4 minute read
HIGH SEAS
HIGH SEAS Grand DESIGN
Beneteau’s new Grand Trawler 62 loves taking it easy but has the power to get up and go
By Howard Walker
You won’t find it listed in The New England Journal of Medicine or even on WebMD, but there’s a condition afflicting buyers of trawlerstyle motor yachts. It’s called SAS—short for speed anxiety syndrome—and it’s on the rise. These owners know they’ll spend 99 percent of their cruising days watching the world go by at a nice-and-easy 9 or 10 knots, ensuring no rum punch ever spills. And yet, should they need to open the taps and get home fast—say, at the first sign of a thunderhead or the impending arrival of happy hour at the yacht club—they want their vessel to deliver. With the SAS sufferer in mind, French trawler yacht builder Beneteau has introduced a gorgeous new flagship known as the Grand Trawler 62. While it was designed to cruise for days on end at whisper-quiet, single-digit speeds, the 62 boasts a pair of 730hp MAN diesels ready to punch to 20 knots when the need arises.
This new Grand Trawler 62 replaces the much-loved Swift Trawler 52 and is the result of numerous conversations with existing Swift Trawler owners. They asked for a softer-riding, w a v e - c l e a v i n g , d i s p l a c e m e n t - s t y l e hull for 1,000-miles-on-one-tank passages, but one that could still get up and go.
To achieve the desired result, oh-so-French Beneteau turned to Italy, enlisting Italian naval architects Micad to design the round bilge displacement hull and Nauta Design in Milan to create the interior layout. Beneteau even built the 62 at the Monfalcone, Italy, yard of Monte Carlo Yachts, now part of Groupe Beneteau.
The result is a yacht that offers the best of trawler-style comfort and design. That means a near 18-foot beam that’s carried almost all the way to the bow for massive interior volumes, as well as a reverse-angle windshield and side-deck overhangs. The towering bow and lofty hull sides yield plenty of real estate to accommodate huge rectangular windows that flood the lower cabins with light.
Because cruising is all about enjoying outdoor space, the 62 features a flybridge that looks big enough to land a Learjet on. There are acres of sunpads plus plenty of seating and an outdoor kitchen. Above it, a fiberglass hardtop provides shade, though at the press of a button a large sunroof powers open.
But it would be hard for anyone aboard to drag themselves away from the covered and enclosable lower back deck, with its L-shaped sofa, extendable table, and elevated, rear-facing views. It’s perfect for taking in the action on the parking-lot-sized swim platform below.
Sliding-glass doors lead into the open-plan salon and helm area. Lovely design features here include expansive windows, a galley that can be closed off with sliding windows, and a raised sofa/daybed alongside the twin helm seats. The boat on view at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show also came with un-trawler-like light-oak veneers, off-white walls and ceilings, and dark wenge floors that gave the yacht a hip, ultra-modern look.
Below deck, the standard layout is for three en-suite cabins, including a cavernous owner’s suite amidships, a VIP guest suite in the bow, and a twin-berth guest cabin. The spacious feeling is heightened by 6-and-a-half feet of headroom and that sprawling beam.
T h e s u p e r i o r q u a l i t y a n d c r a f t s m a n s h i p o f t h i s n e w G r a n d T r a w l e r 6 2 a r e r e f l e c t e d i n t h e p r i c e , w h i c h s t a r t s a t j u s t u n d e r $ 3 m i l l i o n . A n d t h e r e ’ s n o t h i n g g i m m i c k y o r c o n t r i v e d h e r e — i t ’ s j u s t w e l l - t h o u g h t - o u t d e s i g n a n d b u l l e t p r o o f c o n s t r u c t i o n . A “ g r a n d ” t r a w l e r
«i n d e e d .
POWER FILE
PRICE: $2,970,000 LENGTH: 62 FEET BEAM: 17 FEET, 10 INCHES DRAFT: 4 FEET, 7 INCHES POWER: 2 X 730-HP MAN DIESELS TOP SPEED: 23 MPH WHY WE LOVE IT: BECAUSE IT OFFERS THE PERFECT CURE FOR SPEED ANXIETY SYNDROME.
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