Beneteau - First in Performance!

The 2007 Acura Key West Race Week comes to an exciting end and Beneteau was well represented.

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December 18, 2006
Beneteau 49 Wins Boat of the Year "Best Full Size Production Cruiser"

“Offers comforts dreamed of by cruising families and couples.*”

Marion, SC… The Beneteau 49 was awarded Boat of the Year by Cruising World Magazine for Best Full Size Production Cruiser. Cruising World magazine announced* the best in boatbuilding for 2007 with its 14th annual Boat of the Year Awards on December 11th. The results will be featured in Cruising World’s January 2007 issue.

In October, the judges nominated 26 boats in six categories: small production cruisers, midsize cruisers, multihulls, full-size production cruisers, full-size cruisers and a special-purpose category called, "Nothing quite like it." The judges included Stacey Collins, a lifelong cruiser who served as a consumer representative; Ed Sherman, a systems expert and curriculum developer for the ABYC; Alvah Simon who looked at safety issues and how the boat’s gear was laid out; and Peter Wormwood, a sailboat designer, manufacturer and multihull racer. The judges toured the boats at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, and sailed them on Chesapeake Bay over four days.

In the category of Full Size Production cruisers, the competition included the Bavaria 46, Hunter 45CC, Moorings 51.5, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49 Performance and the Beneteau 49.

As the judges worked their way through this category, their focus began to settle on two models, the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 49 Performance and the Beneteau 49. It was the interior of the Beneteau 49 that sealed it with the BOTY judges in this category. “A well-organized topside combined with straight lines, lots of ports, and light colors below make this boat standout.”

“First and foremost, these boats are sailers, so on the water, sailing characteristics came to the forefront. But they are also meant to be aquatic hideaways for their owners, so dockside charm also factored into a lengthy deliberation. The Beneteau 49 offered lots of creature comforts to a cruising family or couple, making it the Best Full-Size Production Cruiser for 2007.”

For more information about the Beneteau 49 please visit www.beneteauusa.com.

Beneteau USA, the American division of the world’s largest sailboat manufacturer, builds hundreds of 32-49 foot production sailboats, as well as the Swift Trawler 42, in Marion, SC and imports sailing yachts up to 57 feet in length from its parent company in France. The boats are sold through a network of over 40 dealers from the north in Alaska to the southern tip of Chile.

Beneteau First 50 Named A Best Boat For 2007 by SAIL Magazine

Marion, SC… The Beneteau First 50 has been named a Best Boat for 2007 by SAIL Magazine. The results will be featured in SAIL’s January 2007 issue.

SAIL’s Best Boats program is designed to seek out and acknowledge true innovation and forward thinking; the awards are based on firsthand knowledge of the new boats seen at the fall shows. SAIL editors Peter Nielsen and Kimball Livingston, editor-at large Charles Doane and Bill
Springer combed the docks at the shows and have given Editors’ Choice awards for innovation and overall excellence.

“Best Boats is not a contest in which there are winners and losers, but rather a celebration of true advancements in every aspect of sailboat production, from technology to design and execution. Our goal is to discover and reward the ideas and refinements that propel sailing into the 21st century,” said Bill Springer.

There’s often a certain sameness to boat interiors – unless the designer chooses to take a risk. Two boats were recognized by the Editors Choice awards for Excellence in Accommodations Design, one was the Beneteau First 50.

SAIL magazine said, “The First 50 has an aggressive, modern look above decks and below. Veerle Battiau has blended light wood, minimalist furniture, shiny grabrails, nickel-plated light fixtures, and a beautiful dark-stained, matte-finished sole into a wonderful expression of Now. But style doesn’t diminish functionality at sea. The settees, with their squared-off corners, make excellent seaberths. Handholds are where they’re supposed to be, countertops have suitable fiddles, and cabinet provide generous stowage. This is an excellent example of a fresh, new look at accommodations.”

For more information about the Beneteau First 50 please visit www.beneteauusa.com.

Beneteau USA, the American division of the world’s largest sailboat manufacturer, builds hundreds of 32-49 foot production sailboats, as well as the Swift Trawler 42, in Marion, SC and imports sailing yachts up to 57 feet in length from its parent company in France. The boats are sold through a network of over 40 dealers from the north in Alaska to the southern tip of Chile.