Beneteau Grand Trawler 62 Review (2020 Edition)

Beneteau has built up an impressive fleet of Swift Trawler models over the last 20 years, every one a great cruising boat that mixes the practicalities of on-water life with plenty of charm. And, rather cleverly, it turned to its army of Swift Trawler owners when designing a new flagship. 

We are not talking full creative ownership here — there was no chance of this being like the time Homer Simpson was allowed to make his own car —  it was more an investigation into cruising priorities and feedback. 

The Beneteau Group does have plenty of expertise in the 18m+ (60ft) market, its Monte Carlo Yachts pushed well into superyacht territory. So, it seems that Beneteau did want to hear from owners and make sure its biggest trawler to date was delivered on the water. 

Unsurprisingly, one of the main priorities was space, but more interestingly, the other big want was storage, something that Beneteau definitely listened to and other builders would do well to reflect on.

Cynics might say Beneteau also wanted to ensure that the same army of owners would be keen to trade up, but, either way, it looks like a very good decision.

A Worthy Flagship

Staying with Monte Carlo Yachts, the Grand Trawler is built at a large yacht facility in Montfalcone, Italy, whereas the Swift Trawlers come from France. This change of location delivers a certain uplift in fit and finish to make the most use of all the space, and there is a lot.

The 62 measures 18.95m (62ft) with a 5.45m (17ft) beam that is a good 30cm (1ft) wider than most of the competition. Add in a powerful superstructure with an air draft of 7.3m (24ft) and you certainly have the platform to create some interior majesty. 

Beneteau has used the volume well, with an optional three-cabin, two-stateroom layout or a more workmanlike standard four-cabin set-up. The serious cruising aspect is bolstered by a proper crew cabin aft, where a full utility area can be specified and plenty of storage space comes as standard. 

The salon is the place to understand the volume and storage on offer. A vast two-tier space with a central galley and a proper helm station with guest seating. It’s the kind of helm you want when embarking on a long passage. 

Performance Matters

The semi-displacement hull is powered by MAN i6 730hp engines, good for a top speed of 20 knots with a decent range of around 1,000nm at 9 knots. That’s a useful mix of performance for a modern trawler but you might expect more range from the 4,000-liter tanks and a comparatively light 30-ton displacement. Moreover, its rivals can reach further on less fuel and with more weight.

Moving around the interior, the feel is of a 21m (70ft) boat. Beneteau has deliberately gone for space over complexity and it works so well. For example, you could have found a few more inches for the cabins, instead, the lower companionway is allowed to be wide, high, and wonderful to use. The cabins are still plenty big enough so it really is a win-win. 

The full-beam stateroom is as big, bright, and welcoming as any boat in this class, The Monfalcone fit-out is Beneteau ++, the usual GRP, muted tones, and simple cabinetry lifted by trawler-style louvered doors (that we would love to see on the Swift Trawlers) with leather strap handles and a writing desk beneath one of the hull windows.

The twin cabin and forward VIP continue the theme, with hull-side glass and impressively big ensuites, the VIP's slanted glass following the bow's flair is a joy. The other thing each cabin has is masses of stowage space and it is a theme that runs across the boat, culminating in that useful crew cabin. 

In truth, the Grand Trawler doesn’t feel like a crewed yacht. Maybe it’s due to the easygoing, family style, making the crew area a very useful extra cabin or simply a great dedicated storage room. If you do plan to have a crew, two people will be very happy down here.

Good Living Onboard

The salon design has the lounge aft and the galley in the center with a raised dedicated dining area that needs a few stools to make up the numbers to six or eight people. 

The galley is semi-enclosed and very practical. Deep cabinets abound, and there is a dishwasher and full-height fridge-freezer. The worktop space is good and the electric hob and oven sit by the port deck door, perfect for ventilation as well as getting food out to guests.

Depending on how you plan to use the boat and taking into account the crew quarter’s storage, the aft lounge, and its U-shape seating can be joined by a long stretch of cabinetry or a smaller set of cabinets and a facing sofa. Either way, the design allows the lounge to merge with the aft deck seating, creating that flow of inside-outside living we want. 

Set forward of the galley, well away from the salon, the helm station has a dedicated pilothouse feel. The central console can take three MFDs and although there is only one helm seat as standard (surely an omission by Beneteau) there is plenty of space for the second optional seat.

The two outstanding features of the helm are the guest seats and visibility. A raised and very comfortable bench runs to port, so you can get an easy five people up here, and what a view they will have. The inverted trawler screens have the slimmest of mullions and run through 180 degrees with a side deck door opening up the helm and sense of the seascape even more.

Just aft of the lower helm is a direct stairwell up to the flybridge and the upper helm, an excellent and very practical big boat feature that allows the skipper to move between both helms with ease or for guests to simply move around the yacht.

The upper helm has a day cruising style with twin seats and more guest seating to make sure the whole gang can enjoy the ride. There’s still space for triple screens and the visibility is excellent, as it should be. There isn’t much going in the way of wind or spray defection but the spray will rarely reach this high and the yacht is really about 10-12 knot pottering.

Put simply, the Beneteau Grand Trawler’s decks are excellent. From the broad hydraulic swim platform and easy steps up to the main deck, it’s all safe, and secure. The platform is clever because of a small lip at the end of the deck that allows you to cross the transom even if the platform is down. There is, however, one omission. Most of the competition offers a forward lounge, while here we only have a sun pad (and it's an option). The win: two massive deck lockers.

Back to the rest of the decks and it is all degrees of good. The deep side decks come with very useful bulwark gates and protective overhangs as you move forward. The main deck aft feels big, with Beneteau pushing the seating to port and creating an open terrace with smart teak-slatted supports and a glass transom screen, ensuring guests enjoy a great view over the stern.

The flybridge has the same glass aft screen, so those using the open aft deck get a great vista. The flybridge can be accessed from the main deck or the salon, by the helm station, a fantastic large yacht feature that makes getting around the boat so easy and helps helming and crewing the boat, especially if running shorthanded. 

The layout pushes the seating forward with a proper bar and grill serving guests. The lounge seating comes with a washed teak table, as does the main deck, that opens up for full dining.

The hardtop and its integral sunroof are optional but will likely be one of your must-haves, especially as there is no canopy system.

The Grand Trawler is a next-level Beneteau, a bigger boat, built in a different yard and to a higher spec. But some things remain very familiar, including a long options list.

Because there is more boat than usual, there are more options; Beneteau adds to the pain with items (such as those must-have helm seats) that should be standard.

The headline is a €UR 1.7M ex VAT base price that moves to around €UR 2.5M ex VAT for an admittedly high specification yacht that includes big-ticket items like a stabilizer (€UR 200,000) air-conditioning (€UR 64,000) and hydraulic platform (€UR 40,000).

The interior finish package we looked at came with an additional €UR 150,000 cost that needs breaking down but comes with a choice of oak or darker walnut cabinetry. 

The hardtop and sunroof look like good value at around €UR 17,000 which is important as there is no canopy option up top. Teak decks come in at around GBP £34,000.