Form and Function Designed to Perfection

With its sleek hull design and trademark hard ‘Dodger’ the BENTE39 certainly stands out from the crowd. Alex Vrolijk wanted a Class 40 while his wife wanted a cruising boat so they ‘met in the middle’. By designing less freeboard than other contemporary ‘high rise’ yachts Vrolijk clearly aimed for sailing performance. But by adding the dodger Vrolijk created a light airy saloon below with bags of headroom in the central access areas.

‘A Sailing Experience That Can Make You Howl with Delight’

By designing a low freeboard, the deck stepped mast sits nice and close to the waterline, creating a stable sailing platform. All control lines lead back to the cockpit for short or even single-handed sailing. Add twin rudders and a hard chine and sailing enthusiasts quickly appreciate that this yacht finds its groove and stays there effortlessly. The BENTE39 will shoot upwind at 9kts and start planning under gennaker at the 10kt mark, achieving 13kts+ relatively easily. When Toby Hodges of Yachting World reviewed the BENTE39 he raved about the ‘direct feel on the helm’ and that ‘…you can throw this boat around like an overgrown sports boat….!’ It’s capable of producing ‘a sailing experience that can make you howl with delight’.

The BENTE Dodger – a Sprayhood You Can Stand On

The benefits of a dodger for long distance racing in designs like the Class 40 and the IMOCA have been long understood – hard tops are now the norm to protect the helmsman and crew. In this regard the Bente dodger is much more than a hard sprayhood to offer for the crew some shelter. Made of robust flexi-glass it offers crew a solid platform for main-sail management.  It also affords crew and helmsman an unencumbered 360 degree view over the water as well as the sails above, whether sitting in the cockpit, standing in the cabin or from the purpose made ‘Gekko Seat’ situated next to the companionway. No need to go down below to navigate in this clever yacht.

Light and Space Below

The ambience created by the dodger is one of light and air. Gone are the tomb like bowels of many traditional monohulls. Instead, the Bente 39 offers a saloon that crew and guests want to spend time in together with 2m headroom where you need it most – the standing areas of the yacht. Add the cleverly designed galley layout with all mod cons and the split wet room/heads and you quickly appreciate that this is no ordinary yacht.

 Options to Suit Every Taste

BENTE Yachts offer a large range of options to make your BENTE39 highly customised to your tastes. Not only can customers choose different boat editions but they can choose individual options, whether this be tiller or double wheel steering, diesel or electric propulsion, the list goes on.

If you would like to know more about the Bente 39 or you wish to conduct a trial sail in Germany please get in touch with us at the Small Yacht Company.

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