Beneteau USA: Getting Greener, Getting Smarter

Beneteau USA displayed nine models at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October. While all but one of these models have been in production for at least one year, the 2010 versions of these boats features some new ideas that should appeal to Beneteau fans. These items will help a new owner inject some personality into their new boat, and the response to these ideas has-so far-been very positive. Once again, Beneteau has enhanced the value of their offerings.

• Lightly-colored gel coat hulls are now available on the Beneteau 40, 43, 46, and 50. These hull colors are not the result of a paint job, as they were in the past, but are simply color pigments that are mixed into the gel coat before it is sprayed into the hull mold. The result is an attractive, softer color, but without the expense and repair issues often posed by paint. There are four different hull color choices, and nine striping color choices to choose from.

• The interior gains another added dimension with the introduction of bed spreads, cabin and salon pillows, as these are now available as a Beneteau option.Three different color/pattern schemes are available.

• LED lights will become standard on all boats in 2010.The interior lighting, which has been mainly halogen lighting for many years, will be replaced with LED lighting with a warm glow to them.LED lights burn cool (as opposed to hot halogen lights);LED lights also use less than 25% of the power necessary for halogen lights, and LED lights can last up to ten times the lifetime of halogen or regular bulb lighting.This will also positively affect the battery draw from the boats on-board power system, as the LED lighting will greatly reduce the consumption from the batteries.

• Another significant change is the addition of some popular options that are now included as standard features-at a fraction of their original cost. For some time now, dealers have ordered certain options on nearly every boat-options that the majority of our customers were seemingly always selecting when buying or ordering a new boat. Beneteau’s production capabilities allow them to include many of these options for a cost that is much less than they were individually. The result is more value at less cost.

Something else Beneteau has done recently is to add equipment to their factory. In spring, 2009, a new CNC machinery-driven wood-cutting machine was added to the factory floor. This machine has amazing precision, and it is capable of cutting perfect wood parts for many Beneteau models-new and old. Until now, Beneteau’s only wood factory was located in St. Hillare de Rez, France, and has produced all the wood for every Beneteau. Having a machine here in the USA will help keep costs down, cut down on parts-order delays, and it will eventually allow for faster production of new boats at the US factory in Marion, SC. And the resulting parts will have a greatly-reduced carbon footprint.