Beneteau 523

 
 
Beneteau 523
 
By Bill Springer • Posted: Aug 23, 2006
Groupe Beneteau is the largest sailboat manufacturer in the world. It comprises four separate companies—Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, and CNB—that operate independently but share economies of scale. At first glance, Beneteau and Jeanneau may appear to be competing for the same buyers, but in reality each line is designed to fill wide (and separate) swaths in the marketplace. Jeanneau has had great success with distinctively styled deck-saloon boats, while Beneteau has established a strong foothold with more traditionally styled cruisers and racer/cruisers. So when I approached the new Beneteau 523 on the docks in Miami and was struck (yet again) by the fact that the majority of new sailboat designs are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, I wasn’t all that surprised. Measuring slightly over 52 feet, the 523 is part of Beneteau’s Flagship line and represents a natural progression up from Beneteau’s smaller models.
READ REVIEW:  http://www.sailmagazine.com/sailboat-reviews/beneteau-523
 
July 3, 2006

Beneteau 523: Spacious and Seaworthy

Bigger than ever, the Beneteau 523 redefines a 50-foot space for living and for sailing. From our July 2006 issue.
by Jeremy McGeary
All of the recent Groupe Finot boats designed for Beneteau have been big-even the small ones-and the biggest yet, the Beneteau 523, is enormous. Likewise, it made a big impression on CW’s Boat of the Year judges, who named it Best Full-Size Cruiser for 2006.
Somehow, the 523 manages to avoid looking too big, thanks to Finot’s deftness with proportions-until you see it alongside another 50-footer. Remember the 1966-vintage Columbia 50, in its day the biggest series-produced sailboat? Well, you’d need two Columbias to get the same amount of interior volume.
In fact, there’s so much room below that Beneteau uses it almost wantonly-only two staterooms in 52 feet allows for mighty comfortable living. A three-cabin arrangement is also available for those who wish to share the largesse.
READ REVIEW:  http://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/boat-reviews/beneteau-523-spacious-and-seaworthy
 
Boat Test
Beneteau 523
June 2006 By John Kretschmer
June 2006
Big, beautiful, oceangoing flagship for a new generation
The new 523 from Beneteau replaces the Oceanus 50, one of the best-selling big boats of all time and the longtime flagship of charter fleets worldwide. I don’t know if we’re allowed to say this kind of thing anymore but I am going to risk it. From the moment you first step aboard the 523 you realize that this handsome sloop is completely put together like an elegant French woman, who can not only stand her watch and hand steer through a gale but then turn out a stunning meal afterward. At once a powerful bluewater performer and a supremely comfortable coastal cruiser, the more you look the more you find that every piece is in place to make the 523 appeal to a wide spectrum of sailors.
READ REVIEW:  http://www.sailingmagazine.net/boat-test/418-beneteau-523.html
 
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