Another great review for the award-winning Oceanis 46.1 in the latest edition of Sails Magazine. The review covers everything from features to interior space, engineering and, of course, performance.
“Beneteau’s new Oceanis 46.1 epitomizes the best of modern production yacht design, where the emphasis is firmly on ‘user-friendly’, but with enhanced performance, as Kevin Green reports.”
Marine Journalist Kevin Green test sailed the Oceanis 46.1 on a perfect Pittwater day. Here’s an excerpt of what Kevin wrote about his experience:
“A windy day with gusts is an ideal way to test a performance cruiser, as the boat requires constant adjustment, so my time at the helm of the Oceanis 46.1 was thrilling. With the genoa fully unwound and the carbon mainsail quickly hoisted by the electric Harken winch, our review boat was fully loaded as the 20 knot gusts blew off the nearby Pittwater hills.
From comfortable seating on the teak coaming, only a light touch on the composite wheel was required to control the 46.1 and even in the gusts, the weather helm proved just about right as we slowly rounded up than bore away in the lulls. The deep lead-bulbed keel drove us close to windward (about 25 degrees) while boat speed was an impressive eight knots in the 13-knot breeze, rising to 9.8 as the gusts hit.
Razor sharp tacking followed as the flat paneled North Sails genoa snapped across and was skirted quickly by my crewmate. Walking easily between the helms and sitting out far enough to see the telltail stream horizontal confirmed the good overall ergonomics of the 46.1’s steering setup.
Off the wind, another pleasant surprise awaited, because the wide hull maintained its speed when running at 170 degrees. This boded well for when a Code 0 could be hoisted off the bowsprit, allowing the stepped hull to lift in the water and accelerate downwind. Cruising sailors will also benefit from this efficient hull, which made me conclude that this Oceanis 46.1 is indeed a pleasurable performer.”
Thanks to Kevin Green and Sails Magazine.
Read the full NEW Oceanis 46.1 FIRST Line test sail article here. Find out more about the New Oceanis 46.1 here. And find out more about the latest edition of Sails Magazine here.
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