Beneteau 46

The Beneteau 46, also sold as the Oceanis 46, is a French sailboat that was designed by Berret-Racoupeau as a cruiser and first built in 2007. The interior was designed by Nauta Design.

Production
The design was built by Beneteau in France, starting in 2007, but it is now out of production.

Design
The Beneteau 46 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of glassfibre, with wood trim. The hull is solid vinylester fibreglass and the deck is balsa-cored. It has a fractional sloop rig, with a deck-stepped mast, aluminium spars with stainless steel wire standing rigging. The hull has a slightly raked stem, a walk-through reverse transom with a swimming platform, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by dual wheels and a fixed fin keel with a weighted bulb or optional deep-draft keel. It displaces 23292 lb and carries 7143 lb of cast iron ballast in the fin keel model and 6422 lb of ballast in the deep draft model.

The boat has a draft of 5.75 ft with the standard keel and 6.75 ft with the optional deep draft keel.

The boat is fitted with a Japanese Yanmar 4JH4AE diesel engine of 54 hp for docking and manoeuvring. The fuel tank holds 53 u.s.gal and the fresh water tank has a capacity of 150 u.s.gal.

The design was built with two and three cabin interiors, with sleeping accommodation for four to six people. The two cabin arrangement has a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, a U-shaped settee and a straight settee in the main salon and an aft cabin with a diagonal double island berth on the starboard side. The three cabin interior just divides the large aft cabin into two, each with a double berth. The galley is located on the port side, just aft of the companionway ladder. The galley is C-shaped and is equipped with a two-burner stove, a refrigerator, freezer and a double sink. A navigation station is opposite the galley, on the starboard side. There are two heads, both with showers, one in the bow cabin on the port side and one on the starboard side aft.

For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with an asymmetrical spinnaker of 1291.67 sqft.

The design has a hull speed of 8.48 kn and a PHRF handicap of 84 to 96 for the standard keel and 69 to 90 for the deep draft keel.

Operational history
In a 2007 Cruising World review, Andrew Burton wrote, "from the moment you climb aboard the Beneteau 46, you notice innovations that make operating the boat easier. Standing on the transom swim platform, you’ll see an insert with a locking hatch sized for a six-man life raft. Remove the insert to install a small generator under the cockpit sole. Twin wheels flank a seat that folds out of the way when boarding. The long cockpit overlooks a cambered, raised deckhouse. Water that makes it past the dodger will be channeled to the deck from the wide dashboard"

In a 2008 review for Sail Magazine, Tom Dove wrote, "the most striking feature of the 46 is its unique aft cabin. The diagonal berth, is easy to reach from three sides and adds headroom where it's most needed. This arrangement will be very comfortable in port."

In a 2008 Practical Sailor review, Darrell Nicholson wrote, "though it is relatively light for its size and carries a good-sized rig, we wouldn’t call it 'sensitive.' Creating its own breeze, the 46 we tested powered through puffs and lulls without great variation on the knotmeter. Its helm remained light, and it tacked through 90 degrees with minimal fuss. She has a balanced rudder set well aft, and you could tell. Steering was precise and easy under both sail and power. Tracking was excellent."