Beneteau Sense 55 Interior & Accommodations Video

The interior and exterior of the Beneteau Sense 55 sailboat are attractively designed, providing ample room and a delightful new lifestyle at sea. Flooded with light, the Sense 55 interiors are directly inspired by the world of superyachts.

Join us as Boattest.com takes a look at the features and accommodations on this spacious sailing yacht:

The following opinions are solely those of BoatTest.com and its test captain.

The Beneteau Sense 55 is the largest boat in the Sense line, and she has 3 main missions in life. First, she’s a luxurious cruising sailboat. Second, she’s a comfortable club day racer, and third, she’s a spectacular entertainment platform.

In all of these activities, the boat’s huge cockpit will be the main gathering spot. Because Beneteau has located the twin steering wheels as far aft as possible, a great expanse of cockpit space has been opened up.

The focal point for guests is the large U-shaped settee that can seat 5 people under sail and as many as 8 people for lunch or dinner. The table has 3 positions: all the way up for dining, mid-height to serve as a cocktail or coffee table and all the way down to make a platform for lounging or napping.

To port there’s wide bench seat that seats 4 people, or 2 if they’re sprawled out. Aft we have the twin helm seats that are wide enough for 2 adults each. So all told, under sail the cockpit can hold at least 13 adults.

When in water sports mode at anchor, the two helm seats swing up out of the way, allowing unrestricted access to the entire width of the teak beach swim platform. In the platform there are large compartments for swim fins, goggles and water toys. There’s a five-step boarding ladder with teak treads and good handholds.

Scuba divers will appreciate the large deep compartments under the seating, where an air compressor, tanks and other gear can live. Open up the hatch and the engine room can be conveniently accessed.

When cruising, I highly recommend getting the optional dodger that fits to the standard arch over the aft end of the coat roof. And no cruising boat should be without a canopy or Bimini over the cockpit.

The Sense 55 we sailed aboard had an optional spoiler arch off the stern, which not only supports things like the wind generators shown but also can be used to mount domes for sat TV and sat phone and other devices. Most important for a cruising boat, it can also support davits for a large tender with outboard.

Going below, the first thing that struck me was how much light came streaming into the salon and galley. No fewer than 15 windows, portlights and hatches pour light into this 133 square foot space from 5 different directions. There’s 6 foot 6 inches of headroom throughout the boat.

To port is the settee, which seats 6 people. With the foldaway seat on the island deployed, 2 more can be seated. The optional deluxe adjustable table has multiple height settings for dining or cocktails. The standard table was on a fixed panel. Kids will like the optional electrically actuated TV that rises out of the island.

A chart table with electronic gear and the ship’s electrical panel is next to the companionway. I measured about 15 linear feet of counter space in the galley counting the island. For cocktail parties below, it can be used as an incredibly long side board. When cruising, the chef will like the island, which provides support when on a starboard tack.

Two or three people can work in this gallery at the same time, which is unusual for any boat. The 3-burner gas stove top with oven below is standard along with a refrigerator that opens from both the top and the side. In the corner is a top-loading freezer.

There’s a huge amount of storage space for pots, pans, dishes and provisions, and Beneteau has used every available bit of space for the ship’s larder. My only suggestion for the galley is for higher fiddles on the counters.

The Sense 55 sleeps 6 people in 3 staterooms, each with a private head. Down a long passageway in the bow is the master stateroom. Ambient light and the light color fruitwood Alpi joinery keeps the space bright. The bed measures 5 foot 7 inches at its widest point and is 6 feet 8 inches long. There are his and hers hanging lockers each with 4 shelves for folded garments and shoe bin.

On the port side is a vanity or desk with stool and more cubbies. The master head is divided in two with a large stall shower to port and the toilet and sink to starboard in its own compartment.

Another unusual feature of the Sense 55 is her twin guest staterooms. By using pocket doors Beneteau has been able to install double beds that are over 5 feet wide at the head and 6 foot 7 inches long. There’s a single hanging locker with 4 shelves for garments.

Outboard above the berth are more storage cabinets and a large portlight. Forward, each cabin has a nearly identical wet head. The Sense 55 has all the basic equipment needed for cruising, day racing and entertaining. But Beneteau has a long options list so that owners can outfit the boat for their specific type of cruising in geographic location.

So that’s our detailed look at the features of the Beneteau Sense 55. For BoatTest.com. I’m Capt. John Wenz.