Beneteau Sense 50 issues

[lifeofreilly57]

I've been in and around the water just about my whole life and am very conservative when it comes to electronics. Corrosion and electronics are a toxic mix, no matter how well conceived, all electronics in a saltwater environment eventually fail, it doesn't take a direct dousing to cause it. If this were navigation, communications or autopilot electronics it wouldn't be an issue but if the rotating motor control fails at the wrong time your screwed.
I have no problem with the concept except that it's on a pleasure boat, not a commercial vessel, commercial boats have regular maintenance on their propulsion systems and still have regular, unpredicted failures, but they usually have back up systems.
Two of the electrical engineers that work for us had previous experience in the marine field and when asked about this application they just grimaced at the thought. It might be attractive to the less experienced big boat buyer since it calms there docking nerves but that is just the person who might not have the depth of experience to react quickly enough if the system fails.
What happens 4 years down the road? Will Bene replace the entire system free if it fails? I would have to imagine the replacement cost of a single source built, specialized piece of electronics is not cheap.
My wife is able to dock our 47 foot, 40,000 lb boat smoothly and it doesn't even have a bow thruster, she did it the old fashioned way, she practiced.
Is it worth the extra cost and complexity for the convenience? Not sure I'm on board with this "convenience", I work in a highly automated commercial field and have no problem with technology in my personal life, but I have no illusions about the failure rate of electronics. There are some things I trust them for and some things I don't.

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

I've been in and around the water just about my whole life and am very conservative when it comes to electronics. Corrosion and electronics are a toxic mix, no matter how well conceived, all electronics in a saltwater environment eventually fail, it doesn't take a direct dousing to cause it. If this were navigation, communications or autopilot electronics it wouldn't be an issue but if the rotating motor control fails at the wrong time your screwed.
I have no problem with the concept except that it's on a pleasure boat, not a commercial vessel, commercial boats have regular maintenance on their propulsion systems and still have regular, unpredicted failures, but they usually have back up systems.
Two of the electrical engineers that work for us had previous experience in the marine field and when asked about this application they just grimaced at the thought. It might be attractive to the less experienced big boat buyer since it calms there docking nerves but that is just the person who might not have the depth of experience to react quickly enough if the system fails.
What happens 4 years down the road? Will Bene replace the entire system free if it fails? I would have to imagine the replacement cost of a single source built, specialized piece of electronics is not cheap.
My wife is able to dock our 47 foot, 40,000 lb boat smoothly and it doesn't even have a bow thruster, she did it the old fashioned way, she practiced.
Is it worth the extra cost and complexity for the convenience? Not sure I'm on board with this "convenience", I work in a highly automated commercial field and have no problem with technology in my personal life, but I have no illusions about the failure rate of electronics. There are some things I trust them for and some things I don't.

Well said.

[Gentle Breeze]

Thanks guys for the rely's I really appreciate the thought and insight. You definitely gave me what I was looking for. I think now that I have been on a Jeaneau 50Ds the other day with a bow thruster. And seeing just how well she did especially with the bow thruster to assist. I will forgo the thought of personally having to deal with the cost in the future.

Nothing like the comfort of knowing that you have one less thing to worry about, one especially that is so critical to the safety of the vessel.

You guys are amazing in the forum. I am proud to be part of this and only hope some day that I can contribute to someone's quest for answers..

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

I've been in and around the water just about my whole life and am very conservative when it comes to electronics. Corrosion and electronics are a toxic mix, no matter how well conceived, all electronics in a saltwater environment eventually fail, it doesn't take a direct dousing to cause it. If this were navigation, communications or autopilot electronics it wouldn't be an issue but if the rotating motor control fails at the wrong time your screwed.
I have no problem with the concept except that it's on a pleasure boat, not a commercial vessel, commercial boats have regular maintenance on their propulsion systems and still have regular, unpredicted failures, but they usually have back up systems.
Two of the electrical engineers that work for us had previous experience in the marine field and when asked about this application they just grimaced at the thought. It might be attractive to the less experienced big boat buyer since it calms there docking nerves but that is just the person who might not have the depth of experience to react quickly enough if the system fails.
What happens 4 years down the road? Will Bene replace the entire system free if it fails? I would have to imagine the replacement cost of a single source built, specialized piece of electronics is not cheap.
My wife is able to dock our 47 foot, 40,000 lb boat smoothly and it doesn't even have a bow thruster, she did it the old fashioned way, she practiced.
Is it worth the extra cost and complexity for the convenience? Not sure I'm on board with this "convenience", I work in a highly automated commercial field and have no problem with technology in my personal life, but I have no illusions about the failure rate of electronics. There are some things I trust them for and some things I don't.

Can't argue with that.

Prop walk is my friend.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[MI248]

I'm resurrecting this post because I just saw the OP's AC comment. Have any other Sense owners (43-50) experiences a similar issue with their AC not keeping up?

While I'm at it, now that you have spent time with your Sense, any insights, plus or negative, on the interior layout or it's sailing prowess.

[jaramanpotter]

Good Morning Beneteau Sense 50 Owners
We took delivery of our Beneteau Sense in Spain in May 2015. She was bought from dealers in Australia who assured us that Med Delivery would be no problem at all. The commissioning went ahead well and she was in the water in 8 days. It was down hill from then on. We had and continue to have major problems with the post-factory extras we asked for - not Beneteau''s problem, I know, but the boat itself and the factory fitted extras have many faults that are not resolved yet, 6 months later. The bilge design allows 10's of liters of water to collect under the floor before it drains into the bilge sump to the automatic sensor - that didn't work. We know this because a freshwater supply hose join in an inaccessible spot leaked. We could hear the pressure pump go off but could see no water in the bilge sump.
The water level gauges show 1/4 full when the tank pumps dry - and the pump keeps pumping as it cannot get the pressure to turn off. Ok when you can hear it but that happened when sailing at night and the wind noise made it impossible to hear the pump running from the cockpit. [We were on flat water not heeling].
The companion hatch leaks. The floor boards are warped, one sitting 10mm proud. New boards were ordered in June but no sign of them.
The inmast furling was faulty and incorrectly installed.
All the B&G instruments have failed. Several times we have lost the lot including AIS and autopilot in sudden storms when the two of us were busy furling sails with the faulty furler.
The airconditioner has had problems from the start and now has an alarming green oily discharge from the motor. The generator packed it in after 14hrs operation.
The list goes on - it is too depressing to continue.
The biggest problem is that we have no direct contact with Beneteau and feel we have had very poor service from our agents, who are the biggest in Australia. We feel isolated and let down.
We are now in Turkey and in touch with the Beneteau agent there. I hope all our issues can be resolved and we can start to enjoy our beautiful boat.

PS we did not choose the Dock and Go, in Australia it is known as the Stop and Go. With the bow thrusters we can put her into a key hole - as long as there is not too much cross wind!

[In The Mood]

Senseless, I know it has been a while, but I am curious if your issues have been resolved? Has Beneteau/your dealer stood up and fixed the dock and go system?

[jaramanpotter]

We are now 18 mths owners of our Sense 50. Most issues are resolved except the bilge design and the water and fuel tank guages. We will learn to manage those issues. No boat is perfect.
We did not get the dock and go but I believe Beneteau has resolved the issues with that.
B&G has replaced our instruments.
We are enjoying our boat now.

[Get-away]

I've always thought B&G stood for Broken Gauges or Bang & Guess - sounds like the trend continues.

[Dariusz]

Hello

I'm the owner of Beneteau Sense 55. The boat is fantastic but....

You are lucky to have only few issues...

I had a lot of problems with propeller, aircon, water systems, genset.

My last one is the decolourisation of the hull. The hull is blue and the shipyard doesn't accept the warranty claim (the boat is still under warranty period). There is a big bright place in the bow (2x2 m) on both sides of hull.

I'm still looking for idea what to do.

Mavbe somebody knows?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by deluxe68

In my opinion simpler is better. Why anyone would want to add a complicated system like this is beyond me. . . .

Because it automates a very complex process, making it doable for a lot of people who couldn't manage it otherwise. This system would give you a great deal of control -- when it's working -- which is a very good thing.

But I wouldn't want "Dock and Go", myself -- too extremely complex. I don't even like saildrives.

But would I turn down additional options and extra control for close quarters maneuvering? No! Top of my list would be twin screws. Not really an option on a boat which is primarily sailed. But failing that, give me a bigger bow thruster with variable speed -- say 15 horsepower, compared to 10 horsepower and fixed speed like I have now. And perhaps a retractable stern thruster.

I do ok with my present 10hp bow thruster, and frequent use of spring lines. But anything which increases control is good, in my book.

Stern thruster is a luxury -- doesn't do all that much which you can't do with counter-rudder or a spring line -- but it would still be nice. Giving very simple sideways displacement of the boat, which is needed in so many tight situations.

[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.

[jaramanpotter]

Thanks for your reply...our Sense is now nearly four years old and we just about have the bugs out. We are no longer in the Med in close contact with mechanics. We have crossed the Atlantic, sailed the Caribbean and are about to transit the Panama Canal and sail the Pacific.
We are happy with our yacht's performance but still maintain she left the factory with way too many faults and developed many more in the first 2 years. But now she is looking after us and we her.

[Haddock1]

Interesting that you have decided to up anchor and for the oceans in your Sense. We are planning something similar in a year or two and thought about exchanging my Sense for something more appropriate ie S/H Contest, Discovery, HR etc ect. However, saying that I have also considered taking the Sense. There are a lot of positives, I understand the boat, she is easily handled by two, I have spent much on her to upgrade systems for long spells away from marinas and she is very capable in a blow. She is, of course CAT A rated so theoretically nothing to stop me. How is your Sense with a following sea? Does the hydraulic guard perform well stopping the cockpit becoming flooded? It's an interesting debate and wondered if you had similar thoughts before your set off across oceans? I would be very interested in your comments and experiences. May change my mind and point west with my Sense. Saves a lot of hassle i.e selling my boat, buying a replacement boat, getting to know her, upgrades etc etc. Are you vloging your trip ie have a website or YouTube channel?

[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.

Originally Posted by Haddock1

Interesting that you have decided to up anchor and for the oceans in your Sense. We are planning something similar in a year or two and thought about exchanging my Sense for something more appropriate ie S/H Contest, Discovery, HR etc ect. However, saying that I have also considered taking the Sense. There are a lot of positives, I understand the boat, she is easily handled by two, I have spent much on her to upgrade systems for long spells away from marinas and she is very capable in a blow. She is, of course CAT A rated so theoretically nothing to stop me. How is your Sense with a following sea? Does the hydraulic guard perform well stopping the cockpit becoming flooded? It's an interesting debate and wondered if you had similar thoughts before your set off across oceans? I would be very interested in your comments and experiences. May change my mind and point west with my Sense. Saves a lot of hassle i.e selling my boat, buying a replacement boat, getting to know her, upgrades etc etc. Are you vloging your trip ie have a website or YouTube channel?