The Sales Pitch
“You can look at as many pictures as you want, but until you actually get on the boat you can’t really know how it feels and how it’s laid out. It’s really interesting to see: You can look at the computer images all you want, but to actually put your hands on it and get to drive it, that’s big. And being able to drive it with ten people onboard is a different experience.” “Beneteau brought in experts from Simrad and Volvo Penta to round out the education—excellent. And the best part was getting to drive the boats [the group also looked at the Gran Turismo 35] and see and feel the actual performance and function of these innovative yachts. It’s not only educational, but fun.” “We can all offer our input and [the designers] listen, and you can see they listen. As the models progress you can see little changes that we suggest ending up in next year’s model. So it was definitely an open discussion between the dealers and the factory. And between sales people, it’s great—you get to bond a little bit with the guys so when you’re at the boat show it’s like seeing old friends.”
RPM KNOTS 3.9 6.0 8.2 10.0 15.0 22.3 29.4 30.4 GPH 0.6 2.0 4.8 11.0 19.1 25.0 36.9 39.0 TEST CONDITIONS: Air temperature: 79°F; humidity: 65%; seas: flat; wind: 2-4 knots; load: 120 gal. fuel, 70 gal. water, 2 persons, 200 lb. gear. Speeds are two-way averages taken with Simrad GPS display. GPH estimates taken from Volvo Penta display. Range is based on 90% of fuel capacity. Sound levels measured at the lower helm. 65 dB(A) is the level of normal conversation. RANGE 1,550 NOTEWORTHY OPTIONS: Additional Simrad NSS12 screen at lower helm ($4,195); electronics pack 2015 adds Simrad 4G radar, autopilot, AIS receiver, Wi-Fi hub, and Simrad RS90 VHF ($8,470); retractable electric sun awning over afterdeck ($5,565); graphite flying-bridge bimini top ($6,505); cockpit docking station ($5,035).
dB(A)