66 | TRADEABOAT.COM.AU
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE The flybridge deck offers expansive social spaces so guests can share the experience with the skipper whilst underway; Engine room access is via saloon floor hatches;
Beneteau’s proprietary Ship Control monitoring shows data from all main systems; The semi-displacement hull means serious range, while travelling offshore in comfort.
The steering console houses twin Raymarine
hybrid touch- plotters, which is ideal for running
one screen on radar and another on charting.
Other controls include Cummins engine
analogue dials – nicely angled to be viewable even
in strong sunlight – but the optional fibreglass
hardtop ensured plenty of shade across this
zone anyway. Key engine controls here were the
throttles and thrusters. The bimini top is also an
ideal location for the Raymarine broadband radar
and VHF.
At the back stood the wet bar with high rails
all around and a space with two more chairs;
these high rails are ideal when moving in a
seaway on the Swift Trawler 47.FAST HULL
The Swift 47 has a semi-displacement hull
with Lenco trim tabs, and Beneteau's return toshaftdrive engines will find favour with trawler
traditionalists (as opposed to the Volvo IPS
pods fitted on previous Swift 50 models). The
downside of shaft drives is their space incursion,
meaning access to the twin Cummins 425hp
motors is via the main saloon, which can also
cause unwanted noise. However, the engine room,
does contain thick two-inch soundproofing.
The layout has stainless fuel tanks (965L
each) sensibly forward of the engines to benefit
the trim. There is enough space around the
turbocharged motors to give access to service
points and the 7.5kVA generator. Other engine
room gear can include a watermaker and there's
an inbuilt fire protection system.
The vee-hull has strongly flared forward sections
to create volume and deflect spray – something
that I've found works well on all the Swifts
I've taken to sea – while the aft is cut-out and