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If at first glance it might not seem like news to you, you are right (…and a trained eye!): we had talked about it about a year ago, as soon as it was announced to be unveiled at the Düsseldorf 2025 Boat Show. But what was just a concept, specifically Groupe Beneteau’s
Island Cruising Boat
, has now become a full-fledged model whose production has been entrusted to Jeanneau, one of the Group’s strongest brands.
Aesthetically, virtually nothing changes. What remains is the clean lines of the sides, the walkaround configuration with a small, fully glazed pilot-house, topped by a simply boundless hard-top, entirely covered with photovoltaic panels, that goes all the way to the cockpit, all the way to the transom. But therein also lies its brilliance: if needed, this entire area can be enclosed by sliding glass windows, making a salon worthy of an upper-class yacht.
Neither does it change the major novelty element, which represents a true unicum in the industry: the single-hull hull. A term the Beneteau Group came up with to define a hull that “starts” as a single hull and “becomes” a multihull. This combines the sea-going advantages of a traditional, single-hulled bow and the anchor stability advantages given by a catamaran stern. Such a hull is certainly not designed for high speeds, but then again, that is not what the typical owner asks for on vacation.
Through the Seanapps app, Beneteau found that 80 percent of the time is spent at anchor, while the average cruise (18 miles per day) is done at an average of 6.5 knots. Because of this, it is a perfect platform for a hybrid powertrain, allowing an electric range of 15 nautical miles at 7 knots and a hybrid range of 250 nautical miles. The battery is “only” 30 kWh (not a lot for this size) which is aided in charging by panels on the hard-top.
We boarded the “old” Island Cruising Boat at the last Düsseldorf, and had elected it as one of the best “house boats,” that is, those large-volume boats perfect for spending a lot of time on board. And that is precisely the goal of the project.
From the concept, Beneteau had in mind to create a product specifically for charter and boating vacations. It is therefore not surprising that the first fair at which this Jeanneau Sea Loft 480 will be exhibited will not be a boat show, but rather the TTG Travel Experience, Italy’s most important fair dedicated to tourism, scheduled for October 8-10 at the Rimini Expo Centre, where it will be brought by
Spartivento Group
, one of the leaders in the charter market in Italy.
For more information, visit the site at
this link
.
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