After the article on the brand new Oceanis 52 a few day ago, I of course have to publish the walkthrough of her little sister. The new Oceanis 47 celebrated her world premiere alongside during Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 and this was one of the few “no miss”-boats to see. As being exhibitor myself it is always a privilege and makes life so much easier to being able to get onto the trade fair premises well ahead of the public, and so I utilized one bright sunny morning after the cleaning crew left to do my walkthrough: Welcome aboard the new Oceanis 47!
I would say that together with the 13-meter boats (40 feet) the 15-meter-range of sailboats is one of the most important yacht sizes for owner-operated yachts on the market. Yes, smaller sized boats may be produced in larger quantities, but I bet that the margin on these is much smaller. Most money to be made is in the 40 to 45 feet segment. Also for charter fleets, 45-footers are ordered in huge quantities so making a good proposal to both target groups is vital for any shipyard.
Carefully redesigned – distinctive Oceanis
Beneteau did exceptionally well with their seventh generation of cruising yachts: The Oceanis-line had been turned into a very good looking breed since Gianguido Girotti took over almost 10 years ago and re-branded the whole range, also re-introducing the iconic First-range (almost) to its old glory. Especially the Oceanis 46.1 was a big, big commercial success: I have sold a number of these fine yachts myself and my clients/owners are still full of praise for their yachts. So, how can you make such a successful model even more successful?
Seen from the outside, for the not so well trained eye not much seems to have changed. Unlike her bigger sister, the Oceanis 51.1, the old 46.1 didn´t had those edgy, very distinctive chines (especially in the bow area). It seems that Finot-Conq, who also designed the predecessor, didn´t had to apply too many changes to the hull shape at all. The chine is now elongated almost all the way up to the bow, which is the most present feature. All in all the hull looks a bit more “round”, especially the area around the hull windows has been smoothed out. I like it quite much!
The step from seventh to the new eighth generation of Oceanis-yachts is not as big as in the 50-foot-range and this might be a good thing for owners of the 46.1: With their boats now officially belonging to the “past” generation, the price drop in resale value shouldn´t be as high as for the “old” 51.1-owners, where the new eighth generation boat looks so much more different (and better as well, in my opinion). But there are, however, details which make me scratch my head.
The crux with the solar panels
What I really loved about the old 46.1 was the design of the deck right behind the mast. When you take a look at pictures of this yacht, you will notice the U-shaped black fake window-application. This was just for visual purposes to make the boat look nicer or more “speedy”, but it was like a little signature design. There is something similar on the new Oceanis 47, but it´s not quite as good as on the old boat. Mimicking the U-shape of the former yacht, Beneteau offers a solar-option for the Oceanis 47 with three panels behind the mast and one in front of the coach roof, alltogether boosting 580 Wpeak.
It may perfectly well make sense to utilize the coach roof area for generating electric currents via PV instead of installing a “dead” accessory, but maybe my inner Monk is too weird, but it all looked a bit out of place to me. I mean, I know from my last solar-project with GEKKO that you can order your solar panels in any shape whatsoever. This way, you may integrate the panels more nicely to match the design and the lines of your boat. In case of the Oceanis, the shipyard just mounted four plain rectangular panels. It looks okay. But it looks just okay.
And, I know I am a bit picky, but why aren´t the panels of one unified type? The one in the middle looks very different, albeit from the same manufacturer, Solara. Why can´t we have all four panels matching the same type and hence the same design? Maybe this doesn´t bother you in any way, but I would be freaking out over this. It just feels like you are sailing with an Elvstroem Jib and a North Sails main. My inner Monk is revolting …
She´s all so nice from behind
But maybe this is just because we´ve been presented with the hull #001 in Cannes. I hope and presume the shipyard will deliver the boats with a unified design. After a thorough look from the outside, let´s get aboard and see what has been changed and what not. First of all, standing behind her transom a huge stone fell from my heart: These lines are clean, neat and just as I like them …
Next to the Oceanis 47, her bigger sister´s back had me left a bit puzzled, if I am honest: The nice clean looks on the Oceanis 52 are now plastered with a huge seat from one backstay to another, crowned by a center-box housing a large plancha grill and fridge. I am very relieved that they refrained from doing this to the new Oceanis 47. At least in the version shown in Cannes. Instead you´ll get your “Solaris”-like look – sportive, sexy, clean and nice.
Not all too many changes as well have been made to the running rigging and the layout of winches for the helmsman. The Oceanis 46.1 was a very nice single-handed sailing capable yacht which I loved to sail alone. All winches, the wheel, the view – was just perfect. Apart from slightly enlarged consoles to house bigger chart plotters and electronic engine throttles, I instantly felt at home and approve the cockpit design sailing wise 100 per cent. Well done! Sailors will have a load of fun sailing the yacht from behind here!
Tweaking here and there in the cockpit
In fact, the changes and developments from the old 46.1 to the new 47 are very subtle when it comes to the cockpit area. Unlike the new 52, there is not a huge plus of area (30% in the Oceanis 52) and also their praised “diamond shape” cockpit concept isn´t that recognizable in the new boat. This is, I think, due to the fact that the 47 is much smaller than her bigger sister, hence less room for changing things in a revolutionary way.
The most recognizable change indeed is the cockpit table. I am a bit sad that Beneteau now finally got rid of the central table because I really loved it. It housed the life raft, which I found was an ingenious idea, making the handling of the raft in worst case so much more safer and convenient. But the central table ate away too much space, I guess. So now Beneteau switched to a two-table configuration. This has some advantages.
By having two tables, there is always a free way to walk in between. Getting in and out of the boat, running quickly to the helm or down when food is ready to be served is now a no-brainer. In the old boat, you always had to sort of squeeze through in between bench and table. That´s a thing of the past now. Another improvement that comes with it is the modularity and freedom of choice: The old table was always there. It was a rigid, pretty big box, permanently fixed, not able to move.
The new tables are fixed as well, but can take on many forms. There´s the folded state with less tabletop area, maybe for cruising mode or as a kind of coffee table. Then you may fold out one of the tabletops towards seaside to double the surface area. Now the table may be used to serve a full sized dinner or even house multiple hungry guests. I don´t know if Beneteau has planned to offer an extension to close the walkway so that one single huge table can be made, but that´s definitely one extra some owners or charter fleet operators may think of.
Another pro is the possibility to lower the table´s height. In this you can adjust the height of the top to fit any individual body height, for example make a low kid´s table to port and a higher parent´s table to starboard, or to lower it completely. This way, together with a large surplus cushion, the whole area becomes one large reclining playground for lounging, sunbathing and even sleeping. You can see how many options this change from a rigid to the two movable tables brings – and how flexible and even more attractive the Oceanis 47 has become in this respect in comparison to the old 46.1.
Of course the two lounging mattresses underneath the sprayhood cannot be missed. Albeit these are too short to provide reclining area for a full sized adult, it indeed is a great place to cuddle into, especially when sailing at night. I´ve tested this for you … Speaking of sprayhoods: The Oceanis 47 offers the usual sprayhood-bimini option, which you should definitely go for, especially in connection with the mainsheet arch. This hasn´t been mounted as well on the Oceanis 47 in Cannes, but that´s an option I would never skip. According to the price list there is a “rigid bimini top”. I usually don´t like the looks of those. Since I haven´t seen this in real life, it remains unclear.
Since two years now Beneteau has supplanted Teak as their prime deck material with a special Iroko-deck. I´ve made a number of articles on this topic and of course it remains to be seen how this new material holds up against the forces of nature over time, from what I´ve seen so far it seems a pretty nice and solid solution. I like how the shipyard is utilizing this natural, real wood instead of switching to other synthetic materials. With the new yacht´s outside checked, let´s take a look down below.
Well-tried and seasoned: The Oceanis´ saloon
Again, don´t expect a revolution down here. There´s a saying that goes: “Never change a running system”, and there´s really no need to re-invent the wheel all the time. The classic layout of the old Oceanis 46.1 proved very successful, both in the owner´s variant (for the 3-cabin yachts) and in the “charter”-variant with a longitudinal galley in the +4 cabin variants. Again, changes in the new Oceanis 47 are more subtle. First of all, it´s in the looks: I don´t know if you have recognized this, but Beneteau god rid of the old claim “Avantgarde in Boating” recently. That´s a statement: being the avantgarde may be a cool thing, but it´s pretty lonely “up there”, right? It seems as if the shipyard tried to bring back some color, some life – as testament for this strive is the saloon of the Oceanis 47.
It´s bold, it´s fresh and it is very colorful. This change may just be visually, but it completely changes the attitude and impression you get from this yacht. The days of the kind of distanced and “cold” interior style is over, now new colors, bold accents and new materials dominate. Again, it´s not much in real life, but the impression it makes is so much more. Buyers of the new Oceanis 47 will have a nice new choice of colors for cushions along the usual wood, floor and panel options.
A huge step forward is the new Corian worktop for the galley. On the Oceanis 46.1 the worktop was just plain white. Knowing the wide range of colors and designs Corian offers, it is honestly a bit strange that it took them so long to ask for a more stylish design. The new grey-sprinkled marble-like design is so much more beautiful and really enhances the whole appearance of the galley. It elevates the perceived quality so much. Easy win.
Beneteau´s options list calls it “rain cloud” design. I know from my visit to the Linjett shipyard last winter that for their clients it is possible to order the worktop in any color and design Corian offers – I wonder why it is possible for such shipyard ordering merely 20 worktops annually to offer this freedom of choice, but not for the world´s biggest manufacturer like Beneteau? Even just four or five principle colors and shapes should be possible and would enhance the individualization aspects of the boats massively.
The dinette of the Oceanis 47 is cozy and surely one of the places where socializing takes place when outside conditions prohibit the use of the cockpit. The dinette in the new Oceanis 47 looks similar to that of the old 46.1, but if you look closer you may spot some “enhancements”. For example, I have the feeling that the thickness of the seating and backrest cushions has been significantly increased, boosting the comforts down here as well.
To be honest: The finishing quality of Beneteau´s joinery was lacking that of their competitors like Hanse and especially Bavaria. The lead Beneteau created with their great sailing boats was often diminished by dissolving edge bands (a constant source of dissatisfied owners), thin paint layers coming off and cheap looks of their veneers. This was very often a big discussion point with my clients in being: Admiring looks and performance, but lacking the interior quality. Now, Beneteau announced that they´d tackle this issue with the new boats …
Beneteau´s quality offensive in full swing
And they really do! The thicker cushions (at least down in the saloon) are the first visible manifestation of this stepping up in quality. It is said that new suppliers for materials, fittings and other parts of the boat´s interior have been acquired. Looking at the skipper´s corner of the Oceanis 47, one can easily spot some more outcome of this quality offensive, especially when it comes to the joinery quality.
Back in the day, laminated wooden parts for boat furniture was common, nowadays making these things is very elaborate and expensive. Beneteau calls those “moule boulé” and apart from the fact that those look marvelous, parts made that way are much more durable over time than simple cheap edge bands. Looking at the chart table, you may see what I mean: This is definitely a huge step forward in quality terms!
Those “moule boulé”-parts had been re-introduced to series production with the introduction of the First 53 a few years ago. I guess the shipyard managed to build up a whole new competence center and division for massive, laminated wooden parts in their joinery so that these are now available (and affordable in terms of production cost) for smaller boats. A good development that will hopefully make parts like this appear in boats smaller than 40 feet soon: Let´s end the reign of the iron-on edge bands!
The dinner table looks so much better with a rigid, long lasting and beautiful massive edge like this. Especially in high wear areas, like the shown table, the edges of the furniture that is passed by frequently (like the galley), the steps of the companionway the invest in higher quality material makes perfect sense. There is nothing more devaluating a boat´s appearance than damaged joinery!
Where edge bands are still used, the thickness has been increased to 2 millimeters. This may not sound much, but it indeed is a huge plus in terms of “heavy” quality and durability. In fact, I have the impression that the Alpi veneer may also have been improved: The surface of bulkheads and furniture doesn´t appear as “plastic” and cheap as in past times, there´s even the impression of a certain structure and “depth” to it. Again, subtle changes, but definitely up a notch in terms of interior quality.
Large, cozy and at home: Oceanis 47 cabins
In the cabins not much has changed as well. I have nothing but praise for the owner´s cabin in both the Oceanis 46.1 and also in the new 47. As I have slept many, many nights in this cabin both when underway as well as moored, I can say Beneteau has one of the best proportioned cabins of all 45-footers I´ve sailed with so far. What do I mean by this?
When laying in bed, it is – to my knowledge – just the Oceanis 46.1 (and now her predecessor, the 47), where you can actually look outside the large hull windows from your pillow. No other yacht in this size I have been looking at in the past years offers this amenity. Usually, the windows are too high. They flood the cabin with natural light, yes, and the reflections of the water when sailing is very nice, but in no cabin the height of your head on the pillow is adjusted to the height of the window. This is just awesome when at anchor and makes waking up in this cabin so much better here!
In the aft cabins, this effect is not as strong. The windows here are also very big, hence making the cabin very light suffused and friendly, but you cannot look out whilst laying down. But that´s just a detail: Here, both cabins offer decently sized beds and more than enough stowage. When ordered in the 3-cabin “owner´s” version, there are the separated shower/WC heads in the bow and one large bathroom for both aft cabins. When you go for 4 and more cabins, you can have 4 cabins and 4 bathrooms or even 5 cabins and 3 bathrooms. More on the heads shortly.
From starboard side VIP-guest cabin there´s an en-suite entry to the aft bathroom, which will also serve as the day-bath when underway. Again, not many changes in the Oceanis 47 to her predecessor, in fact I suspect that the shipyard didn´t even designed all too many things new for this boat, surely the Oceanis 52 is the more revolutionary yacht in this matter.
I know, I suck, but …
… why can the boatbuilders not fit simple gratings to the bathrooms? I mean, look at the following pictures of both the owner´s and aft bathroom. These are clean, cold, bare Gelcoat white rooms. Yes, it´s maybe easier to clean them and maybe they will dry out much faster, but gratings add so much comfort, wellbeing and style to a ship´s head. It would be a quick win for the shipyard and I am sure it´s not all too expensive to mass-manufacture them. In fact, back when I was still a boat dealer, I sold quite a few Teak gratings to my Beneteau customers.
Apart from this critique, the bathrooms aboard the new Oceanis 47 are well-sized and stocked. As mentioned before, the owner´s cabin features a WC and shower separated in portside and starboard side heads, which is due to the charter version when here two front cabins are fitted, each needing its own head. For the aft bathroom, the shower is separable but also, a nice grating would add so much flair to this room!
And this is practically it: The new Oceanis 47 is not the huge leap forward and certainly not a revolutionary redefinition of the cruising yacht, but a very solid and decent progression of development by Beneteau. Proven concepts are kept, interior finish and material quality has been significantly improved. If you liked the “old” Oceanis 46.1 you will definitely love the new 47 as well. I hope that in the course of her production life the 47 will receive some tweaks here and there (so that my inner Monk keeps quiet), but to start with: This is a nice boat for sure.
One of the most attractive 45-footers in the production boat fleet
If you are looking for a “real” sailboat of 45 feet that is capable of both decent sailing performance for long trips and lush comforts for family and guests, the Oceanis 47 should definitely be on your shortlist! With improved interior quality and the same proven advantages an Oceanis always had over her competitors, she is a serious contender. And here comes the spin: Beneteau´s power as the largest pleasure boat manufacturer in the world.
As the post-Covid world is plagued by inflation, aftermath and effects of war, high energy prices and a very insecure buyership, it´s thanks to the sheer size and financial capabilities of the Beneteau Group that the new Oceanis 47 (as well as her bigger sister) have not been subject to a price increase. On the contrary: The offer now includes one of the big customary trim level packages within the (again: not increased) base price. You will therefore get much more boat for the same money. I don´t know how long this offer will be kept up, but right now the boat price for the new 47 and 52 are the same as the old 46.1 and 51.1 – but with much more included. Now it is up to the market to decide, I think it´s a very clever move. Time will tell.
You may also check out these related articles:
Compare the Oceanis 47 with the (then brand new) Oceanis 46.1
My sailing adventures on the Oceanis 46.1 from the Baltic Sea to Greece
All articles with Cannes Yachting Festival boats