Beneteau 38

[RKsailsolo]

More views on topic
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/....php?p=1704688

[homerobarros]

Hi Everyone,
My Oceanis 38, Hull # 38, has now 63 hours and here are my comments so far:
1) Average 200 NM with one tank of 34 gl(around .8 gallons/hour)@ 3K rpm
2) I removed the forward bulkhead and will not put it back. So much better.
3) average sailing speed with 6 adults, closed hauled, 12 kt true wind is 7 knots.
4) With the radio antena, you will need 56 feet to clear the fixed bridges in Florida.
5) Fisher Panda 4 K generator will be installed next month. (boat came with two AC and in Florida it is a must)
6) The oil in the sail drive SD 20 CANNOT be changed while the boat is in the water. After the initial 50 hs, you will need to haul the boat every 100 hours to change the oil.
Other than this minor inconvenience, we really like the boat and my wife is extremely happy with the space in the cockpit and amenities in the cabin.
So for the price, we think it is a good choice.
Cheers

[Polux]

Originally Posted by homerobarros

..
6) The oil in the sail drive SD 20 CANNOT be changed while the boat is in the water. After the initial 50 hs, you will need to haul the boat every 100 hours to change the oil.
.

The first 50 or even 100 hours it makes sense to change the SD oil but then each 100 hours? That's plain crazy, nobody does that. Unless you have water on the oil (you should check for it frequently) you change the oil on the SD at the end of the sail season unless you do an huge amount of engine hours. 300 hours without changing the SD oil is perfectly alright, unless you detect water on it and then you should change it immediately as well as the O rings on the saildrive.

[Garrettw]

You can sort of change the oil in an SD20 in water. You have to use a lot of oil and do several changes, sucking out as much as you can and then mixing in good oil. After doing this enough times you end up with enough fresh oil to call it good. Pollux has pretty good advice too. If you can time a yearly oil change with a quick haul then you can knock out all sorts of maintenance all at once.


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[homerobarros]

Sounds too short for me too, but that is what is in the manual, page 48...and hopefully there will never be a claim not honored by Yanmar...
Cheers.


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[aspenripper]

Thank you Homero ! For reaching out and taking us out on your spectacular 38 oceanis. With no boat local to us in the water on Lake Erie , the cruisers forum was the link between myself and Homero.

A gracious host, a wonderful wife and family. We had a nice dock side go over and several great hours on the intercoastal and ocean.

I feel more comfortable moving forward after Homero gave me the helm as he tended to things.

One step closer to owning the 38 now.
Thank you again Homero
We will talk soon,
Ed

[homerobarros]

You are most welcomed, Ed.
It was a perfect day to sail in Florida. Not so hot as usual.
Buy one, sail the Great Lakes in the summer and bring it to Florida for the winter. We could even race together to the Keys.
You and the whole family will be pleased with the confort and performance.
Cheers.
Homero

[RKsailsolo]

Thanks Homero and Ed for updating us on your Oceanis 38 experience. The dream is alive!

[mstrebe]

Fantastic day sailing in San Diego today. We had consistent 12 knot winds that gave me time to really get it trimmed. Sustained 8.5 knots in 13.2 knots of wind, and touched 9.0 knots, my fasted reading ever (though the boat has done 10.3 in 25 knot winds skippered by Barrett Canfield). 9 knots in 13 is pretty damned good for a 38' boat.

Close hauled she will do 75% of true wind speed consistently, 55 degrees off the true wind (reads about 35 degrees apparent). She will pinch to 35 degrees true and still get 33% of true wind speed.

On a beam reach and aft, she falls to 50% of true wind with the stock 105% genoa and roller reefing mainsail. You'll need a spinnaker to get her going downwind when the wide stern is flat in the water.

Reefing was easy--the wind picked up to 16 knots and she starts wanting to round up, so I furled the headsail and mainsail to the first reefpoints indicated on their foots and she calmed right down, easily sustaining 7 knots in a 16 knot wind. We were able to reef entirely from the cockpit with the sails under full pressure without slowing or making any adjustments to heading. Quite fantastic compared to reefing a traditional bolt-roped or slide mainsail. Reefing is now just another sail control, and much safer than reefing my previous boat in a blow.

She's such a fantastic sailing vessel, I'm constantly amazed. Compared to the work and effort of sailing my last boat, there's almost nothing to do to get peak performance out of her.

[johanhook]

Thanks to both Homero and Matt for your updates! Great to see these nice stats from real life owners (and Matt's description of reefing the furling main made me wish I had gone for a furling main too...

I was at the dealer yesterday going over the last fittings on my Oceanis 38 hull #18 (twin B&G Zeus 2 7" plotters, TV, USB ports etc).

No ice left on the Baltic Sea, so we are on track for launch in Easter week! We will keep her in the dealers dock for a month or so, driving down on weekends, before sailing her up to Stockholm.

/Johan

[RKsailsolo]

Yes, thank you Homero, Matt and now Johan for sharing your new boat experience, particularly with the Oceanis 38. After many investigative journeys down various next boat purchase paths, I continue to return to the Oceanis 38 as the ideal choice.

I really enjoyed reading Matt's latest post and had the same question in my head: would the performance trade offs resulting from in mast furling vs full battened main be worth it on this boat? In his latest post, Matt did a good job of laying out some of his personal reasons why he thinks so.

Congrats Johan. Looking at the hull number, Is yours a newly commissioned boat, dealer demo or second owner?

[aspenripper]

38 oceanis ordered. After getting out with Homero we returned home and ordered our boat about a month ago

1 rear berth cruiser, bow thruster , code 0 on roller , roller main, full electronics , all option packs, elec head, cockpit windlass , no gen set or a/c .

Boat will be at home on Lake Erie and Ontario..... For now

RCR yachts has been Fantastic and was able to lock in a great build slot. We should see boat in 30 days and be in water early May. No hull ID yet.

This forum was my contact with Homero. A great ambassador and a wonderful family.
Now we just need spring to arrive in the Great Lakes region. Nice update Matt
Ed

[johanhook]

@RKSailSolo:

My Hull #18 is the Swedish importer's demo boat. Made in France.

[RKsailsolo]

Nice. Keep us posted on your experience.

[RKsailsolo]

Originally Posted by aspenripper

38 oceanis ordered. After getting out with Homero we returned home and ordered our boat about a month ago

1 rear berth cruiser, bow thruster , code 0 on roller , roller main, full electronics , all option packs, elec head, cockpit windlass , no gen set or a/c .

Boat will be at home on Lake Erie and Ontario..... For now

RCR yachts has been Fantastic and was able to lock in a great build slot. We should see boat in 30 days and be in water early May. No hull ID yet.

This forum was my contact with Homero. A great ambassador and a wonderful family.
Now we just need spring to arrive in the Great Lakes region. Nice update Matt
Ed

Congratulations Ed. I've sailed out of Mentor Lagoons many years ago. Now a land locked River sailor with near term plans to move to SE FL so am interested in Oceanis 38 and 35 owners in the So FL, Bahamas, Keys areas.

> Would guess you got the deeper draft version to maximize Great Lakes performance. Wondered if you got any insight from Homero regarding how he factored that into his decision as a Ft Lauderdale sailor.
> Bow thruster vs dock n go?
> Interested also in your choice of roller furl main and trade offs against full battened.
> In your negotiations did you see advantages in EU USD fluctuations or is that negated because the boat is built in SC?