Down below

The design team’s talent shows down below with a very livable interior fitting into a 36-foot performance boat. The boat has three proper cabins, a large saloon and a great galley. When you step below, you see a clean, bright interior. The deck and portlights bring in light, and the team did a great job with indirect LED lighting. There is a lot of bright white laminate but plenty of wood to warm it up, combined with very nice gray upholstery.

There are two mirror quarter cabins, with wide berths suitable for couples or singles with lee clothes. The berths are split allowing the inboard section to be removed for extra storage while cruising for large items such as bikes or water toys.

Just forward there is a nav station to starboard. The table isn’t large enough for a full chart, but it is perfect for a laptop and a folded chart. Electronics and electrical panels are outboard of the nav station. Beneteau added a small LFP battery to the electrical panel. Should you lose main battery power, the LFP battery will provide essential electrical functions for getting home. 

The galley is to port, and this is no JetBoil-and-a-cooler galley. There are Corian countertops, a two-burner stove with an oven, a deep sink and plenty of storage. There is a small island placed right at the foot of the companionway, at first, it feels oddly placed, but you come to love it as a handhold and hip support when making your way across the saloon. Even better, that island holds a very deep refrigerator. One of the most innovative features of the galley is a filler-panel chopping block that ties the galley and island countertop together, providing a ton of continuous work surface.

Forward of the galley, there are opposing settees with a folding dining table. There is storage under the settees and to outboard. The folding table has handy bins flanking the compression post that would make an excellent liquor locker.

The V-berth serves as the primary cabin. There is a wide berth with plenty of headroom. In race mode, with mattresses removed, this space is a prime sail locker with a large deck hatch for passing sails.

Just aft of the V-berth on starboard is the single head. If there is any compromise on the boat, it’s the head, which is a little tight. There is a proper marine head and space to shower. The team designed a genuinely innovative large folding sink that folds down over the head. The problem is the inward opening door. The team chose this option to maximize space in the saloon, but it’s tough for a person in the head to make enough room for the door to swing closed.