Beneteau Discount on New Yacht

[Chuteman]

Sounds like a fun plan........nothing like a visit to a candy store to ease the pain

Will be interesting to see what catches your eye.

Another boat that I saw up close(from dock) this May in Greece was a Moody Decksalon style takes a bit to get used to but the cockpit, hull shape and gear looked very interesting
Moody Yachts

Enjoy the show

[Starblossom]

I agree - the Moody is different and interesting, but I like the lines, layout, fewer steps and other features of the Sense 55 better.

[Chuteman]

Agree with all of your points on the Sense 55 - my only gripe is the size of the master berth - I like to spread out in bed - yet the cockpit and salon are the stars of the show

Have You sailed on a Sense yet?

Again, good luck in the pursuit & maybe Beneteau will surprise you with a bigger engine

[redsky49]

I wonder if the hull shape is hard to drive. The current rule of thumb of 2hp/1000# of displacement would indicate about 80hp, just 5hp more than the installed engine.

Of course years ago, an auxiliary engine was just that - a supplement to the sails used when becalmed or when docking. Times have surely changed.

Do the boat reviews mention difficulty under power, or are these reports anecdotal?

[Starblossom]

I have sea trialed the sense 55 in 4' to 6' seas with 15 to 22 kt winds in the atlantic off palm beach, fl and she handled beautifully, responded instantly, heeled minimally, accelerated quickly, and was a pleasure on all points of sail.

The engine is rated at 75hp at 3200rpms and drops to 68hp at 3100rpms continuous. I agree you should have at least 84hp continuous to maintain hull speed.

The report i read mentions 7.5kt boat speed under power.

The power is important , not for hull speed but to make way against strong head seas on your nose and unable to sail.

[Chuteman]

Sounds like a very realistic open water test & positive results.
Test articles and a broker I spoke with mention the twin rudders as one of
the design features that helps the boat track well & respond easily. Sailing
with minimal heel is one of the keys too

Was there any unusual hull slap when sailing through waves?

Engine Power - yes, it would be nice to have reserve power available yet be able to motor close to hull speed at 80% of max rpm......or slightly less for better fuel mileage and wear on engine

[Resolute_ZS]

The Annnapolis Boat Show has come and gone - any news on your Sense?

[Sabbatical II]

I buy a new car for our small business about every year. Here's my policy.

NEVER ORDER FROM THE FACTORY!

The dealer wants a deposit and usually wants you to sign their form which locks you into completing the sale no matter how much they dick you around. Because they pay interest on floor stock they are keen to discount on stock they have been holding too long. They make promises that they can look for a dealer swap for the ordered car, but that costs them transport costs so they quickly forget that promise once you've signed.
What I do is get on the internet and find the dealer with the car I want that is sitting on his showroom floor that is costing him money to sit there. When I tell him I can deal this afternoon, then I have the bargaining chips in my favour. Now, if only I'd followed my own advice when buying a boat.......?

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Sabbatical II

I buy a new car for our small business about every year. Here's my policy.

NEVER ORDER FROM THE FACTORY!

The dealer wants a deposit and usually wants you to sign their form which locks you into completing the sale no matter how much they dick you around. Because they pay interest on floor stock they are keen to discount on stock they have been holding too long. They make promises that they can look for a dealer swap for the ordered car, but that costs them transport costs so they quickly forget that promise once you've signed.
What I do is get on the internet and find the dealer with the car I want that is sitting on his showroom floor that is costing him money to sit there. When I tell him I can deal this afternoon, then I have the bargaining chips in my favour. Now, if only I'd followed my own advice when buying a boat.......?

Good advice for boat buying. I have bought three boats in my sailing life. The first two I ordered from the manufacturer. The first one was fine, small deposit, balance on delivery. The second one was in 1988 when a lot of builders were going under. The manufacturer wanted a schedule of payment and, as boat builders were going under right left and center, I was worried that I might not get the boat and they had nearly the full cost of the boat. A friend that bought from a different builder lost a lot of money when his builder went under. I was fortunate and did get my boat but it was a worry. A year later the builder voluntarily shut down his operation.

When I bought the latest boat I vowed that it had to be in the dealer's inventory. No large deposit and then wait for the builder to fulfill their obligation. I found what I wanted. The dealer installed the options I wanted. No waiting, no worrying that the builder might close the doors.

If you are looking for a new production boat I feel this is the only way. Boats are not cheap and few of us can take the large hit that would result from the builder going under. A good dealer should have a decent inventory of new boats.

[Starblossom]

I went to the Annapolis Boat show this week and met with the new president of Beneteau, USA- Laurent Fabre, he was most helpful and got in touch with their engineering group and they contacted Yanmar who refused to bless the larger engine and the sd12 sail drive from ZF.

Therefore I am no longer considering the Sense 55 no matter how much I liked the way it sailed and the accommodations
.
Interestingly enough they haven't been able to sell one Sense 55 in the USA since they introduced it in Miami in February.

Beneteau wants to help, but they can't do anything without Yanmar.

[Resolute_ZS]

I'll be honest, I saw the Sense 46 and felt it was an inefficient use of space. The rep there wanted my opinion, so I tried to nicely tell her that it wasn't at all what I am looking for.

I wanted to see the 55 in case it had a better floorplan but the line was long and I didn't feel like waiting when I wasn't wowed by the 46.

What else are you looking at now?

[Starblossom]

Going to look at Cats

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Starblossom

Going to look at Cats

+1

[rognvald]

Perhaps, if we beat up the evil profit mongers at Beneteau enough, they will close their plants in the US and Europe and we can buy our boats from the Chinese who have a great reputation for quality, honesty and integrity at half the price of US and European products. After all, is anything in the world more important than price?

[Starblossom]

yes integrity