Friday, March 29

Beneteau Launches New Project E – Big Luxury Cruisers

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Beneteau has some big news: It’s starting Project E to launch two new luxurious cruising boats, a 62 and a 73, its largest boats yet, and they’ll have innovative displacement hulls for comfort, space and range. The “E” stands for “expedition,” among other things, and the company says the 62 (pictured above) will have a range of 900 nm at 8 knots, while the 73 (pictured at top) will have a range of 1,400 nm at 10 knots.

Announcing the new boats at the Düsseldorf show, Beneteau says they are designed to build on the popularity of its Swift Trawler line; indeed, it has sold more than 1,500 Swift Trawlers since they were introduced a decade ago. The Swift Trawler lineup now runs from 30 to 50 feet, and they have semi-displacement hulls.

(A few years ago I cruised on a Swift Trawler 34 for almost a week on part of the Great Loop and thought it was a great cruising boat for a small family or a couple. With a single diesel, it provided a comfortable, smooth and seaworthy ride, cruising across Lake Michigan at an easy 16 to 18 knots in three- to four-foot seas.)

Beneteau, based in France, is one of the world’s largest boat builders. It spent more than 300 hours of computer modeling time to create hulls for the Project E boats. Its research showed that owners’ cruising speed is often slower than expected. This somewhat surprising revelation lead to a concentration on displacement hulls for a combination of range, comfort and luxury.

The distinctive new hulls were developed by Amadea Migali, who has a PhD in naval architecture and is managing director of MICAD, a design firm based in Italy. The Project E boats will burn 35 percent less fuel than the amount burned by a planing hull. The 62 will be powered by twin 730-hp MAN diesels, and have a top speed of about 20 knots, while the 73 will have 1,000-hp MANs and about the same top speed. (These speeds, of course, give a new interpretation to the traditional concept of a displacement hull.)

Beneteau is building the 62 first, at the same yard in Monfalcone, Italy, where it builds its luxurious semi-custom Monte Carlo line. The new 62 has a three-stateroom layout, all with en suite heads, plus room for a crew. With a beam of 16’ 5”, it’s designed to cruise with six to eight passengers, plus crew. It has a central, raised helm station, and the galley can be completely enclosed.

The 73 is designed for eight passengers and four crew, with the owner’s cabin forward on the main deck and three guest cabins below. It has a raised pilothouse between the main deck and the flybridge, accessed by its own stairway. The flybridge is a massive 430 square feet, and a “terrace on the sea” incorporates the large swim platform and cockpit. The 73 has dedicated passageways so the crew can work without disturbing anyone else on board and, as in the 62, the galley is enclosed.

The 62 is scheduled to be launched at Düsseldorf show next January, with the 73 coming somewhat later. Read more:

https://www.beneteau.com/en/newsroom-actualite/project-e

 

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