Beneteau Gran Turismo 50

Love at first sight.

by Craig Ritchie

If anyone should believe in love at first sight, it’s boaters.

After all, whom among us hasn’t felt our heart soar upon spotting the yacht of our dreams? It’s also how Great Lakes boaters tend to respond when they get their first look at the all-new Beneteau Gran Turismo 50 (GT 50). This elegant and thoughtfully-designed sport cruiser comes in two different flavors: A hardtop model with a retractable sunroof and a flybridge model with panoramic 360-degree views.

“The predecessor to the Gran Turismo 50, the GT 49, sold extremely well in the Great Lakes in large part due to its all-weather capabilities,” says Justin Joyner, Beneteau Powerboats’ sales manager for North America. “Therefore, we did not mess with the DNA of the big GT. The layout is similar, the dimensions are almost the same, but we learned a lot about the U.S. market in the six years we sold the GT 49 here and definitely improved every shipboard system and the capability of the boat.”

Both hardtop and flybridge versions share a similar layout beginning with a spacious aft cockpit with wraparound seating. A large central table raises on a powered pedestal for dining, or retracts to seat-height where a filler cushion can be installed to form a large sunpad. An available hydraulic swim platform is fully submersible, which provides greater convenience and improved access to the standard tender garage in the transom, which is large enough to accommodate a Williams Minijiet 270.

The GT 50 seamlessly blends interior and outside spaces, so the cockpit seating continues forward along the port side through the salon. A full-beam glass pocket door between the cockpit and salon opens up to flood the salon with fresh air and sunshine.

The largest model in the Gran Turismo line, the GT 50 features a spacious L-shaped galley with a Corian counter, 50-gallon refrigerator/freezer, microwave and grill.

The GT 50 comes with a choice of a two- or three-cabin layout. In each case, the full-beam master suite is bathed in light and has an ensuite complete with a shower. The main guest accommodation is a V-berth in the bow with its own ensuite access.

DEALER

Centerpointe Yacht Services
Milwaukee, WI; Sturgeon Bay, WI; Kenosha, WI;
Holland, MI, Pewaukee, WI
Centerpointeservice.com
414-273-0711