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He 15m Nagle, owned by Brian and Jackie Plowman, is the first of this European luxury marque to land here. She’s named in memory of the farm property they used to own at Nagle Cove, Great Barrier Island. As one of the Beneteau’s prestigious brands, Monte

appliances. You definitely want to take your shoes off when you come inside.

The modern European styling gives the MC5 high topsides, round portholes and swooshy ‘eyebrow’ along the cabin-top. The bow is also distinctive, with a distinct curved line feathering the forward chine into the stem, well above water level when the boat is at rest.

Despite its Euro origins and aesthetic, New Zealand’s Beneteau agent Conrad Gair of 36 Degrees Brokers says the hull shape is well-suited to New Zealand conditions.

“The typical Northern Hemisphere hull shape has a very full bow profile. The Monte Carlo is much finer in the bow and flatter aft, a bit more like a locally-designed semi-displacement hull. This also provides a much flatter ride and excellent fuel economy, staying much more level when it comes up onto the plane, rather than rising up over its own bow wave.”

The hull shape’s also designed to maximise performance using Volvo’s IPS pod-drive system, with its forward-facing,

property was sold they weren’t quite ready to become full landlubbers.

They initially bought a New Zealand-built sedan-style launch but decided it wasn’t right for them, so sold it and started looking around for what they really wanted. “We’re a bit older now and we just wanted something comfortable,” says Brian. “I’m 77, but I’m not ready to give up just when we finally have the time to enjoy a boat.”

They wanted something around 15m LOA – “just the right size for the two of us – big enough to do what we want to do, but not so big you can get lost, and not so small that you are constantly falling over each other,” says Brian. They didn’t want a flybridge, but did want three cabins and two heads, and plenty of storage.

Their search eventually led to 36 Degrees Brokers and the Monte Carlo 5S. “We liked all the storage – it’s easy access – and the IPS system was a key part of the decision. Easier for docking and for efficiency. Also, IPS gives us that third cabin.”

Another big selling point was the large boarding platform, which can be fully submersed for ease of launching and retrieving the tender – rather than lifting it by davit or dragging it out of a tender garage. It also facilitates getting in and out of the water when swimming. Concealed in the boarding platform is also a telescoping swim ladder with handles which curve up onto the platform, like a swimming pool ladder, which aid getting into and out of the water.

After customising the finishes and features they wanted, the boat was built in France and shipped here after six months, ready for a full summer of cruising down under.