked beautiful. The black panels led my eyes upwards to the optional (but must have) manual wakeboard tower. You can decide between manual or electric tower – the choice is yours. Is it also dressed in black? Heck yes it is.

My eyes moved to her interior, our blessings continued with the Platinum Edition upgrade – premium Black and Cognac cool touch, multi-texture vinyl matched with Infinity Brown Sea Grass flooring.

I moved next to my seat, the captain’s seat, raised to a perfect height to see everything around me. The raised fiberglass helm station includes a massive 15” Simrad (thanks to the addition of the Premium High Power system package). We also got the Hertz Capri sound system with 6 high power speakers, 10” subwoofer, and stern remote control. My seat was ultra plush, moved with ease to engage in conversation fore or aft. I drifted away for a moment, hoping I would never have to leave.

I looked to the port side, and to the bow, and my eyes immediately appreciated the added view from the built-in windows within the doors. Yes, you read that correctly, there are windows in the bow and port side doors. I imagine my best friend Reggie (he has four legs) loving those windows, and I am sure that I will appreciate both when it comes to docking this nearly 28’ watercraft. Reggie even gets another treat – underneath the midship lounger resides a pull-out drawer with a built-in water dish and food dish. Reggie will be a happy guy.

I smiled thinking of my Mom (RIP Mom) who could be the most finnicky and cantankerous old gal when she wanted to be. Even though her couches had plastic covers on them, Mom would have loved the Vogue interior. With multi-level foams under the luxurious vinyls, high backrests, forward and rear facing backrests, massive rear lounger, beverage holders everywhere, she would have sat there smiling.

Princecraft has integrated storage and living solutions everywhere in this boat. With a pull-out hidden trash receptacle, storage drawer under the helm seat that can be upgraded into a fridge unit, a pop up snack table near the port side door, and massive in-floor storage, there is a spot for everything. The forward dinette/snack table has a unique hinge system that folds down both sides of the table, leaving just the four beverage holders and a small snack space open – this makes moving around the boat even easier, and another Mom approved feature.

Our filming team gave me the nod to take the Vogue off the docks while they prepared the drone to capture footage. Like an 8-year-old with a massive grin and a chest beaming with pride, I gently eased away from the docks. I knew the crew needed 10 minutes to prep, meaning I had 10 minutes to play. Once clear of the No Wake Zone and with the Mercury 425 purring softly, I eased her up onto plane for the first time – my guess is that I nudged less than 1/10th of throttle. It took practically no effort. This was going to be a ride to remember. I next guided her 27’11” length and 8’ 6” beam through a few slow and relaxing turns, then pulled back on the throttle to let her rest – I needed to catch my own breath. With no traffic near me, I tucked the trim all the way in and slammed the throttle down as hard as I could. I wanted the full experience of my first hole shot in the boat. I might need a moment here. Once complete, I came off speed, settled her down again, and then slammed the throttle another time, and then another. It seems impossible that a boat of this stature, with a dry weight of 3,700 lbs (1,678 KG), could do this, but the number don’t lie. 3.68 second hole shots were the average. Eventually, the drone dudes started calling on the radio telling me they were ready and waiting.

During this phase, I moved the boat through long ‘figure 8’ arcs, giving them multiple camera angles to shoot from. At the same time, I was beginning to get a feel for her cruising speed characteristics. Quickly realizing that she would stay on plane under 20 MPH, I settled in at a comfortable cruise speed of 24 MPH at 3,700 RPM. Later on, I would discover that she also cruises along briskly at 30.5 MPH at 4,290 RPM – there is lots of range to work with.

The final testing criteria – it’s my job, somebody has to do it – is determining top speed. This is done safely, of course, over multiple trials facing into the wind and with the wind at our backs. This test was conducted on a cool Quebec afternoon in late September with practically zero wind factor. Away we went. The first pass took us to 50 MPH with ease. The second pass said she would deliver more which we found at 51 MPH. And finally (might have been the fifth pass), she yielded 52.4 MPH with the 425 purring like she knew there was even more at 6,500 RPM.

If you are in the market for a luxury pontoon filled with family friendly amenities and the power to make the biggest skeptic proud (even Reggie & Mom), the Vogue needs to be on your list. I have had the pleasure of running many pontoon boats, but this one stands out as one of the very finest.

2026 Princecraft Vogue 27 RL

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