Beneteau Sense 46

Even in a sterile exhibit hall the Sense 46 comes across as inviting. Her gigantic asymmetrical cockpit with soft snap-on cushions easily handled the rush of attendees. Good thing too, because the interest in the second smallest model of this line was immense.

When the French manufacturer introduced the first Sense about two years ago, even dealers considered it a product for a small niche of the private-owner market. With the recently presented Sense 46 there are four models already between 43 and 55 feet in length in this series, which sells better than expected. “With these boats we add new clients, especially coming out of the catamaran sector,” one dealer explained during...

I remember calling the Beneteau Sense 50 a game-changer when I first saw it spin in its own length against a 15-knot cross-breeze at the Annapolis sailboat show a couple of years ago. I can’t really call the Sense 46 that, only because she’s now one of four in the Beneteau Sense line. But don’t get me wrong—this perfectly-sized couple’s boat is still a show-stopper in her own right. The 46 shares several features with her sister ships including propulsion, a unique cockpit, and separation of machinery from living spaces. Like the rest of the line, it has multihull appeal with monohull benefits, which have given the Sense brand the...

The Sense concept is about relaxing (rather than enduring!) onboard for the select few, so there’s no multitude of cabins and layouts offered. Onboard life is divided into three spaces; kicking-off with the huge cockpit, then the open-plan saloon and finally the privacy of the two forward cabins.

For ease of handling Beneteau’s options list is extensive and to complete the Sense concept, the boxes to tick include...

During my test sail in the breeze of early summer in Spain, I sailed the boat flat as you would do on a non-chined hull, and then put her slightly on her ear to test the difference in speed and handling. It became immediately evident that the slight heel really gave an almost black and white contrast. The speed increased, the rudders dug in and she cut through the waves instead of going over them.

Due to the amazing beaminess of the Sense, the angle really made no difference to life on-board in terms of brewing a cup of tea, using the heads down below or moving around in the cockpit. As is fairly standard on deep-chined yachts, the Sense comes with twin rudders, which really give an amazing feel to steering and would certainly reduce fatigue over longer periods when you can’t use the auto-pilot; such as the shipping lanes that we encounter so much across Asian waters...

As I stepped out of the car, clouds hurried across the sky, giving way to sunshine and what promised to be a picture-perfect day to sail the new Beneteau Sense 46 in Annapolis, MD. With hard chines, a generous beam and large cockpit, it was easy to spot the Sense 46 from the parking lot. Up close, the boat looked as though it could sail well and carry all of my friends, family and co-workers at the same time...