I first became acquainted with Beneteau Swift Trawlers as part of a three-person crew that cruised the 47-foot model nearly 400 miles, most in the open Pacific. From a 22-knot cruise in flat seas just outside Seattle to a confident 10 knots blasting through 10- to 12-foot head seas, the Swift Trawler handled with aplomb.

The 41 is the sixth iteration of Beneteau’s semi-displacement line—more than 1,500 Swift Trawlers have been built in 10 years—and falls in the middle of the series, which includes vessels from 30 to 50 feet. Slated to replace the 44, the 41 retains what makes the line a winner: a hybrid hull that returns economical fuel consumption from displacement to planing speeds, and an asymmetrical layout with a wider starboard side deck that’s accessed aft or from the salon via a sliding door at the lower helm.

One major change is relocating the forward galley aft, a trend I’d like to see throughout the model line. It’s executed well. The new spot is ideal, linking the aft deck, the dining area’s C-shaped settee and the starboard-side helm. 

The salon is a light-filled space with the aft glass door secured in its pocket, and with forward and side windows. The choice of woods helps (there’s a light finish on the standard Alpi teak) as does well more than 6 feet of headroom. For dinner on the hook, the double companion seat at the helm rotates to face the dining table. And for overnights, the settee converts into a double berth, complementing the boat’s three staterooms belowdecks.

Another notable update is a series first: a Swift Trawler 41 Sedan. This sedan version has fluid lines that are clean and stylish sans flybridge. Credit goes to Pierangelo Andreani, a one-time Pininfarina designer who has worked with Beneteau since the mid-aughts.

The Swift Trawler 41 Sedan is $30,000 less than the Swift Trawler 41 Fly. The sedan has the same salon and belowdecks layout, but a pair of sunroofs in the hardtop adds even more light and ventilation. The fiberglass hardtop on the sedan model allows for options such as a rack for paddleboards and bikes, and a quintet of solar panels.

Both the Sedan and the Fly are equipped with Beneteau’s Ship Control, an interface that centralizes nearly all of the vessel’s electronics. This interface was on the 47 that I cruised aboard, and within minutes of picking it up, I was able to control the lights, genset, air conditioning, heat and Fusion stereo, to name a few systems. The sedan version also has the same large, destroyer-style, leather-clad wheel that I was able to use. It just feels right.

In the engine room aboard the 41, twin 270-hp Volvo Penta D4s are standard; optional 300-hp D4s keep the same footprint. Whether an owner prefers Fly or Sedan, Beneteau builds both models on a hybrid hull that promises the kind of safe, economical cruising that I experienced aboard the bigger model.

VIDEO

GALLERY

LOA 44ft. 1in.
Beam 13ft. 9in.
Draft 3ft. 9in.
Fuel 309 gal.
Water 106 gal.
Displacement 32,394 lbs. (Sedan); 33,540 lbs. (Fly)
Standard power 2 x 270-hp Volvo Penta D4
Top/cruise speed 23/16 knots
Price $710,000 (Sedan); $740,000 (Fly)
Info beneteau.com

Jeff Moser is editor-in-chief of Soundings Trade Only. His reporting appears courtesy of our sister publication, Power & Motoryacht.