beneteau 46.1
Graham Snook has his expectations overturned by a sporty ‘First Line’ edition of Beneteau’s latest yacht
Symbiotically linked through the wheel, helmsman and yacht talk to each other. Small commands are given, the yacht powers forward and feeds back through the feel on the helm. Get the design right and that sensation of power and control is intoxicating, but if the balance is wrong, it can sour the whole experience. Happily, Beneteau have got the steering on its new 46ft yacht right — very right, as it turned out. That’s not all: the saloon is modern, bright and spacious, the owner’s cabin has acres of space and the cockpit is well laid out for those who want to sail while others can relax in comfort. The 46.1’s predecessor, the Oceanis 45, was lapped up by private owners and charter companies alike, and the 46.1 offers more: more space, more berths, more sail area. Charterers will be happy with the option of berths galore and easy handling, and private owners can opt for better performance. So will she become the most popular boat Beneteau have produced, as the Oceanis 45 was before her?
This boat was the ‘First Line’ edition of the 46.1 that benefits from a deeper lead-bulb keel, dyform rigging, composite wheels, Harken Performa winches (1 electric) and 8m2 (87sq ft) more sail area; achieved with a mast that’s a metre taller, an overlapping genoa with tracks and towable cars (rather than the standard self-tacking jib), and a low-profile flat deck genoa furler. It doesn’t turn her into a race boat, but it does give her a shot of adrenaline that’s designed to make cruising faster and sailing more enjoyable.
Unfortunately, the sun might have been shining but the winds ranged from non-existent to very light for our test. Under genoa and mainsail at 40° apparent, the wind over the deck reached an un-inspiring 4.3 knots. Boat speed was around 2.4 knots. Learning very little at this point, it was time for the Code Zero. Now, rather than drifting with control, we were sailing quite nicely, our speed peaking at 5.1 knots in 3.4 knots of true wind at between 40-60° off the apparent breeze of 6 knots.
As soon as you take the helm on the 46.1, you know that Beneteau have nailed the most important thing on any sailing boat: the helming experience. The Jefa steering was light and responsive, with pressure from the twin rudders providing sensitive feedback, but demanding little effort to turn the wheel.
Under engine at 2,000 rpm she made a decent 6.6 knots with the 80hp option, though engine noise was noticeable at this speed.
Another area of the boat that Beneteau demonstrates smart design is the cockpit. It just works as you would want it to. Forward of each wheel are a pair of winches, a single Harken ST46 in front of each wheel (inboard) is standard while the outboard 50ST genoa winches are an optional extra. All lines are led aft to these winches, leaving the forward part of the cockpit line-free and family friendly, which was a key aim of the design in response to client demand. It also has the benefit of making shorthanded sailing easily manageable, though you’ll need to keep the lines tidy.
Despite its size, the cockpit feels contained and secure. The folded up transom platform provides a lip rather than a totally open stern, and the cockpit coaming is good and wide. It does make quite a step over to the side deck, so deck access is easiest via the step forward of the wheels that house excellent rope bins and serve to separate the helm from the non-sailing area. The helm seating is raised off the deck, but still felt a little low. There are good handholds on the binnacle and the wheels are set low enough to use any instruments without the temptation to stick hands through the wheel.
The large, fixed cockpit table provides a substantial bracing point in the middle of the wide cockpit, and it sensibly also houses the liferaft, freeing up valuable locker space. Not that the Oceanis is short of that either: with one large under-sole lazarette locker, hull depth lockers under the starboard helm seat, and smaller sole-depth cockpit lockers as well as a large, deep, deck locker in the bows, there is more than enough deck stowage even for long-term cruisers.
For those wanting to relax at anchor, there is long seating in the cockpit and lots of flat deck space. There’s also the option of cushions either side of the companionway to increase the on-deck lounging area.
Her hull carries the beam well aft, and at 4.5m (14ft 9in) it’s quite a beam too, but it’s at the bow that the design has really moved on from predecessors. The soft chine aft becomes harder, sculptural even, as
it carries forward all the way to the bow. This allowed the designers to really maximise interior volume above the waterline, while cutting in lower down to minimise wetted area and impact on speed.
INTERIOR
Her beam is evident in the saloon, which is spacious and light thanks to numerous windows, including large hull windows, and hatches. Well-lit as it is, I would have liked a hatch above the galley, too, but this is directly under the cushioned area flanking the companionway above. There are a number of interior layout options. This yacht had the L-shaped galley aft and a forward-facing chart table at the forward bulkhead – both on the port side. There is the option to have a long linear C-shaped galley to port and have the chart table aft-facing on the starboard side. The layout on this boat gives the most seating and space in the saloon.
To port is a 1.28m (4ft 3in) chaise-longue style seat, with a lift-up leg panel which raises the aft two seat cushions making it more comfortable and stops you sliding down the berth. The seat is also the right height to relax while sailing and still look out of the windows as water and coast slip past.
Despite the volume, the saloon remains practical at sea, with an overhead handrail for the taller members of the crew while the fiddles behind the seat backs are there for smaller crew members, though on starboard tack there was less to hold on to around the table. There is a good leather-covered handrail as you walk down the companionway steps, there’s also a handy unit there, too, with a fiddled area on top which is great for keeping stuff to hand but out of the elements.
The Alpi interior was brushed oak, with a darker, ebony-coloured inset going along the bottom-hinged lockers at deck level. The thickness of the strips of oak in the Alpi veneer are nicely varied, and the brushed finish gives the oak texture that you can see and feel. There were, sadly, on this boat, a couple of areas
Beneteau have nailed the helming experience on this boat
where the finish wasn’t as good as it could have been, but as this was one of the first hulls produced, hopefully the finish will improve. To starboard is the switch panel, in the opposite corner of the saloon from the chart table on this layout. I would have liked a cover over the exposed 12V wire terminals in the locker beneath it.
Stowage around the boat is reasonable, with stowage under the forward seating and plenty under the central island seat and chaise longue. The outboard saloon seat houses the water pump and accumulator tank, the middle seat houses the electronics, but the calorifier under the easily accessible aft seat didn’t feel like the best use of space. Tucking this out of the way to give easier access to storage would make more sense.
There were a few neat design touches around the saloon, like the illuminated bookshelf on the forward bulkhead to give it a focal point, and the saloon table can be lowered by using shorter legs to turn the seating into a huge, 2.4m (7ft 11in) long double berth. An electrically operated table is an option, too, but it can’t be used as a berth.
The L-shaped galley uses the unit at the base of the companionway to give bracing, stowage and a goodsized cutlery drawer. Against the hull side there are bottom-hinged lockers, with LED strip lighting beneath. Outboard of the work surface and stove is deep, handy bottle stowage and there are two fridges, although one of these was an option.
The navigation table on this layout was against the forward bulkhead, the other option for the aft-facing chart table reduces the size of the starboard heads compartment, removing its separate shower compartment. The chart table is shallow at 4cm, and is supported with a gas strut. One nice detail was the sticker underneath the chart table lid that tells you which fuel and water tanks are where. This is a functional saloon that does everything you would need on a charter or a couple of week’s cruise, and creates an extremely pleasant space to be in.
It is in the forward cabin, however, that you really discover the benefit of the wide-bowed hull shape.
She has a shot of adrenaline that makes cruising faster and more fun
The cabin is so big that there is even an option to put two double-berth cabins here, both with en suite heads compartments. The berth, 2m x 1.53m (6ft 7in x 5ft), has a shallow stowage draw underneath as well as plenty of headroom above it and you can look out of the windows from in bed. It was let down slightly by wiring for the LED strip lights not being hidden and unfinished edges on the window blind slides, but these points aside, there are large areas of the brushed oak Alpi doors and the white hull sides and bed head make the space lighter. There’s a handy shelved area each side of the berth, below the height of the mattress, and hinged lockers against the hull under the deckhead. There are two large hanging lockers on each side, but no shelved lockers in this cabin. Under the berth are also the water tank and a retractable bow thruster.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
For the owner, there’s both an en suite heads to port and an en suite shower room to starboard.
The aft heads has an inboard facing toilet (so the toilets on this layout are on opposite sides of the boat). A folding Perspex screen goes across to make the separate shower compartment. Care has been taken to ensure that the mirrors reflect your face, not your midriff: as is sometimes the case.
The starboard aft cabin is a slightly shorter version of the port aft cabin because of an en suite heads but there is still plenty of room for a rectangular berth of 2.05m x 1.42m (6ft 9in x 4ft 8in) with 68cm (2ft 3in) height above the berth, which is more than enough space to sleep with your head at the aft end, making getting into bed easier.
It’s the little things like this that make life more comfortable on board – moving the reading lights to this end would be a good addition. There are three lockers outboard as you enter the cabin: two have shelves, one is a hanging locker. There’s a great cubby hole area with three compartments right next to the berth which gives extra stowage.
Top marks go to Beneteau for the engine access: the primary and secondary fuel filters, raw water filter and header tank are at the front of the engine, making servicing easier, and the engine is easily accessed by lifting the companionway steps. These are features other yachts would do well to copy.