A freshly refitted Beneteau Sense 55 has landed on the New Zealand market through Auckland brokerage McD Yachts. Imperia, a 2012-built 55-footer, is listed at US$399,000 and comes off the back of a substantial 2024 refit plus an annual haul out that’s just been ticked off.
The refit list is solid: new standing rigging, fresh 12mm teak decking, upgraded electronics, a new autopilot, new running rigging, a full repaint, new bimini and fresh copper coat. The haul out added a new sail drive unit and fresh antifoul, so she’s mechanically current as well as cosmetically sharp. She carries a full sail inventory and all-electric winches, which keeps things manageable shorthanded.
At 16.76 metres LOA with a 4.97 metre beam and 2.4 metre draft, Imperia sleeps six across three cabins plus a crew berth. The layout is built around easy living rather than performance sailing: a main salon with central seating and chart table space, a 32-inch retractable TV on a motorised lift, and a galley with a grey synthetic resin worktop and a service hatch straight through to the cockpit. The owner’s suite runs a private shower, office nook and generous storage, while the two amidships guest cabins get sliding doors for proper privacy, useful if you’re cruising with family or another couple aboard.
Beneteau built the Sense 55 around a one-level floor plan, keeping day and night living spaces distinctly separate rather than stacking everything on top of each other the way most cruising monohulls do. Interior design is by Nauta Design, exterior styling by Berret Racoupeau.
She’s represented here and across the Tasman by Paul MacDonald at McD Boutique Yacht Brokerage.
We note that this isn’t the first bluewater-focused cruiser McD Yachts has brought to the market recently. Boating New Zealand covered Braveheart 2, a Lowland 80 motor yacht, through the same brokerage last September, another well-sorted secondhand boat aimed squarely at buyers wanting range and comfort without a new-build price tag. Imperia fits that same pattern: a solid European hull, a genuine refit rather than a paint-and-polish job, and a broker who clearly has an eye for boats built for the miles rather than the marina.
Learn more about the 2012 Beneteau Sense 55 Imperia from McD Yachts.
| SPEC | IMPERIA |
| Builder | Beneteau |
| Model / Year | Sense 55, 2012 |
| LOA | 16.76m (55’6″) |
| Beam | 4.97m (16′) |
| Draft | 2.4m (7’11”) |
| Fuel / Fresh water | 415L / 640L |
| Cabins / Sleeps | 3 staterooms, sleeps 6 + 1 crew |
| Price | US$399,000 |
