Beneteau 50 - Few Questions

[Celestialsailor]

I wouldn't say there is "mass-production boat hate" on the forum exactly. There are many high quality production boats out there. Mind you, there are a couple of production boats that do better at the docks as a floating condo that have goofy rigging and weak rudders. My friend (who is on this forum) has a Bene and loves it for it's speed. This one is sure a beauty. The price?...The guy that can afford this boat does not have a problem with money.
Keep in mind that maintenance on a 50 is going to be double that of a 40 in regards to replacing big ticket items (I'm generalizing). As far as open ocean sailing, I'm sure it would be up to the task. If you are looking for other top end boats, Tartan and Hallberg Rassy do really well on long crossings. JMHO

[neilpride]

Is not a Oceanis , is a benetau 50, is the same boat we are a rebuilding here in St Martin this last 3 months , and to be honest the quality is Ok,
we just found some Beneteau factory problems easy to solve and fix,
for example the hull is made solid in the bottom and with a grid liner glued inside, the grid is a laberint with limber holes in each compartment where the water can drain to the bilge sump, well if the boat get any window or deck drain leak inside of the boat, this water end inside of the liner if the leak is located close to the topsides,, and some spaces between liner and hull dont have any way to discharge this water to the bilge , in fact we found 4 of this gaps full of fresh water , easy to fix by making a hole in the liner , vacum the water , and installing plugs, so i recomend to tap the interior for water ingress in the liner.

Another benetau fault is in the anchor locker looking at the 2 locker drains , one is several inches up in the waterline , the other is close to the waterline , this one is a liner to, glued to the hull , if the sealant fail or the glue fail the sea water found a way to fill the bow low area below the anchor locker, here we drain about 10 gallons of sea water.

Beware of the topside windows to, this ones are glued with a Benetau sealant, no screws ,, here the windows have a white paint covering the side face of the window to protect for the sun , in fact to protect the side where the sealant is in contact to the hull, if the white stuff get worn or flake, sun heat distort due expansion the sealant and windows get loose in the hull, dangerous in the worst scenario, sailing in bad weather.

Is a good boat , for 2 people i think is fine, 2 wheels , winches close to the cokpit, super galley , water tankage and fuel range is ok, one of the few Benetaus in my list...

[DDabs]

Thanks once again to everyone for their wonderful input. You've made me a happy man! Hopefully my father and I can move forward in our boat buying journey.

[bene505]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

This boat does have a very nice nav table (like all the Bene cruising boats I've sailed).

It's a perfectly decent blue water boat which might not be quite as nice here and there as a non-production boat, but should take you anywhere and will be a lot stronger than you are, in any case. Probably the biggest disadvantage of a boat like this is the hull liner modular construction, which means the cabinetry is less nice, and which will make modifications and installing new equipment unpleasant, but worth putting up with IMHO to get so much boat for so little money.

When I first sailed a Beneteau, a long time ago, I really hated the crappy plastic port lights, and thought sheez, they sure do cut corners on these cheap production boats, don't they. Then I sailed my first Oyster, and guess what -- exactly the same crappy Lewmar plastic port lights. And my present boat has got the same ones, too. The gorgeous tempered glass port lights, set in chromed bronze frames, which I had on my old boat, went out with horses and buggies, it seems.

As to the size -- as Dave said, sail it and see. My boat is still much bigger (54 feet on deck, about 60 feet LOA, and half again the displacement of that Bene), and I have sailed it single handed, including docking and undocking. I often sail it two-handed with a non-sailor, which makes it like single handing except that I have someone to jump onto the pontoon and tie on a line (very handy). I don't think you will find it unpleasantly large. You will have to learn to dock better, because you can't manhandle a boat that size into the slip (no matter how much crew you have). Sail handling is not really any different when you have electric winches for the genoa sheets. You will not be able to raise or lower the sails single-handed, but there is not any particular reason why you would need to do that on an all-furling rig.

The 40 foot water line length will give it long legs. It's got extraordinary deck storage -- much better than my boat. One minus is that this boat seems to have the shoal keel, which will hurt windward performance. But looks like a great boat for the money.

I raise both sails single-handed without issue. (I've only put the furling genny on/off when the winds were reasonably light.) Don't know about putting a furing main on. We have the regular main with a stack pack.

I think the 5'11' draft is standard for this mast height. The sails IMHO are more manageable because of the 66' mast height (above the water).

For what it's worth, we don't have a bow thruster. You have to think ahead a bit, especially if there's strong winds or current. And one time in a gale I declined the marina's slip choice, which was down a narrow windy maze. No one else was using the gas dock anyway, not with a gale blowing outside. (Remember spring lines are your friends for helping to get on/off the dock.) (One time in strong winds I winched the boat up to an upwind dock, because I wanted the bow heading out. That would have been a great time to have a bow thruster.)

Note that she'll do 3 point turns (actually 5 or even 7 point turns in tight fairways) easily. You don't have to move the rudder when doing so, since the rudder is in the engine thrust. Helm over to one side (keep it there), then smoothly-quickly power up, then smoothly-quickly reverse power up, then forward power up, then reverse power up..., etc. The single control for the engine makes this easy. The Hurth transmission is supposed to be able to handle the occasional full power shifting, but I usually do these turns with just a nudge of power (maybe 1/10th power), more if there's any wind. There is a limit to how windy it can be, depending on how narrow the space is.

Regards,
Brad

[DDabs]

Thanks Brad!

Out of curiosity, what cabin layout do you have?

[DDabs]

Sorry guys, just trying to figure this out a little bit more.

From what I understand, there is an Oceanis model, a Cyclades model, and Brad, in your sig it says you have a 505 model. From what I have researched on yacht world, this is not the same model that I posted in my OP, which is just called a Beneteau 50 - no Oceanis or Cyclades mentioned. Why did Beneteau have to make so many damn 50 foot models!!!

Am I missing something here? What is the difference between all these models? It seems that all of the Cyclades models are set up to be charter boats, with a 4-5 cabin layout. Most of the Oceanis models are either 3 or 4 stateroom versions, but I cannot for the life of me find a 2 stateroom version like the one I have posted. Are they just super rare?

[DDabs]

OK, sorry for clogging up my own thread with so many back to back questions, but now I have just checked out the Beneteau Oceanis 461, made from 1996-2001. It seems to have the exact layout as the 2-cabin 50 I originally posted. Aside from the 4 ft. LOA difference, are these two boats somewhat similar? It seems I can snag the layout I want for alot less money, while still having a 46 ft. yacht. Thoughts?

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Sorry guys, just trying to figure this out a little bit more.

From what I understand, there is an Oceanis model, a Cyclades model, and Brad, in your sig it says you have a 505 model. From what I have researched on yacht world, this is not the same model that I posted in my OP, which is just called a Beneteau 50 - no Oceanis or Cyclades mentioned. Why did Beneteau have to make so many damn 50 foot models!!!

Am I missing something here? What is the difference between all these models? It seems that all of the Cyclades models are set up to be charter boats, with a 4-5 cabin layout. Most of the Oceanis models are either 3 or 4 stateroom versions, but I cannot for the life of me find a 2 stateroom version like the one I have posted. Are they just super rare?

I would bet that the model you are looking at is a Cyclades. I do not think they were making Oceanis models in 2004. You have to realize that Beneteau makes most of there boats for the charter industry, and rarely make a boat for a client. Places like the Moorings, Sunsail and the like will order these boats then wait for buyers to take advantage of there programs. They call these boats Mooring 50 and so forth. I would bet that the boat you are looking has at has the same hull as the boats in the charter fleets with changes being made to the interior only, as it would appear it was not in a charter fleet. I have the 3 stateroom 40 that was in charter for 8 years. At first I thought I wanted the 2 stateroom version but they were all out of my price range so I setteled for the 3 room version, and now I am glad I did. We have had 3 couples on our boat several times and it has handled the job OK but a little cramped. Normally we travel with only one other couple so we turn the other stateroom into a storage locker for food and supplies. This is fantastic to have that option. You could call Beneteau and probably find out what models were made that year if it makes a difference.

[DDabs]

Thanks Rocketman, I understand all about how they brand the boats under different names. I believe the Oceanis was made past 2004 and is still being made. The only thing I don't like about the 3-stateroom version is the straight galley on the port side. But I do like your idea of turning the third stateroom into a storage room.

I think my next plan is to switch over the the Oceanis 461. Seems to be the exact same boat as the 50, with the layout I prefer. Also it has a keel-stepped mast and the same amenities.

[Rocketman]

They quite making Oceanis models for a number of years but I do not know the exact years they stopped. They are making them today like you said. I remember seeing a web sight that explained this but do not remember the site. It might be on the Beneteau parts web site.

Good luck.

[Knucklehead]

Guys, I missed out on a B50 in Annapolis. It sold for $225, that was 3 hours before I had made the same offer. I then bought a B473, 2004. Love it, great boat for wherever I want to go. My previous boat was a B461. Talk about a quickly accelerating boat!!!
BTW - the 50 had it all. Four electric winches, remote chartplotter, dinghy, raft, watermaker, generator, and more, 2 cabin 2 head.
Going to a 461 is not a step down.

[Doodles]

Here is a plug for a friend's 50 that just went on the market this month:

1996 Beneteau 503 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[TheOffice]

Congrats! Enjoy her!

[bene505]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Thanks Brad!

Out of curiosity, what cabin layout do you have?

Just saw this post. Our layout is just like this, except for up in the crew's quarters, the berth is on the starboard side.





Regards,
Brad

[chucklet321]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Just looking for a little more info regarding this boat:

2004 Beneteau 50 Two-Cabin Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Is this an Oceanis or a Cyclades?

With all the mass-production boat hate on these forums, would you feel comfortable crossing oceans in this boat with the open transom, etc? It has a keel-stepped mast and seems to be a decent blue-water cruiser with a few outrigging preparations.

Are there any known problems with this model that I should be aware of?

Thanks for all your opinions.

They are not very roomy, it's mostly made too fit more poeple, good for chartering, but I would go with a hunter if i were you, the interior is more roomy and they are alot cheaper than the oceanis's are the hunter 45' or 42' passage are highly recomended by me, on yacht world .com you can find some nice perfect condition ones for around 120k or less. They usually have 2 or 3 rooms depending on the design and a water capacity of around 120 gallons depending on the year, i find the older models hold more and are just as nice for cheaper, they are very good for liveaboard also. 40' might not sound like long but it's longer than a school bus.

I would highly recomend looking into some maybe mid 90's hunters!!!