Beneteau 55 sunk?

[ShaktisBoy]

Hmm seems I have a different story from the owner himself anchored about 250 yards away from me right now. Ill dingy over and ask face to face because your claim is not at all what I have been told. That said it still seems to me that if a bulkhead leaves its assigned spot it is indicative of poor reinforcement i.e tabbing of said bulkhead. At the very least the rudder stock and post should fail long before the bottom of the boat is able to be opened like a zipper and the bulkhead separated from the hull. Just saying. I also believe there is far more to this story than you know. The owner of the pearl told me that the selling broker said that there was only one previous owner when in fact the ships papers show 2 previous owners, and that the bulkhead had to be repaired early on in the boats life prior to the grounding. However this info comes from the owner himself who is obviously biased. What is not in dispute is Beneteau has been absolutely unresponsive to any of his request for information. I also remember several other threads on Beneteau's build quality. They are sometimes derogatorily called Bendyteaus perhaps for a reason. Personally I like the look and feel of many of their models but the poor customer service reputation and many complaints from current owners lead me to think that I would look elsewhere for an oceangoing yacht if I were in the market.


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[Polux]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

I would think it was obvious what I posted was pure speculation, nothing more...

Of course, anyone looking at that boat can see at a glance that such an occurrence would be inconceivable, and completely beyond the realm of possibility...

:-)

When speculating almost any guess is as good as another but hull ports have been a long time around are used extensively and if we exclude some earlier problems, with no accidents.

Those previous accidents happened when hull ports where done in a different way, kind of a fixed hatch with a frame. Now they are done without frame and with a technique they call insert and the safety is much bigger. no way the acrylic would break. The all insert would have to be popped in meaning it would have to break some part of the hull on that area.

The Big Beneteaus (and other mass main market big boats) are known to flex a lot and that would raise some problems but I consider that hypothesis very low. If that was the case I think Robert is right and we will know. If That's the case boats have to be recalled since more accidents of that type will greatly damage the reputation of any brand.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by ShaktisBoy

Hmm seems I have a different story from the owner himself anchored about 250 yards away from me right now. Ill dingy over and ask face to face because your claim is not at all what I have been told.

As others have said these two events don't seem related. Before you dinghy over you might want to read their posts here on CF made before the boat sank.

[transmitterdan]

The rumor mill on SA is going pretty well. Seems there is a hint that the bow thruster somehow was involved in the ingress of water. Absent any info from the crew speculation is all we have. But on internet forums that's usually sufficient...

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Amustad

I was asked by the broker if I could deliver this boat to the show. I declined because I had another job scheduled for this week (now canceled due to wx). I am trying to find out from the broker what happened, so far no word. I'm sure he's busy...

I wonder why this crew was 17nm offshore? The lighter conditions were within a mile offshore. I would have motor sailed her near shore.

Anyway, sounds like a major catastrophe occurred. With these brand new boats anything can happen. I take nothing for granted until she's been shaken-down.

I have found nothing on the web beyond the initial USCG story.

A. Mustad

Thanks for your participation on this thread. it seems that you are on a unique position to shed some light on this affair. I agree that a brand new boat should be carefully inspected by the dealer and by the owner since a number of situations due to improper montage of pieces can happen. That's why it is very important to chose a very experienced dealer with lots of experience with that boat.

If possible keep us informed regarding the information the dealer provide. It is also on the best interest of Beneteau to clarify quickly this story. Nothing more damaging to a brand than the proliferation of speculations when nothing factual is released. Beneteau needs to come quickly with a release about this said affair to stop speculation.

[ShaktisBoy]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

As others have said these two events don't seem related. Before you dinghy over you might want to read their posts here on CF made before the boat sank.

Already on it thanks.


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[Finnsail]

Originally Posted by ShaktisBoy

I have met the owners of the Blue Pearl who have had ZERO help from Beneteau since they Lost her in early 2014.

Blue Pearl was a 2007 model with prior damage history. I would personally not expect much of a response from any production boat builder with thousands of boats produced each year to a "Blue Pearl type incident."

I'd love to see this thread focus on this brand new Oceanis incident and see what can be learned from it. I think the "horse is dead" on the other topic...

[Polux]

3rd hand information says the boat was making water at the bow area at a non accessible area. I heard talks about the tunnel of the bow thruster or something related with a forward water deposit that went lose??. Not much sense any of the hypothesis but that's what was commented elsewhere.

A bow thruster badly mounted can generate a lot of problems dhow.

[ShaktisBoy]

Originally Posted by Finnsail

Blue Pearl was a 2007 model with prior damage history. I would personally not expect much of a response from any production boat builder with thousands of boats produced each year to a "Blue Pearl type incident."



I'd love to see this thread focus on this brand new Oceanis incident and see what can be learned from it. I think the "horse is dead" on the other topic...

Ok maybe Im crazy but I think a boat that cost upwards of 3/4 million dollars and was signed off as seaworthy by the manufacturers representative after factory authorized repairs were made should not fall apart. That said you guys are right in that this thread is about a brand new boat not a ancient 7 year old boat because they are built way better now.


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[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

Except, they were actually sailing UP the coast...



Yeah, but unfortunately "beaches" are somewhat few and far between along the coastline between Morro Bay and Monterey...

:-)

Does it REALLY matter whether they were going "up" or "down" the coast? The point is, in 20 knots of wind, for a boat like this, that's just about right for a nice brisk sail and is not anything that most sailors would feel needed to be avoided by staying close ashore and motorsailing.

My point in mentioning grounding it on a beach was in response to a prior poster suggesting he'd have been better off closer to shore. If you can't get to a travel lift pronto, the only other option that being closer to shore leaves you is to ground it out, which, I said, and your picture shows, is an option with dubious merit along this coast in some surf conditions. Therefore, I would not tend to second guess the delivery crews decision to be 17 miles offshore in a 55' boat as they proceeded UP the coast.

[u4ea32]

Boy, that was a beautiful boat, if it was the one at the San Diego boat show in January. Beautiful!

The ISO standards for hull windows includes required tests by the manufacturer/builder to show that the lamination fails before the window comes loose. So I do not suspect the hull windows.

I am also ALWAYS concerned whenever I sail a boat if I cannot easily and very quickly (a minute or less) inspect all areas where seawater is on the other side: the entire hull and deck.

Of course, nearly all production boats use hull and deck liners. Therefore, I am concerned when on nearly any production boat. I specifically search the boat to ensure I can access everything: tanks, their hold downs, where structure meets the hull, all holes in the deck (under winches, stanchions, hatches, mast partners, wiring access holes, etc), and so on. I want to know what I can see, and what I cannot. When I cannot easily see somewhere, I try to fabricate an approach, such as one of those wands with a mirror and LED on the end.

If I can see water anywhere, and it comes back when I dry it with a paper towel, then there is a problem. Track it down, be absolutely certain that you know for sure where that water came from, and why it is not longer coming in. If the water IS still coming in, DO SOMETHING TO STOP THE WATER COMING IN! There are always lots and lots of things you can do.

And remember -- when things start going wrong, be sure to consider the full slate of possibilities on causes and what you can do. Never, ever, get stuck on one approach -- say, ensuring the bilge pump works -- and then thinking the problem is solved, or that nothing else can be done. Something else can always be done!

Only the sealed bilge under old fashioned packing glads should ever have any water. You should be able to tell where any water inside the boat came from. Not guess, you should know.

A friend lost his boat because he did not consider that the tiny bit of water always around the keel bolts could have been due to one or more failed keel bolt: the keel fell off, and the boat sank completely within a minute or two. He and his wife were left treading water with their dog.

I think the problem will again come down to the most common reason boats sink: bad judgment caused by a low level of debilitation due to sea state (e.g., seasickness) combined with fatigue and/or diesel fuel odor.

[roverhi]

The boat is still afloat. Was spotted by a fishing boat and location noted via GPS. Dealer supposedly trying to set up salvage. Boat was scheduled to be at the Oakland Boat Show. Supposedly delivery crew did there due diligence in finding source of leak before calling CG. Crew lifted off by helocopter. This from the electronic version of "latitude 38" today.

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

Does it REALLY matter whether they were going "up" or "down" the coast? The point is, in 20 knots of wind, for a boat like this, that's just about right for a nice brisk sail and is not anything that most sailors would feel needed to be avoided by staying close ashore and motorsailing.

Well, it could matter to ME... Then again, I'm known to be a bit of a wimp when it comes to beating uphill in a flat-bottomed flyer... :-)

Sounds like I'm not the only one, however... Someone else who was actually out there last week posted the following here last night, then deleted it after awhile for whatever reason:

Was delivering .... at same time and from same place and heading to same show. MDR to SF. We bailed out to morro bay due to swells and the pounding boat was taking. Forecast was 25-30 kts. Was only blowing 18-20kts when we bailed. We passed within 50 yds of the 55 crew and tried hailing them on radio to "recommend following us to morro bay". Thought to ourselves those guys must be crazy or have big balls....??

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

Well, it could matter to ME... Then again, I'm known to be a bit of a wimp when it comes to beating uphill in a flat-bottomed flyer... :-)

Sounds like I'm not the only one, however... Someone else who was actually out there last week posted the following here last night, then deleted it after awhile for whatever reason:

Are you seriously saying it takes big balls to stay out in 18-20 knot winds and 6-8 foot seas? At what wind strength are you comfortable "beating uphill" in a modern 55' foot sailboat, 15 knots, 10 knots, or must it be completely flat calm?

[Brob2]

This internet speculation business is getting ridiculous- failing hull ports, bow-thrusters, and bulkheads. Insanity to even post such conjecture.

Clearly one of the three 1/8 inch keel bolts failed but Bene has now learned to built enough form stability into the hull to keep her upright when this inevitably happens.

Brob
certified naval arse-itect