Beneteau ST50 Test Walkthrough Video By BoatTest.com

The addition of Volvo IPS in the Beneteau Swift 50 enhances performance and maneuverability at slower speeds without sacrificing the attributes that has made the Swift range unique in the trawler/motoryacht category. Join us as BoatTest.com tests this quick and fuel efficient trawler:

The opinions expressed in the video you are about to see are solely those of BoatTest.com and its test captain.

Hi, Capt. John here for BoatTest.com, and today we’re going to test and sea trial the Beneteau Swift 50. Come on aboard.

The Swift 50 is designed to be a happy compromise between a slow-moving displacement trawler and a high-speed motoryacht. Our test shows that Beneteau has succeeded in its goal, as her twin 435 horsepower IPS 600 diesels powered her to 21.6 knots top speed.

More importantly perhaps, is the fact that she gets about the same fuel mileage from 13.8 – 21.6 knots which means the skipper can go as fast as sea conditions permit without paying a penalty in fuel consumption.

Boaters wishing to go displacement speeds will run the boat from 1500 to 1800 RPM where we traveled from 6.5 to 7.4 knots, burning from 4.8 to 7.85 gallons per hour giving us a range from 770 to 540 nautical miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

The Swift 50 is also designed to make living aboard comfortable. That’s accomplished by her functional main deck, galley, salon and the 3 staterooms below. Looking at her alongside of the dock she’s got a traditional shippy look with modern design flair.

From her flying bridge with relatively high bulwarks to the curved overhang above her side decks, round retro port lights, teak cap rail and the swept-back grill on her air intakes, the Swift 50 is both practical and stylish. But the most distinctive of all is her huge rounded windshield that surrounds the front of her pilothouse and creates terrific visibility for the skipper.

Going forward to the bow, I can see that the hardware was made for serious cruising. The large bow cleats, raised platform and windlass make anchor handling easy. Walking along the port side deck, I noted that it was 15 inches wide and the height to the cap rail was 29 inches.

The starboard side deck measured 22-and-a-half inches wide because here we have the sliding side door and a boarding gate for boarding from a fixed pier. The most handy way to board from a floating dock is by the swim platform, and it’s just 3 steps up to the aft deck.

The aft deck is protected from the wind and spray by a door on the starboard side. The neatest thing on the aft deck is the optional joystick docking station, which makes backing into a slip a snap. Inside, the lower helm has room for two multifunction nav screens.

Most engine diagnostics are on the Volvo Penta digital panel. The joystick and the redundant bow thruster controls are behind the throttles next to the side door where they should be.

But the most glorious aspect of the Swift 50 helm is her panoramic windshield that stretches all across the front of the boat down the port side. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Note the narrow mullions, the 3 windshield wipers and the 2 defrosters. There’s 74 inches of headroom by the helm.

To port of the helm is a 2-person booth dinette for morning coffee. And the table breaks down to make a sea berth so the skipper can grab a few winks when making a long passage at night.

The helm on the flying bridge has virtually all of the instruments and controls at the lower helm, and the visibility is even better. The engine room is accessed through a hatch in the aft deck. Below there isn’t standing room but the crouch isn’t too bad. Here you see me outboard of the starboard engine. Note the location of the dipstick. The sea strainer is forward.

The optional generator is on an aluminum stand between the engines and a single Racor filter is attached to the aluminum fuel tank. A lot of optional equipment is packed into this small engine room but everything is tidy. Because of the IPS drive, the Swift 50 really shines around the dock. The 3 control positions allow the captain to find the best sight lines for any docking situation.

I’m not a big fan of slow trawlers that are limited to, say, 8 knots. By having a turn of speed available, the skipper can often outrun a nasty storm or a cranky child. In either case, the available speed can make for a much more enjoyable boating experience. So that’s our test and review of Beneteau’s Swift 50. For BoatTest.com, I’m Capt. John Wenz.