Yachting World — February 2018

flush as standard, are very, um, smart.
The effect is of a modern, chic
apartment. The cabins are all rather
compact though. A combination including
both a sail locker and a tender garage
squeezes the rest of the accommodation
space slightly.
For a new boat, she also felt
very complete. Yacht Solutions, an
independent company based near CNB in
Bordeaux, supplies equipment for most
new CNB clients, ranging from safety and
technical gear to crockery and bed linen.

Below the saloon
Another reason a deck saloon is popular
on medium-to-large sized yachts is that
it allows the builders to install tanks and
mechanics beneath it, keeping the weight
central and freeing up accommodation
and stowage space elsewhere.
CNB uses a modular build system
where the interior is fully constructed
before being lowered into receivers in the
hull. This ensures consistent quality and
reduces build times.
The engine room, all contained in one

metal box, is one of these five modules

on the 66. Two quick access points in the

saloon sole allow for regular maintenance

checks, otherwise, the carpets and chairs

need to be removed to lift the soleboards.

The benefit of doing so, however, is that

access to machinery is then excellent.

It needs to be. With tanks, plumbing,

and optional watermaker all contained

in here, it is a crowded machinery space.

Indeed, the hot water tank has been

moved aft on future models to free up

room around the genset.

A generous fuel tank capacity (1,300lt)

helps provide a motoring range of over

1,000 miles, including three hours’

genset use per day. I like the way the

filters, separators and coolant refill are

neatly mounted and easy to access. CNB

has certainly made sure the parts that

require regular servicing are as user-

friendly as possible.

Galley

The galley is a spacious area to work in, a

practical U-shape, with plenty of light and

headroom. There is ample cold stowage

space, including a 157lt domestic-style

fridge. If all the extras are chosen, as

aboard the test boat with its extra

fridge-freezer, washer-dryer, dishwasher

and wine climatiser, dry goods stowage

space is compromised. CNB uses electric

cooking appliances as standard to avoid

the need to carry gas. These are powered

off the batteries and inverter for quick

cooking, or the genset for Sunday roasts.

Aft cabin

The aft cabin is versatile because it will

suit either guests or a paid crew, and

the separation in space to the forward

cabins ensures a good degree of privacy

from and for the owner. However, the

cabin is on different sole levels and does

feel slightly cramped, particularly in the

compact ensuite heads where a larger-

framed crewmember would struggle

to get through the doorway. To provide

space for a separate shower cubicle, the

heads is crammed in behind the door.

Forward cabins

The owner’s cabin décor is clever

because it feels calming and luxurious

despite this not being a particularly large

area. It lacks stowage space for couples

staying aboard for long periods, but

there is an option to choose a dressing

room over the fourth heads (currently

accessed via the bunk cabin).

The ensuite heads forward has a

generous sized separate shower. A door

through the forward bulkhead provides

useful internal access into the sail locker.

The other two guest cabins are a

double and a functional family bunk

cabin, both with ensuite heads.

The masculine

styling,

including the

low, wraparound

design of the

coachroof, is

signature Briand

The elegant

owner’s cabin has

a large ensuite

forward with

access to the

sail locker

ON TEST : CNB 66

80 February 2018