Beneteau Sense 43, the Small Sense for Couples

Who the Beneteau Sense 43 actually suits

The Beneteau Sense 43 is best understood as a two-person boat that can host friends for dinner, not a family boat that sleeps six. Every conventional 43 footer of its era crammed cabins under the cockpit; this one gives that volume to living space instead. Two-thirds of the length is cockpit and saloon, and the two cabins and the single head are pushed into the bow, as SAIL put it when it tested the boat off Miami Beach.

That makes a used Sense 43 for sale an easy recommendation for a cruising couple who entertain, and a poor one for a family of five. Decide which you are before you fall for the view out of the saloon windows.

From a Miami debut to a quiet exit

Beneteau launched two Sense models in the 2010 to 2011 show season. The Sense 50 came first; the 43 made its US debut at the Miami boat show in February 2011, and Cruising World reported that the first production hull was not available until March 2011, with more than 30 expected to sell that year. SAIL nominated it for its Best Boats 2012 awards and tested it in early 2012.

The line later grew with the Sense 55 and Sense 46, but SAIL reported in 2017 that Beneteau had discontinued the smaller Sense models while turning the 50 and 55 into the 51 and 57. Beneteau's last inventory list for the 43 that we found is dated January 2015, so used boats are mostly model years 2011 to 2015.

A big-boat cockpit, and the missing traveler

Step aboard over the open transom, past the two wheels and their fold-up helm seats, and the cockpit opens into a social space with a collapsible table to starboard whose wrap-around benches convert to a sunbed. Only three low steps separate it from the saloon. Two very large cockpit lockers can swallow fuel jugs, sails, an outboard and a rolled tender; SAIL noted there is even room for a passage berth in the port locker, which has a vent for that purpose.

All lines run aft to winches at the forward end of the coamings. The mainsheet drops from the arch over the companionway, with no traveler, and SAIL's tester missed one. The line bins in the coamings are small, so the cockpit fills with tails. SAIL's other criticism is the one every Sense owner learns to respect: the open stern offers no protection from boarding seas aft, so this is a coastal and island cruiser rather than a heavy-weather passagemaker.

Saloon, galley and the two bow cabins

Below, the saloon is open on all sides, with windows facing port, starboard and aft into the cockpit, and catamaran-style sightlines. The in-line galley runs along the port side behind a sturdy center island that hides a pop-up television, and a dinette with a wrap-around settee sits opposite. SAIL called the navigation station, which runs along the aft edge of the settee with a window into the cockpit, one of the best on a boat of this size. Headroom is 6 ft 5 in according to Beneteau.

Forward of the saloon is the sleeping zone. Cruising World described a head with separate shower to starboard opposite a guest cabin with a double berth, and the owner's cabin in the bow with a queen-size berth flanked by hanging lockers. SAIL suggested the guest cabin would work better with twin bunks for a couple sailing with two children.

Beneteau's documentation lists the boat as 2 cabins, 1 head. If a listing claims two heads, ask to see it, because that was not the standard arrangement.

Speeds recorded by SAIL and Cruising World

SAIL's shoal-keel test boat, with an in-mast furling main, self-tacking jib and a gennaker on a continuous-line furler, held 5.7 to 6 knots close-hauled at 40 degrees apparent in 10 to 12 knots of true wind. With the gennaker set on a close reach it reached 7.6 knots, then 6.7 knots on a flat reach and 4.7 knots at 135 degrees apparent. The helm was so well balanced that the boat steered itself close-hauled for up to ten minutes. Cruising World, sailing the prototype in about 10 knots, saw 5 knots with the furling main and blade, tacked through about 100 degrees and went just over 7 knots once the code zero was unrolled.

Under power the 54 hp Yanmar pushed SAIL's boat to 6.5 knots at 1,800 rpm and 9 knots flat out at 3,000 rpm. Cruising World measured about 7.5 knots at 2,400 rpm. The twin rudders gave decent control astern if kept at modest angles, although Cruising World found the boat sluggish turning to starboard in reverse.

• Close-hauled, 10 to 12 knots true: 5.7 to 6 knots (SAIL)
• Close reach with gennaker: 7.6 knots (SAIL)
• Motoring at 1,800 rpm: 6.5 knots (SAIL)
• Motoring at 2,400 rpm: about 7.5 knots (Cruising World)
• Wide open at 3,000 rpm: 9 knots (SAIL)

Can a Sense 43 have Dock & Go?

This trips up buyers. At launch, the joystick-controlled Dock & Go system was offered only with the 75 hp Yanmar used on the Sense 50, and SAIL's 2012 test said the 43 could not be ordered with it, though a conventional bow thruster was available. Cruising World reported in mid 2011 that the system had become an option on the 43, and Beneteau's January 2015 inventory list shows a pod version alongside the 54 hp saildrive. In practice most Sense 43s on the market have the standard engine, so check the drive leg and the helm controls before assuming either way.

Small tanks and awkward engine access

Standard tankage is modest: 53 gallons of diesel and 136 gallons of water, with Beneteau offering a second 53 gallon fuel tank and an extra 42 gallon water tank. For Bahamas or Caribbean cruising, look for a boat with both.

Engine access is the recurring complaint. SAIL found the engine mounted far back in its space, reachable through the companionway steps or removable panels in the cockpit lockers, so a full locker has to be emptied before you can check the oil. Cruising World also flagged the engine fluid check panel in the starboard locker. Ask the owner how servicing has been done, and look for signs of skipped maintenance.

What a Sense 43 costs to buy and keep

Expect to pay roughly $170,000 to $270,000 depending on year, equipment and location, with many of the best examples in Europe. Running costs are those of a mid-40s cruiser, about $16,000 to $32,000 a year for slip, insurance, haul-out and routine work, though the single head and simple systems keep maintenance lower than on a three-cabin boat of similar length.