The Beneteau Monte Carlo 52 boasts greater volume than its predecessor and a choice of two IPS engine options
The Beneteau Monte Carlo 52 will be launched at the 2019 Cannes Yachting Festival and replaces the Monte Carlo 5, the original model tasked with bridging the gap between the upper echelons of the Beneteau range and the high-end Monte Carlo Yachts line-up.
At first glance the 52 appears to have lost some of the retro appeal of the 5. The exterior design, by Nuvolari & Lenard, is safer and more mainstream, the once signature round hull window now ensconced in a strip of glazing and a silver gel coat replacing the bolder ‘Tiffany’ green of the original.
The bright saloon has an aft galley layout
The gigantic saloon windows can’t be missed as they eat into the superstructure, flooding the interior with natural light. The 52 is both longer and wider than the 5, so the internal living spaces will feel more spacious and some clever adjustments on the lower deck aim to maximise space in the cabins.
In the full beam master, for example, instead of squeezing the ensuite down the port side as many yards do, it is in the aft corner of the cabin, separated from a proper walk-in wardrobe by the island double berth.
This creates more space for the VIP ensuite, also the third cabin’s bathroom and day heads. The strips of hull glazing boost natural light in the VIP, which has scissor-action berths for quick switches between a double and two twins.
The full beam master cabin has an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe
On the main deck the aft galley layouts link the saloon and cockpit, which has L-shaped seating to boost dining space, the compromise being that there is only access from the bathing platform to the cockpit down the starboard side. You can spec a wet bar on the transom to supplement the one on the flybridge.
Plenty of seating on the flybridge deck
A switch-around up here sees the wet bar on the centreline right aft, flanked by the companionway and a sunbathing area. The dinette straddles amidships with an L-shaped seating area adjacent to the single helm station to port. On the foredeck are a pair of sunpads with a strip of glazing down the middle.
IPS600 and 650 are the only engine options for a top speed of 27 knots, though it will cruise at 20-22 knots consuming 130 litres per hour. The smaller engines keep costs more affordable, with prices of the base model starting from just over €600,000 ex VAT. Contact www.beneteau.com
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