Beneteau Sense 50 issues

[jaramanpotter]

Reply to Haddock1
The only time we had a wave come in was crossing to the western Caribbean heading to Cartegena. The sea was awful. We hadn't put the back up on the second day and a wave came in....seemed about 2 ft deep and of course the companionway was open. I was calling for John to close it but the water reached the grill there and slid under the cockpit floor and away - as designed. We wont forget to put it up again !!

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Top of my list would be twin screws. Not really an option on a boat which is primarily sailed.

Are you implying that catamarans are primarily motoring? I know they are in reality, but there is no reason they cannot be primarily sailed if owners wanted to.

[Haddock1]

Originally Posted by B23iL23

Why wouldn't your Sense be capable for oceans? Nothing special about Discovery or HR. I've sailed oceans with boats with 100% open transoms with no issues.


Keep your boat, pull up the anchor and just go.

There are many would challenge this but think I am in agreement.

[Haddock1]

Originally Posted by jaramanpotter

Reply to Haddock1
The only time we had a wave come in was crossing to the western Caribbean heading to Cartegena. The sea was awful. We hadn't put the back up on the second day and a wave came in....seemed about 2 ft deep and of course the companionway was open. I was calling for John to close it but the water reached the grill there and slid under the cockpit floor and away - as designed. We wont forget to put it up again !!

Thanks for the reply. I make raising the back part of my departure ritual regardless of weather/sea state. Other than the above have you had any other issues since sorting the delivery gremlins? Heading out into the Pacific you will be a long way from a Beneteau dealer so therefore I conclude you must have great confidence in the boat.

[Jim Cate]

Heading out into the Pacific you will be a long way from a Beneteau dealer so therefore I conclude you must have great confidence in the boat.

IMO, if the location of dealers in one's cruising grounds is an important factor in choosing those destinations, a different boat should be a consideration.

Jim

[jaramanpotter]

My experience as a Beneteau Owner for 15 years is that the dealers are not much help and you need to be able to manage without. Contact by email for advice is always a possibility if you can find one who doesn't think they are above that!
The Beneteau owners Facebook Page has been helpful.
Our Sense is ready and straining at her lines to be though the canal and off to Galapagos.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Senseless

Next issue is the Throttle/Dock and Go system. Since it is all electronic I am concerned about the exposure if there is an electrical failure. Neither the dealer or Beneteau can come up with a backup plan. I have had failures with this system and it is not fun to try to dock when the propulsion suddenly disconnects. .

I have some little knowledge of the Sense 50 and the dock/go system. After three years of trying to get the system to work on a brand new boat the owner gave up and sold the boat. Now two owners later the system is being removed. The new owner loves the boat but cannot deal with this system.

Removing the system seems simple but the electronics on this vessel are so integrated that removal is very complex. A close friend (Marine electrician) is working with Beneteau on a plan to remove the system from the boat.

As far as the A/C I suggest you look into Flagship Marine systems. If you take a close look at their website you will see specs and materials at a far higher level than the "usual suspects" and non-proprietary electrics/electronics.

Wish you luck.

[Zzmeyer]

I have a Sense 50 that spends six months a year in Mexico and six in Southern California. A great downwind sea boat. It pounds more than prior boats going to weather. As on all boats, the forward cabin is useless going to weather. We end up sleeping in the main cabin. I should note that I average six nights a year sailing to weather out of an average of 160 days on the boat. The boat is fast. We finish in the top 5 boats every leg of the 130 boat Baja Haha fleet each year we've done it. The aircon works great except if you take it to hot climates. Then it doesn't. I know Beneteau and Jeanneau stopped offering the dock and go, in part, because of the problems. My dealer strongly recommended against it. My dealer has been great in fixing stuff. Big complex boats have lots to break. My Yanmar never breaks, I've never loved B&G, Onan eats impellers, the Desalator water maker always works. The huge open transom scares people, but we've never taken a drop over the stern. I noted that in a very nice commissioning video of a new Amel 50 it has many of the same systems I have. At $1.350 million it is just over twice the price. A better boat for sure, but I would probably just buy a second Sense and use it for spares as I like the helm and the cockpit better.

[jspla1]

I am currently on my second Sense 50. The first was a 2012 that unfortunately was destroyed when it pulled its helix mooring in July of 2018. Immediately after we knew that the insurance would pay in total, my wife gave me a direct order... "but another Sense". She loves the boat....enough said.

The boat that I purchased as a replacement, sailed the Mediterranean with both the first and second owners. It crossed the Atlantic in the ARC in 2016, then sailed throughout the Caribbean for 2 years before I purchased it in September 2018 in Trinidad. We sailed to Puerto Rico in November of 2018. The 600 mile passage was easily done in 3 days (we stopped in Grenada to pick up crew). We sailed with the generator running for 3 days and the air conditioning running at all times. No problems with keeping the interior very cold.

In regards to safety- I sail with a crew of 6 when on long passages. Everyone comments on how well the boat behaves in rough weather and how fast she sails. 9-10+ knots is not uncommon sailing to weather. We have not been in any truly scary conditions, however returning from Bermuda after the Americas Cup we did see 12-15ft seas and 35-40 knots for 16 plus hours. Minimal pounding, but certainly very tiring as we were sailing in a close reach.

In regards to Dock and Go.... we have not had a failure of the system in either boat. I personally do not love the system as it does have a sharp learning curve in order to make the boat truly maneuver in any direction. I will use it primarily to move the boat directly laterally when pinned to a dock. Mostly I use the bow thruster. If I were going to purchase a new sailboat I would elect bow and stern thrusters vs the Dock and Go given the cost of the system.

We lost our electronic throttle in route to Bermuda. We arrived to St Georges by tying a string to the throttle lever on the engine. This worked fine. Beneteau offered to send someone to Bermuda to replace the throttle unit gratis, however we elected to return to NJ once again using a string as a throttle, rather than wait for 7-10 days for the parts to arrive. To note, the boat was a 2012 purchased in 2017 and therefore no longer in warranty. Once we arrived, the electronic throttle was replaced by a Beneteau mechanic that was flown into NJ. There is a by-pass to the electronic throttle. A safety get-home procedure that locks the throttle at 1500 rpms and only in forward gear. Given these limitations we decided to simply use the string.

As with any boat, there are many compromises. The Sense 50 has many design features that are quirky. Mostly I've learned to either live with them, or find solutions. For us, a family of 4 which loves to entertain, carries huge amount of scuba this boat is perfect.

[Haddock1]

Originally Posted by jspla1

We lost our electronic throttle in route to Bermuda. We arrived to St Georges by tying a string to the throttle lever on the engine. This worked fine. Beneteau offered to send someone to Bermuda to replace the throttle unit gratis, however we elected to return to NJ once again using a string as a throttle, rather than wait for 7-10 days for the parts to arrive. To note, the boat was a 2012 purchased in 2017 and therefore no longer in warranty. Once we arrived, the electronic throttle was replaced by a Beneteau mechanic that was flown into NJ. There is a by-pass to the electronic throttle. A safety get-home procedure that locks the throttle at 1500 rpms and only in forward gear. Given these limitations we decided to simply use the string.

Interesting as my delivery skipper had exactly the same issue halfway across Biscay in my Sense 46. He also elected to the "fly by string" approach to throttle control all the way to Spain to her current marina. Beneteau then sent a guy down to fix which was done FOC and my Sense was also out of warranty. No issues since. Clearly a common problem or a massive coincidence.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, jspla.

[jspla1]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, jspla.

Thank you.

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by Rohan

The only thing that concerned me was the position of the cabins. I know this boat sails pretty flat, but I assume it still pitches with the best of them. Is the owner's cabin a viable option while cruising? Is the guest cabin much better? What worries me is the possibility that I would have to sleep in the salon or in the optional crew berth aft during long voyages.

That's always going to be the more comfortable option, on any boat. All forward owner's cabins are unusable when punching into any kind of sea (or even following a reasonable sized one). The most comfortable sea berth is always as near the centre and bottom of the boat, and always a single with a lee cloth. Pilot berths (or pullman cabins) near the companionway are best. Saloon berths next choice. Both of these also mean that you're able to get back to the action really quickly should a strange noise or motion alert you to something. Rather than this "worrying you" it should be something you expect and look forward to in any boat.

An aft cabin is tolerable, but most big ones nowadays can't be used at sea unless they have centre and side leecloths. Personally I dislike aft cabins because of the infuriating slapping sounds on the hull when anchored or moored in the wrong kind of sea.

Just remember that the lovely large double berths that look so inviting at the boat show or marina are not a great deal of use at sea.

[jspla1]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

That's always going to be the more comfortable option, on any boat. All forward owner's cabins are unusable when punching into any kind of sea (or even following a reasonable sized one). The most comfortable sea berth is always as near the centre and bottom of the boat, and always a single with a lee cloth. Pilot berths (or pullman cabins) near the companionway are best. Saloon berths next choice. Both of these also mean that you're able to get back to the action really quickly should a strange noise or motion alert you to something. Rather than this "worrying you" it should be something you expect and look forward to in any boat.

An aft cabin is tolerable, but most big ones nowadays can't be used at sea unless they have centre and side leecloths. Personally I dislike aft cabins because of the infuriating slapping sounds on the hull when anchored or moored in the wrong kind of sea.

Just remember that the lovely large double berths that look so inviting at the boat show or marina are not a great deal of use at sea.

I devide the guest queen bed with a Lee cloth creating 2 very comfortable sea berths These are the preferred bunks while on passage, especially for those over 40 years of age

The bunk beds are similarly equipped with Lee cloths and are also very comfortable at sea. The upper bunk is usually assigned to one of my teenage children as they can easily get in/out.

I actually sleep in the forward master under almost any sea conditions. I can wedge myself safely on either tack and get bounced to blissful sleep.

Prior to answering this post I asked my son if pitching is a problem in either mid-ship cabin. His answer was "not at all"

Jose

[Jenst]

Originally Posted by Haddock1

Hi All,
Not sure if anyone is still following but thought I would comment.
Just wanted to put a positive response re the Sense range and Doc & Go. I own a sense 46 with the aforementioned system and did have some early issues with it cutting out mid maneuver but now the system seems stable. Truth is I rarely use it or the bow thruster which is 15hp so got plenty of gas when not coated in barnacles. As for all the other issues I do offer my sympathy's but have not experienced any of them. I do agree the bilges are not of the greatest design and it takes a long time for water to get there, but it does eventually and will pump out. We had a leak at the outside shower fitting which dumped a couple of litres a day but is now fixed and I understand a common problem not just limited to the Sense range. My boat is full to the gunnels with stuff (genset, watermaker, solar, 3 plotters, i70 repeaters everywhere). I did not opt for air-con as wanted to be self sufficient (we anchor a lot) so fitted fans in all cabins which work well without the need of the generator running. The fans work fine at night and let's face it when sailing or at anchor time is spent outside. 600watts of solar tied with 600ah of batteries with mastervolt monitoring, runs most systems when under sail or at anchor without the need of the engine or genset. Other than that and general annual maintenance she has been as good as gold and we have now done some serious mileage around the med and I have to say she is a very comfortable boat for the two of us both when sailing and at anchor. She is a great design for a couple and occasional friends (and daughters with boyfriends). I think with all boats (and cars) some times you get a white elephant. For example I have just purchased a Range Rover Velar and if you read the forums you would run a mile. However, again, I have now done 8,000 miles without any problems. Maybe I am just blessed? I do tend to agree that the more stuff you have the more can go wrong, but in the med you are never far from a guy with an oily rag that can fix anything. However, I would not sail round the world in her, but for med cruising she offers great capability and I hope you go on to enjoy many adventures in yours.
A very happy Sense owner.

you state that you had some issues with the dock and go system but they are resolved. I recently bought a Jeanneau 50DS with the dock and go system. It has exactly the issues you describe. How did you fix it ?