Beneteau Sense 50

[jspla1]

I am looking for anyone with a Beneteau Sense 50 with hull number 182 or greater. I have hull 125 which has the electric companionway. Starting on hull 182, Beneteau switch to folding doors and removed the Noval companionway.

I would like to ask some questions about the companionway and the storage compartment underneath the port-side folding table

Thank
Jose

[rlamoureux]

I have a Sense 55 s/n 40 (2014). It has the Noval electrical sliding door. Not great I know but still working after 5 years. Requires constant lube to prevent awful noise. Are you thinking of taking it off and replacing it with the folding type? I thought about it but it would be major structural modification on the boat. Tell me what you have in mind. Robert

[jspla1]

Robert
Your correct that I am considering taking the Noval system out and replacing with the folding doors. I have spoken with Beneteau USA to obtain part numbers for the doors. No one at US headquarters could comment on structural change requirements.

This is my second Sense 50. Love the boat, hate the companion way. My interior control panel failed last month in route from Grenada to PR. Major headache in using the emergency pull to manually open companionway. I've ordered a new Noval control panel as I continue to inquire on replacement options

Jose

[Zzmeyer]

I have the Sense 50. When being delivered I said I didn't want electric hatch. Standard they said and always works. Broke during commissioning. Broke again right after warranty done. Never replaced after that. Very easy just to push down and pull up.

[rlamoureux]

I agree ZZ and it's actually quicker to pull up and down with the driving belt out. Locking it is trickier though as you have to have a functioning Noval electrical panel. Do you guys have the Dock&Go? This has been a worse experience than the door. Anyhow, the yacht sails really well. Won the Neptune Race to the equator two years ago. I just realize now that Beneteaus are very fragile and need a lot of attention to keep it top notch. I'm thinking of doing the ARC circumnavigation and not sure the boat is up to it. Any thoughts welcomed. Robert

[Zzmeyer]

Yes. The electric lock still works. We do not have the dock n go. She is fast off the wind. We have finished in the top 5 or 10 boats out of 125 or so in the 750nm Baja Haha rally a couple times. She pounds more than my other boats going to weather in a sea state. I have an acquaintance that sailed his 50 in a great circle around the Pacific and had very few problems. Mine is currently for sale as I'm moving on to a Fountaine Pajot Saona 47. I realized all the reasons I got the Sense (huge cockpit, salon on almost the same level as the cockpit) are met even more so by the catamaran. I decided to switch after a Leopard 48, well sailed, kept up with us heading south last year. I don't sail to weather much anymore as that becomes more of a delivery for me, so the cruising cat, being a dog to weather, won't bother me (I hope). Good luck on your trip.

[jspla1]

Robert /Zz

With the drive belt removed, is there sufficient friction to keep companionway partially open?

Also. In regards to your question about circumnavigating. I would not hesitate circumnavigating in the Sense 50. The key systems (rigging, steering, tankage and redrigeration) are well designed and executed.

Have either of you secured floor boards in any manner? This is a safety project that I have wanted to undertake for a while

Jose

[rlamoureux]

from memory I would say yes - there is enough friction

i'm curious about your safety project. did you have floor boards flying out?

[Zzmeyer]

With the drive belt removed, plenty of friction. Just slide it to whatever position you want and it stays there. Coming up the coast of Baja each spring the floorboards in the forward cabin do all come up from the pounding, but we don't go up there anyway going to weather. I've never had any other move, but I haven't turned the boat upside down either.

[melken]

We are also having similar problems with our Noval door on a Sense 50. It has intermittent failure issues, sometimes unlocking and opening with leds working and then no lights, movement or lock. One theory is that the control unit may be sensitive to voltage levels. Sometimes it stops in the locked position and sometimes open. To make matters worse the emergency release cable must have got jammed during one of the locked inside situations and now it has snapped. Any advice about whether we should continue our fixing or disable it as mentioned earlier. Will the electronic lock still work or would we need to use a padlock?

[jspla1]

Originally Posted by melken

We are also having similar problems with our Noval door on a Sense 50. It has intermittent failure issues, sometimes unlocking and opening with leds working and then no lights, movement or lock. One theory is that the control unit may be sensitive to voltage levels. Sometimes it stops in the locked position and sometimes open. To make matters worse the emergency release cable must have got jammed during one of the locked inside situations and now it has snapped. Any advice about whether we should continue our fixing or disable it as mentioned earlier. Will the electronic lock still work or would we need to use a padlock?

I have never had voltage problems on either the electronics or the motor. I do need to lubricate the mechanism at least once a month to keep it from periodically stopping midway. I ordered the inside control panel and now the companionway is working well again.

[melken]

Thanks, I will give this a go, hopefully it will sort it out.

[In The Mood]

I have a Sense 51. Hull #188. we have the three piece folding door rather than the sliding door. Nothing to jam and when the cockpit floor is lifted there is potential great access from above to the engine with a little mod. What questions can i help you with.

[jspla1]

I guess you answered my question. It appears that Beneteau kept the lifting cockpit floor even when they decided to switch to the 3 panel companionway

Engine access, especially to the water pump impeller is beyond poor. My boat has the washing machine in the port lazarette. It's impossible to reach the impeller unless your a small child.

I approached my dealer and inquired on opening access to the engine room if I got rid of the electric companionway. My dealer was not receptive to the idea of doing this modification. Do you know if anyone with a Sense 51 has installed such an openning?

Also... do your showers drain on a port tack? In the Sense 50 the shower drains are to starboard of the shower pan. Therefore neither drains on a port tack. Awful design. Last year in Grenada, I was looking for a solution to this problem and they couldn't figure out how to redesign the shower floor to resolve this issue

Thanks

Jose

[Zzmeyer]

I asked when I got the boat why there was no access and was told it was a structural issue. Apparently they felt it necessary to keep the huge cockpit from peeling open.