European Yacht of the Year- Beneteau Oceanis 45
by Nancy Knudsen on 30 Jan 2012
Beneteau Oceanis 45 in action SW
They've done it again. Beneteau, possibly the best known cruising brand in the world and always an ideal choice for coastal cruising, has just won another accolade as the European Yacht of the Year for 2012, in the Family Cruiser category.
The Oceanis 45 has won this coveted title, one of four yachts chosen in their own category. The yacht was first shown in 2011 at the Cannes Boat Show, so it's fresh on the market.
The European Yacht of the Year is a highly coveted title to win, sometimes called the 'Oscar' of the sailing world. It is presented each year at BOOT, the Dusseldorf Boat Show.
Yachts entered go through a rigorous testing process by eleven yachting journalists representing many of the top sailing magazines in Europe.
This year the panel of journalists represented eleven countries as well as eleven magazines - Germany YACHT,
France VOILE MAGAZINE, Spain YATE, Italy FARE VELA, Netherlands WATERKAMPIOEN, Czech Republic YACHTREVUE,
England YACHTING WORLD, Danmark BAADNYT, Sweden BATNYTT, Switzerland MARINA.CH, Norway SEILAS
The Beneteau Oceanis 45:
Launched only last year and designed by Pascal Conq, the new Oceanis 45 benefits from a host of innovative features that must have impressed the jury.
These include a well-balanced sail plan, a rig that's stepped further aft, a Targa bar above the companionway that improves the sheeting angle of the main sail, wide and gently descending companionway steps, a large and well-organised cockpit and a stern hatch that doubles as a swim platform when lowered.
The new generation hull that delivers comfortable yet fast sailing was also seen as a noteworthy feature.
Upon receiving the award Jean-Francois Lair, Export Manager for Beneteau said, 'We are very proud of the new Oceanis 45 and to get this industry recognition is fantastic. I am sure that the intelligent design features and versatility of this yacht will make it extremely popular with cruising sailors.'
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While the Oceanis 45 is every inch a Beneteau, for the new design, the cockpit and mainsail arch are one of the pronounced differences between the 45 compared to the previous generation. The company has added the fixed mainsail arch and moved the mast back to 47% from the bow.
The open transom has a bathing platform. What is interesting is that can be closed up while underway and then opened at anchor for easy water access - an excellent feature for a cruising boat.
A feature noted in the Sense line has been continued in this yacht - the pronounced chin carried back to the stern.
The 45 also features a removable inner forestay/solent sail on a second mounting point
There's a good bow compartment for gear storage, and flush, tinted hatches give substantial ventilation below decks.
Technical details:
Design :
Fino-Conq architectes
Interior layout and design :
Nauta Design
Length Over All :
13,85 m - 45’5’’
Hull Length :
13,50 m - 44’3’’
Hull Beam :
4,49 m - 14’9’’
Light displacement :
9 550 kg - 21,048 lbs
Fuel tank capacity :
200 L - 53 US Gal
Fresh water capacity :
570 L - 151 US Gal
Max Engine Power (Hp) :
54 CV POD 90 - 54 HP POD 90
Propulsion :
Sail Drive
CE Certification :
A10/B11/C12
Recommended price * :
€ 170,900 Excl VAT
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