Beneteau recently launched its Gran Turismo range, and the new Pierangelo Andreani-designed GTs are making waves with bold exteriors and clean, contemporary interiors. More important, they deliver what the builder believes owners really want: better outdoor living spaces and villa-style connections to the water. Beneteau says the current GT models offer 30 percent more exterior space than the previous generation.
The GT50 is the flagship of the three-model series. It’s a hardtop coupe that sleeps as many as five people in a three-stateroom, two-head layout. Stylistically, it’s on trend with a reverse-raked bow and low-slung roofline.
The emphasis on outdoor space is obvious, particularly from the stern. The GT50’s extra-long cockpit, with fold-down terraces and a substantial swim platform, creates a splendid entertainment zone for guests who play by day or glam it up for sundowners. The focal point is a pair of facing C-shaped settees that surround a folding teak table. The aft settee has a flip-down backrest that converts it to a sun pad. The builder intended this combination to be the beating heart of the boat.
A locker beneath the sun pad opens at the touch of a switch. It’s large enough for a partially deflated inflatable or a fully inflated paddleboard. Both can be manually floated from the standard swim platform. A full-beam hydraulic platform with 880 pounds of capacity is available as an option and can support a small Williams jet tender or personal watercraft.
The foredeck is another highlight of the GT50. It has side-by-side sun beds just forward of the windshield, each with an adjustable backrest. They face a lounge area with a pedestal table that’s neatly recessed into the bow. One of the ways Beneteau was able to create this space was by concealing the anchor in a retractable housing. When stowed, the anchor folds into the bow rather than projecting forward on a conventional bow roller.
The enclosed main deck is unusual because it’s relatively compact. Beneteau designed it that way to give more space to the cockpit and foredeck. The after half of the interior space is devoted entirely to the galley. Forward, a staircase to port leads to the accommodations level, while a C-shaped dinette beneath the windshield seats three. The single-seat helm is to starboard. Although there isn’t a side-deck door for the helmsman, there are opening windows, and a sunroof provides excellent ventilation and a good standing view forward.
The main salon opens to the cockpit. A sliding door opens to port, while a window above the galley to starboard lifts to create a pass-through serving bar. An optional drop-down TV can be viewed from inside the enclosure and out in the cockpit.
For overnight stays, there’s an owners’ stateroom forward with the ensuite to port.
Amidships are two more staterooms. The VIP to starboard has twin berths that convert to a wide double. The smaller guest stateroom to port has a single berth. These staterooms share the day head to starboard.
The 50GT and its siblings (the 35 and 40) are available with an optional styling package called Alpine, which gives the boats a sportier, premium look. The product of a partnership between Beneteau and the French performance car brand Alpine, the package includes exterior upgrades like a metallic blue hull with black accents, black hardware and pop-up cleats. To my eye, the look evokes the 1980s, which I liked back then and still like now.
The Alpine interior on the GT50 is cool and contemporary, with upgraded oak and walnut veneers, decorative carbon fiber at the helm console with three Garmin multifunction displays, and an Alcantara steering wheel. There’s also a striking blue driver’s seat from German manufacturer Recaro, a favorite in the automotive performance world. It’s every bit as comfortable as it looks. The helm is set well abaft the instruments, but the essential controls fall easily to hand.
As for performance, the GT50 is designed to run for long distances at a comfortable planing pace rather than at wide-open throttle for outright speed. For that reason, there are no engine options. The yacht is designed around twin 480 hp Volvo Penta D6s with IPS650 drives to deliver a top speed between 30 to 32 knots. During our time aboard, running with roughly one-third load, we saw 31.2 knots. I’m confident that with a little more fine-tuning of the Zipwake trim system, 32 knots is achievable.
The GT50 excels at everyday cruising speeds for owners who want to explore long stretches of coastline fast, but not too fast. Between 20 and 27 knots, the cruising range remains remarkably consistent at around 225 to 230 nautical miles. Throttle back to 10 knots, and the GT’s range extends another 50 to 60 nautical miles for even more time on the water.
Handling at all speeds is exemplary, although the Mediterranean was flat calm during our run and offered little challenge to the yacht’s performance. As for low-speed maneuvering, it’s easy thanks to Volvo Penta’s Joystick Docking System.
Other notable details include an option for a gyrostabilizer, easy access to the engine room via a hydraulic hatch beneath the cockpit table, cockpit lighting that can be synchronized to pulse with the Fusion sound system, and Iroko planking on deck in the cockpit (it can also be ordered as an option for the foredeck).
If you’re looking for a fun-in-the-sun dayboat that can serve as an occasional weekender with genuine beach-club appeal, the GT50 is more than ready for the role.
Sound of Silence
The Silent Boat Pack is a worthwhile option for the GT50. This energy upgrade has solar panels, a lithium-ion battery bank and two high-performance inverters rated at 5,000 and 8,000 kVA. The components provide a self-sufficient, emissions-free power supply for running onboard amenities in silence at anchor. That combo promises up to five hours of power with normal systems running, but without the engines or the 12.6-kW Mase variable-speed generator in operation.
Proving Grounds
We spent time aboard the GT50 off Groupe Beneteau’s production facility in Monfalcone, Italy. While the GT50 is built in France, Monfalcone serves as the company’s hub for larger yachts. Located at the northern tip of the Adriatic Sea, the waterfront facility sits about 60 miles northeast of Venice and just west of Trieste, near the Slovenian border.
Take the next step: beneteau.com
