Monte Carlo MC5: all the charme of a superior yacht

She should be the entry-level model for the prestigious Monte Carlo Yachts, but this MC5 has a personality on her own.

You have something in mind, then you realize the output has exceeded your expectations. We do not know whether the designers of the MC5 wanted to lower the target of the Monte Carlo Yachts range, or the men at Beneteau decided to exploit the charm and the halo of their luxury brand for a range of smaller boats. What we know is that the result is the best possible one, and this MC5 (and her smaller sister MC4) create a segment of boats on their own, for a new and thrilling chapter in the history of the French shipyard.

If you had any doubt, just take a glance at the big round porthole on the side: are you convinced now? This is a proper Monte Carlo Yacht, even if it’s not built in the state-of-the-art shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, but in the Beneteau assembly plant in France. No big deal, as for this size of boats the building process used in Italy wouldn’t give any tangible advantage; while the economies of scale in some parts of the process make assembling in France unbeatable in terms of value for money.

Test BoatMag

The MC5 lines are well balanced, with a reduced projection of the bow but sharper lines underwater, in order to smoothen the impact with the waves and make cruising more comfortable. The superstructure merges well with the hull, thanks to linear traits that don’t try to be sleek or aggressive. A second version of the boat is called MC5S, and offers a shorter flying bridge, as the front part is free and leaves space to a sliding roof that serves the salon underneath.

Monte Carlo MC5 Deck

Nothing revolutionary here, but everything is flawless: handrails are where you need them, and the bulwarks are tall enough even for the unexperienced boater who wants to move to the fore. We just notice how the passageways could be wider, as 24cm isn’t really much. The bow sunbed is split by the center plexi skylight, but the two parts are wide enough and it’s not necessary to put a center cushion in order to enjoy the sun bath. While here, we appreciate how the anchor winch is rather out of the way leaving enough walking space. The back cockpit features a bench and another seat which conceals the access to the crew cabin. We imagine it’d be easy to store a folding table and seats in the large locker underneath the fly staircase, in order to have a dinette when needed. For this size of boat many owners won’t need any crew, so it’s good to know that the additional cabin can be occupied by a guest with no sacrifices. The lifting system for the swim platform is an option, while the standard grill in the cockpit is probably redundant as the galley is very close and there’s another grill on the flybridge, where that juicy smoke from your freshly-caught swordfish won’t overwhelm the salon.

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Step up the fly ladder, and you’re in another small world. The back hosts a dinette with a couch wound around a bar/lunch table, completed with cup holders. Afore, a sun bed with backseats is both a solarium and a couch, while the helm station aside has room for all the electronics that you may wish to install. A large sunshade comes out from the perimeter of the bridge, and when retracted is virtually invisible. To complete the features, a cooktop and a cooler are conveniently placed by the dinette. So in the end it would come to no surprise if you wanted to spend all your cruising time up on the flybridge.

Monte Carlo MC5 Interiors

It’s tough to mark a proper separation between the cockpit and the salon, as the latter is extremely bright and the former features a total glass window opening in three parts. That’s the best you could wish for, as in the summer season you will enjoy moving from one dinette to the other without feeling any discontinuity. The position of the L-shaped galley helps too, as it stays in the middle of the two areas. Only the refrigerator it’s hosted on the other side, in two drawers by the starboard cabinet. Moving forward, a cozy dinette is faced by a lateral couch, and the opening windows gives a good ventilation even without the optional air conditioning. More light comes from the large windscreen, which offers also a very good visibility while at the helm. The pilothouse is well organized and among all the electronics we like to see also some traditional, analog gauges.

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The light from above flows down the three steps of the companionway, where four doors lead to the different ambiences. The master stateroom takes the full beam amidships, although this doesn’t grant a particularly wide bed (just 155 cm). On both sides, two benches by the round portholes give the chance to rest with a view, still I don’t understand why one of the two has not been replaced by a table/vanity. Maybe it’s because of the headroom, that decreases quickly from the 195 cm by the entrance. The two closets are large enough though. The access to the en-suite is possible only when the cabin door is closed, and leads to a comfy space with separate shower. The VIP room to the bow features the typical center bed and a direct access to the second head, which serves the third cabin as well where two guests sleep on bunk beds. In the end, three couples / six passengers can live their cruise in total comfort and good privacy.

The test of Monte Carlo MC5

There’s no alternative to the Volvo IPS propulsion, available in two powersteps. The rather little difference in price make us opt for the more powerful choice, as on the boat we trialed in Palma de Mallorca. The sea is oil-flat, and if on one hand this means absolute comfort, on the other hand it makes hard to properly test the hull qualities. I repeatedly cross our wake and other boats’ ones, but the sensation is the same: the hull faces the waves in the smoothest possible way, even when veering at speeds exceeding 20 knots (which is the suggested cruising speed). Unfortunately there’s no software for detecting the fuel consumption so we rely on the data sheet the shipyard gave us. We reckon the best compromise being at 2800 rpm, at 9.5 knots and 97.3 lph, but slowing down to the minimum plane speed we cruise at 15.3 knots with the engines revving at 2460 and sipping 70 liters per hour. Considering the IPS pods, turns are extremely wide; but we are told this is a cautious choice to avoid any danger when the guests are enjoying the flybridge. We appreciate the decision, and anyway it’s just a matter of tuning the IPS software.
I finally try to maneuver inside the port, and as a further confirm to the versatility of this propulsion, the MC5 turns and slides in every direction at the touch of a finger.

 

Technical features
Length overall 15,20 mt (49 ft 10 in)
Length hull LH 13,26 mt (43 ft 6 in)
Beam 4,32 mt (14 ft 2 in)
Draught 1,17 mt (3 ft 10 in)
Dry displacement 14900 Kg
Engines 2×430 HP
Fuel tanks 1300 lt (343 US gl)
Fresh water tanks 660 lt (174 US gal)
Berths 6+1
Passengers 14
CE certification B

Prestazioni
600 rpm 3,8 knots 4.4 mph – l/h 55 db
1000 rpm 6,0 knots 6.9 mph 5,9 l/h 1.6 gph 57 db
1500 rpm 8,7 knots 10.0 mph 20 l/h 5.3 gph 61 db
2000 rpm 10,5 knots 12.1 mph 43 l/h 11.4 gph 64 db
2500 rpm 15,4 knots 17.7 mph 67 l/h 17.7 gph 68 db
3000 rpm 21,5 knots 24.7 mph 117 l/h 30.9 gph 71 db
3600 rpm 29,4 knots 33.8 mph 169 l/h 44.6 gph 76 db
fuel consumption data declared by shipyard

Theoretical range (10% reserve)
2500 rpm 17h 30m
3000 rpm 10h 00m
3600 rpm 6h 50m

Test conditions
Calm sea, temperature 20° C (68° F), fuel 700 lt (185 US gal), water 600 lt (158 US gal), passengers 4, clean hull.

Standard equipment
Transom shower – Swim ladder – LED direct and indirect lighting – Inside and outside helm stations with compass, electronic throttle levers, rudder indicator, rev counter, fuel gauge, 12V inlet, joystick – Buttons for winch, trim tabs, lighting, navigation lights, bilge pumps – Dinette for 8 people – Foldable table, solid teak – Galley with SS sink, cold/hot water, glass-ceramic stove, Corian surface, refrigerator, frezzer and icemaker – 2 panoramic side portholes with opening window – Electric panel – 8 batteries 12V – 3 bilge pumps (2 electric, 1 manual) – 1 fire extinghusher – Inverter – Battery charger – Water pump hot/cold – Boiler 60 lt (16 US gal)

Optionals
Pilot side window with electric opening – 32” TV in salon – Bose hi-fi system – Foredeck sunbed with tiltable backseat and protection cover – 2 Simrad NSS 12 screens inside + 1 on the flybridge – Simrad RS35 VHF – Autopilot – Simrad radar – Lifting swim platform – Generator – Mooring/anchoring kit – Bow thruster – Transom camera – Underwater lights – Telescopic gangway – Cockpit table, solid teak – Flybridge cooler, 60 lt (16 US gal) – Fridge 40 lt (10 US gal) – Flybridge electric grill – Aft galley cabinet – Flybridge bimini cover – Blue/cream painted hull – Dishwasher – Washer/dryer – Air conditioning – Heating system – Cabin TV screens.

Engines and prices
2×370 HP Volvo IPS500 € 499.900
2×430 HP Volvo IPS600 € 517.100

Builder Monte Carlo Yachts (France)

Visit Monte Carlo Yachts website

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