It is an easy climb topside, thanks to the handrails and 45-degree angled steps, revealing a fairly conventional deck layout. An 80amp/h alternator charges the four 140amp/h service batteries plus the 110amp/h starting battery, but these are located rather deep in the bilge and could possibly be susceptible to bilge water. There’s also a hatch in the guest cabin to the 75hp Yanmar saildrive engine and along with the lifting companionway there’s good access to the main service points of the filters, oil and impeller. A cockpit-facing window along with a portlight avoids that dreaded claustrophobic aft-cabin feel and the adjoining spacious bathroom comes with a manual head. For night-time and reading are plenty of strategically placed LEDs as well.įor guests the stern cabins are fairly conventional but come with plenty of cupboards and headroom. Natural light is good thanks to large flush hatches and rectangular portlights. A basin beside the shower is complemented by a second in the toilet which, along with moulded worktops, creates a comprehensive ablutions suite and there’s even enough room for a sizeable vanity/desk with mirror. Other breaks with convention can be found in the owner’s cabin in the bow, including discreet forward-facing windows, French-style separate toilet and plexiglass shower area that also enlarges the main cabin space around the queen bed. Opposite, the aft-facing navigation table will handle a full-sized chart and there’s abundant bulkhead space for instruments. ![]() The sinks are composite Kerrock material with a petite Electrolux dishwasher underneath, while fridge space is 130lt and supplemented by an icebox. ![]() Cooking facilities are fairly conventional, although the two-burner Emo stove/oven should probably be a three/four-burner on a boat of this standard. The U-shaped galley encloses the cook safely at sea and work surface space is adequate, while above, cabinetry storage is good. He points out the subtleties, such as the dual-level mahogany-veneered cabinetry around the galley, are designed to make the area less imposing. “We feel this yacht is much less conventional than previous Oceanis models,” explained Massimo who has spent seven years designing on the marque. The starboard dinette has a movable settee and cleverly the main table is height adjustable, though not to become a bunk. The saloon is vast and 6ft6in high, so I’d welcome some handholds running along the ceiling’s centreline for moving about at sea. ![]() For the inspection, Trade-a-Boat was escorted by Nauta Design’s Massimo Gino, who talked us through the radical changes below: the first Oceanis with large hull windows, white bulkheads and cabinetry that has been elevated to the gunwales, freeing up space around the settee level. ![]() The test boat was a three-cabin owner’s version but up to five cabins are available. Instrumentation was overdone with no less than four Simrad NSS8 plotters two on each binnacle on this demo boat. Power controls are handily placed on the starboard binnacle including the optional Dock&Go joystick, but confusingly the thruster buttons sit on the far side of the housing. Despite the wide beam carried aft, the cockpit isn’t overly empty thanks to the large table and enclosed binnacles that have primary Harken 60 winches inboard, while all halyards run neatly in jammers to twin Harken 46s on the gunwales. Starting in the more enclosed cockpit with unusually-placed Harken deck gear, GRP mainsail arch plus composite twin wheels and an electric swimplatform there’s plenty to like. Sporting hard chines, twin rudders and a more open deck plan, big-brother syndrome is evident aboard the Oceanis 55, however, scratch the surface and there’s plenty of separate DNA. Many of us aspire to be like our older brothers and sisters but establishing our own identity should always be important and so it is with Beneteau’s latest offering to its popular Oceanis range (that comprises a crucial 70 per cent of company sales).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |