No matter what the determining factors: market percentage, overall sales volume, beauty-value-innovation, or simply the length of the que’s formed to get into each boat – this year’s USA Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland once again proved that Beneteau leads the pleasure/performance sailboat market. Although they lead the market, they do not stop to rest on their laurels.

Beneteau USA unveiled four new boats in all, two new cruisers and two new First Series performance boats. Six words are brought to mind after seeing the future.

• Innovation
• Design
• Performance
• Value
• Elegance
• Quality

The new Beneteau 49 will dominate the market in the 50' cruising range. Designed with short handed cruising in mind, the 49 is beautiful, spacious, and elegant. The large cockpit can comfortably hold 12 of your closest friends and family, yet the winch and double wheel helm locations afford the short handed sailor the convenience of trouble-free boat maneuvering. The bow can easily be seen from the helm to make docking and sailing straightforward. The roomy, wide-open main saloon offers lots of head room (over 6'-6"), a separate L-shaped galley and Nav station, multi-functional main saloon table with pivoting lid, starboard side settee with double seating and port side "U" shaped settee. In addition, there is a general purpose head with shower located near the main saloon area.

The owner's cabin is forward with plenty of hanging locker space, a desk with seating, and a large head with separate shower. The aft cabin has a 45 degree angled queen sized berth, 6'-7" headroom, and a separate owner's vanity to port with extra storage. The boat is also offered with a double aft cabin arrangement.

The entire boat is outfitted with a beautiful parquet-style hardwood floor which compliments the light Moabi (mahogany-family) varnished interior.

The new Beneteau 46 is a slightly-smaller version of the new Beneteau 49. Both boats were commissioned for design by the world-renowned Berret/Racoupeau design group. For the interiors, the Milan, Italy design team of Nauta Yachts was selected and their results are excellent as well. The boat we saw in Annapolis is the first 46 to hit the US market. The lines were long at these two models, and many retail orders were taken. Introductory pricing and boat show incentives made the 46 and 49 the stars of the show. Seventeen orders were placed for the 49 and 15 were placed for the 46. Karma Yacht Sales has a new Beneteau 49 and Beneteau 46 on order, with delivery coming in early winter. If you hurry, one of these boats could be yours next spring!

Next up is the beautiful and sexy First 50, designed by Philippe Briand, and borrowing slightly (and legally) from the mega-yacht Wally design. At first glance, she looks as though she is sailing at 12 knots while tied up at the dock! The black mast and max-depth boom (part of the “S” option package) rise over 70’ above the water line. With the sleek, flush cabin house, twin steering wheels, single centerline main winch, and optional teak decks, the boat is simply beautiful. The interior is a blond oak with horizontal grain, accented by stainless steel, brown leather, and direct and indirect halogen lighting. Everything about this boat is stylish, innovative, and original. The First 50 is a truly exceptional yacht designed with the discerning owner in mind.

Next is the new Beneteau First 10R by Farr Yacht Design. This 32'9" (10 meter) speedster will bring home silver in any setting. With its large, wide cockpit, 63” steering wheel, carbon fiber mast, and—a first for Beneteau—a retractable bow sprit, also made of carbon fiber. The 10R below decks is a very comfortable, yet light, two cabin layout with a forward head. It still offers the traditional First-style interior, so after the race you can celebrate and relax in style. This boat was designed to compete well in the IRC rating system and will be a strong one-design boat for Beneteau. It is also the first boat to be made by Beneteau with the infusion/injection process, which adds strength while reducing weight. We think the 10R could revolutionize the sport boat market. It sets a higher benchmark for what today’s racer can have in a boat, without having to compromise on the interior or modern comforts.