The chines are even more striking, the bow is even more voluminous: this is how the new Bente 39 appears in Hamburg's City Sports Harbour on the occasion of the Hamburg Boat Show. The design is clearly reminiscent of current offshore racing yachts. The dodger, which is more of a fixed sprayhood on the Bente 24, has grown into a pilothouse on its big sister. Here you can sit inside and steer using the autopilot and electric winches with a 360-degree all-round view. Aft, the self-supporting carbon fibre structure with huge windows is closed. The companionway has standing height. Aft, the dodger protrudes slightly, providing protection from wind and spray in the cockpit.
The deck is also functional with a super non-slip surface and no teak deck.
Alexander Vrolijk, the designer, transported the boat directly from Szczecin over the past four days in order to arrive in Hamburg in time for the trade fair. There were no nasty surprises for a new build that had just been pushed out of the hall, and a prototype at that, apart from problems with the charge controller between the alternator and the lithium-ion battery, which were resolved en route. "We had the idea of a Class 40 in mind, only suitable for touring with a pantry, toilet room and cosy bunks," says designer Vrolijk. The concept seems to have worked: The 11.99 metre long and impressive 4.05 metre wide ship weighs 6.5 tonnes unladen, 2500 kilograms of which is the ballast in the 2.65 metre deep keel alone. In addition to the carbon fibre rig with rod shrouds and laminate sails, there is a spacious saloon below deck with plenty of window space and a galley where you will want for nothing, even on longer trips.
However, the arrangement of the berths and detailed solutions can be customised to the customer's wishes. The Bente 39 is not a classic series construction, but semi-custom. Most of the surfaces are painstakingly filled and sanded by hand anyway. For weight reasons, there is no large inner shell that holds all the fittings in place.
The basic price starts at 172,000 euros without sails. The prototype comes in at an impressive 372,000 euros, but is also equipped with all the extras. Added to this is the complete duplicate electronics from B&G and NKE for testing purposes. An average Bente 39 should cost around 250,000 euros.
