Beneteau’s new Swift Trawler 41 is the Goldilocks of coastal cruisers: It’s large enough to hold a crowd, but it’s small enough to be handled easily by a couple.
The Swift Trawler 41 does indeed have a lot of living and entertaining space, inside and out, but it’s also a seaworthy cruising boat, giving a stable and comfortable ride throughout the speed range. And it’s easy to handle around a dock, with bow and stern thrusters. Experienced cruisers also will appreciate the side door next to the helm that gives immediate access to the starboard side deck, for help with docking or line handling.
Full disclosure here: I have a soft spot in my heart for the Beneteau Swift Trawler line. Several years ago George Sass, Sr., and I took a Swift Trawler 34 from the top of Lake Michigan down to Chicago and then down to Hoppie’s on the Mississippi below St. Louis as part of a Great Loop cruise. It was easy to live on, and easy to cruise on, even going across Lake Michigan. We both greatly enjoyed the boat.
With more space and a longer waterline, I can only imagine that the 41 would provide an even better cruise. The other major difference from the 34 is that the galley is aft, giving easy access to the cockpit for dining inside or outside the boat. In the 41, the aft bench seat in the cockpit is on sliders, so you can move it forward or aft, depending on how much room you want in the cockpit or on the swim platform. The lazarette has plenty of room for cruising gear or water toys.
The salon has large windows all around, including the glass door aft, so, like the 34, it has excellent visibility. But here the captain’s helm seat rotates, so it can face aft to join people at the dining table.
Below, the master stateroom is forward with an island bed, lots of storage space, and a head with a separate shower. A guest cabin on the port side can be ordered with a double berth or twin berths; a third cabin on the starboard side has room for a single berth or for storage and a washer/dryer.
On the flybridge, there’s a single helm chair with settees stretching back on both sides. The two settee seatbacks flanking the helm are reversible, so they can face forward or aft to enjoy an outdoor meal or cocktails around a table on a pedestal. There’s also a large boat deck aft.
Another social area is all the way forward. The foredeck has two separate sun lounges there, with backrests, providing unrestricted views underway or at anchor.
The Beneteau Swift Trawler 41 comes in both flybridge and sedan versions. Powered by twin 300-hp Volvo inboards, the flybridge tops out at 24 knots. At an easy cruising speed of 16 knots, it has a range of 257 nm.
Specs.: LOA: 41’1”; Beam: 13’9”; Draft: 3’9”; Disp.: 24,332 lbs.; Fuel: 309 gals.; Water: 106 gals.; Power: 2×300-hp Volvo inboard diesels. See a video of the boat below:
