Beneteau Sense 46 Specs, Layout and Ownership Notes

Where the Beneteau Sense 46 fits

The Beneteau Sense 46 arrived after the rest of the family. The 50 launched in 2010, the 43 in 2011 and the 55 in 2012, and the 46 appeared in Cruising World's galleries in August 2012, with sailboatdata giving 2013 as its first year of production. It filled the gap between the two-cabin, one-head 43 and the three-cabin 50 with a layout that suits a couple who often sail with one other couple: two proper en suite cabins plus a separate day toilet.

Like its siblings it keeps every cabin forward of the saloon, leaving the aft third of the boat to a wide cockpit, a technical space and machinery. Beneteau's June 2015 equipment list is the latest we found, and SAIL reported in 2017 that the smaller Sense models had been discontinued, so used boats are mostly 2013 to 2015 model years.

The drawbridge helm seats and drop-down transom

Beneteau's description of the stern is apt: the two helm seats lift like a drawbridge to open a passage to the swim platform, and a jack-assisted transom lowers fully or rises to close off the cockpit for sailing. Yachting Monthly's Chris Beeson called this the area where the 46 trumps any monohull of its size for anchoring life, with stowage on the platform for the kedge, shorelines and snorkeling gear and a shower for rinsing off.

The cockpit table lowers to make a huge sun lounger, and the galley is close enough to hand drinks straight up. The one practical gap is tender stowage. Yachting Monthly suggested carrying the dinghy on the foredeck, hoisted with a halyard and an electric winch, since there is no garage.

Three steps down to a saloon built around one piece of furniture

Only three steps, sloping at 45 degrees, lead below instead of the usual five. The saloon is organized around a central unit edged with stainless fiddles that Beneteau calls three in one: it holds an extra double seat for the saloon table, hides a motorized 32 in television and gives the cook something solid to lean on when the boat heels. A bench seats six at the table and doubles as the seat for the chart table, and the long galley runs along the hull with a grey resin worktop.

Forward, the master cabin has a 2 m by 1.60 m island bed and an en suite bathroom with a separate shower. The guest cabin also has a large double and its own shower room, and a separate toilet serves daytime guests so nobody walks through a cabin. Large hull portholes give a sea view from both cabins. Yachting Monthly found the light and ventilation peerless and noted a dedicated space for passage planning or working on a laptop.

Underway, a boat that never felt pressed

Yachting Monthly sailed the 46 with full main and genoa and logged passage speeds of 7 to 10 knots for most of the test in a fine cruising breeze. The boat sat comfortably on its chines, never felt hard-pressed and offered handholds everywhere below while sailing. The tester summed it up as quick without any apparent effort, with a spacious, line-free cockpit and handling simple enough that the skipper could do almost everything from the helm with the autopilot engaged.

The numbers support that. With a 42 ft 5 in waterline, 27,123 lb light displacement and 1,072 sq ft in the main and 103 percent genoa, sailboatdata calculates a sail area to displacement ratio near 19.5 and a displacement to length ratio around 152. An asymmetric spinnaker of about 1,290 sq ft was the downwind option.

A 75 hp saildrive and only 53 gallons of diesel

Power is a 75 hp Yanmar on a saildrive, compatible with Beneteau's Dock & Go joystick system, which pairs a swivel saildrive base with a bow thruster. The standard fuel tank holds just 200 liters, about 53 gallons, in the saloon, and Beneteau offered a second tank of the same size in the technical area. Water is 140 gallons standard plus an optional 42 gallon tank under the saloon floor. A 6 kVA generator, electric genoa sheet winches and an electric coachroof winch were on the option list.

For US cruising with long motoring legs, the second fuel tank is close to essential. Check the listing carefully, because the standard boat's range under power is short for a 46 footer.

Who should look elsewhere

Skip the Sense 46 if you need three cabins, plan offshore passages in high latitudes or want a protected center cockpit. Its large hull windows, open stern and modest tanks all point to coastal and island cruising. Families with young children may also prefer the 50's bunk cabin, or the Sense 43 if budget matters more than the second head.

Price and running costs

Used Sense 46s typically ask about $210,000 to $310,000. Many were sold in Europe, and the boat was marketed heavily to Mediterranean owners, so a US buyer may need to import. Expect $18,000 to $38,000 a year in slip, insurance, haul-out and maintenance, more if the boat has a generator, air conditioning and the full set of electric options.