Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62

A groundbreaking mini-superyacht from a major industry player

- Zuzana Prochazka

Sometimes I get lucky. When I stepped aboard Beneteau’s new flagship, I was the first journalist (from anywhere) to examine and sail hull #1 of the new “Oceanis Yacht” line. The word “yacht” has been added to designate Oceanis models 60ft and over. It’s a bold new direction for the French builder, which is now reaching beyond pure production boats to luxury-oriented mini-superyachts.

DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

The design firm of Berret Racoupeau, a longtime Beneteau collaborator, drew this model from scratch. Beneteau then leveraged its relationship with Pierreangelo Adreani (who has worked extensively on the company’s powerboats) to add some aesthetic touches.

The resulting boat is sleek, with a profile accented by a black hull stripe that hides a dozen dark windows. The high topsides permit a low-profile coach roof that does not impinge upon the volume and headroom below decks. Even the 30in lifelines don’t make the model look particularly tall at the dock. As a side note, I’m happy to see the return of functional lifelines on an offshore vessel. It’s a nod to safety that I hope other builders will emulate.

The tapered 9/10 fractional deck-stepped Sparcraftmast towers over the deck with an air draft of 90ft. With the 105 percent genoa, the total sail area with an in-mast furling main is 1,959ft2. A 2,600ft2 Code 0 is also available as an option. The massive sailplan is managed by four electric Harken winches aft, near the helms.

ON DECK

The Code 0 attaches on the integrated stainless steel bowsprit. It’s large and helps to hold the anchor away from the plumb bow, but isn’t obtrusive and melds nicely into the overall hull shape. A sun pad dominates the foredeck. It is one of six such areas aboard. Loungers rejoice!