Beneteau 38

[Prairie Chicken]

Originally Posted by free4all

Thanks for all the useful info here. We are seriously interested in the Oceanis and are flying to the Paris Boat Show next month to view. We are based in Europe so looking to purchase here or in the UK.
Is anyone familiar with the state of the boat market here in Europe? We are wondering how hard we might be able to negotiate on the price.
Also any recommended dealers?
Thanks all.

I'm not sure to what extent the used market affects the new market, but I can tell you the used market is VERY depressed. It is a buyers market!

[Fluer de Mer]

Ordered and paid in full for an Oceanis 38 that was supposed to be shipped on 10/31 but was just told today that “due to a world-wide shortage of teak, Beneteau has stopped production on all boats. They can’t build your cockpit floor so they can’t build your boat”. Hearing that the world’s largest sailboat builder has halted production on all boats is of great concern as I've already wired the $ to purchase the boat. Has anyone else experienced this? Please advise.

[Prairie Chicken]

Holy poop, Fluer de Mer, that is nasty!

I would hope you could argue for getting your money back.

[Fluer de Mer]

Update:
My dealer (one of Beneteaus' largest global dealers) called the company and apparently the 'supply chain has issues' and they are in fact continuing production and shipping boats from SC without all the ordered teak to dealers and fly the teak parts from France once they have them to the dealer for install. Also, they confirmed that their is in fact a global shortage of teak. Good news is that my O38 is scheduled to ship in 5 days (sans teak). Separately i was told that on custom boat orders, Beneteau requires 100% payment before they ship...have others experienced this?

[Fluer de Mer]

Update:
Great news...Boat has arrived!!! (see photos)
No wood on cockpit seats but will be installed later...
No OEM installed starboard winch or deck hardware ...
No OEM installed oven [just a funky gas burner that the dealer says they've never seen before]...
No OEM installed starboard chart-plotter/autopilot...
Plus several items installed at factory that were different from specs ordered, or not part of order at all [and which are not listed as O38 equipment or options]...almost as though factory workers reached into other boat part bins and pulled items to put on boat...
Lots of dealer retrofits/installs in store...BUT, Boat is in.

[mstrebe]

Wow, are you sure this is actually the hull that was ordered for you? Because it sounds like they just shipped a different hull.

The good news is that those are all stock items that are easily installed after the fact. The bad news is there's simply no "supply chain" problem that actually would affect all of those different items or they have very serious QC problems in their ship-fitting department. Missing winches? No excuse other than the hull was simply not customized for your order at all.

This hull shipped from SC? What hull number is it?

[Polux]

Congratulations!!!

[RKsailsolo]

Congrats!!! That hull is stunning sitting on that trailer.

Very freaky on the surprise list. Wonder what we can extrapolate from that, about Marion's capacity and the market appetite for the 35/38?

[Fluer de Mer]

Hull 61

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Fluer de Mer

Hull 61

That only on US, I believe? If so that is really impressive.

[free4all]

Anyone know how many have been produced so far?

[avb3]

Congrats on your new boat.

Your story certainly seems to bring at least one production boat builder into question as to QC.

If there are so many issues on items you see and know about, one wonders about the ones that you can't see. Yachts are not like cars, where you have to worry about the Friday ones. They are assembled over a longer period of time, so these issues are not the result of one shift or team, but an indication of an overall problem.

Reputations are so easily ruined, and take forever to regain, if that is at all possible. Please keep us informed as things progress. It sounds like those that are doing the commissioning are trying to right as many wrongs as they can. I wonder what this production manufacturer will do to help this along?

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Fluer de Mer

Ordered and paid in full for an Oceanis 38 that was supposed to be shipped on 10/31 but was just told today that “due to a world-wide shortage of teak, Beneteau has stopped production on all boats. They can’t build your cockpit floor so they can’t build your boat”. Hearing that the world’s largest sailboat builder has halted production on all boats is of great concern as I've already wired the $ to purchase the boat. Has anyone else experienced this? Please advise.

100% payment upfront coupled with "stopped production on all boats" is thinly veiled code for "serious cash flow problem".

It's also possible given the discrepancies between what you ordered and what you got that someone bailed on an order substantially similar to yours and they elected to simply ship that boat and have the dealer make the changes.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by avb3

Congrats on your new boat.

Your story certainly seems to bring at least one production boat builder into question as to QC.

If there are so many issues on items you see and know about, one wonders about the ones that you can't see. Yachts are not like cars, where you have to worry about the Friday ones. They are assembled over a longer period of time, so these issues are not the result of one shift or team, but an indication of an overall problem.
....

Yes and it seems clear what is the problem: they have more commands then the ones they can provide

I hope everything turns all right with time and that Beneteau America will be able to re-compensate all those clients. They would be very stupid if they would act any other way because in what regards the 35 and 38 this is just the begging if they don't screw up. Finot/Conq and Beneteau are to be congratulated to give to sailors the kind of boats they want.

[Jim Cate]

[QUOTE]Finot/Conq and Beneteau are to be congratulated to give to sailors the kind of boast they want.[/QUOTE

Perhaps the most perceptive typo that I have ever seen!

Jim