Bénéteau GT 50

The new flagship of the Gran Turismo range kills two birds with one stone as it’s available as either a hardtop sportscruiser or a sportsyacht with a small flybridge perched up top.

Like the GT 40 and GT 46, the 50 has been styled and engineered by Nuvolari & Lenard, who have ensured it looks just as sweet in Sportfly form as it does in Hardtop.

The compact flybridge manages to deliver enough space for a decent dinette and sunpad – though no wet bar – without the top deck ruining the boat’s rakish lines.

The main deck configuration is the same no matter which body style you opt for with an L-shaped dinette in the cockpit and opposed seating in the saloon arranged around a folding table. Aft, there is a tender garage large enough for a 2.9m tender with outboard or a Williams Minijet. You can spec two or three cabins; if you go for two then you gain a lower dinette in place of the twinbunk third cabin.

The only engine option for either boat is IPS600 (twin 435hp), which could be on the small side for the flybridge – but should be good for 30 knots in the sportscruiser variant.

The GT 50 will also be one of the first models to sport Bénéteau’s new Ship Control system that feeds all the boat’s major functions into one 7in screen. Contact See website for dealers. Web: www.beneteau.com

The Sportfly variant gains a useful-sized flybridge but the Hardtop version is sleeker

The saloon is the same on both boats with seating that flows through into the cockpit when the doors are opened