Beneteau Sense Quality Issues

[bouncingyellow]

Hi just been to the sanctuary cove boat show checking out all the new yachts , one yacht I particularly wanted to se was the new beneteau Sense, 10 minutes later I walked away very disappointed am I just to picky but the fit and finish was terrible, the floor bowed and moved under my foot the gaps in the timber joinery where everywhere and the doors where not even hung straight and flush. Has anyone witnessed similar quality issues or did I just see a bad one .

[boatman61]

This is in no way a dig... honest... but...
I've owned a French built Bendi and a Florida built Bendi...
The French boat was much more solidly built... the US one had undersized screws everywhere... a few other issues as well.. whether this is down to 'Built for different waters' or some other crap its a shame as it can only do the 'Beneteau Name' harm in the long run..

[MarkJ]

That's why you should never buy a boat unseen.
Now you know it's not for you, you can safely move on

Good luck in your search.


Mark

[TOM]

Originally Posted by bouncingyellow

Hi just been to the sanctuary cove boat show checking out all the new yachts , one yacht I particularly wanted to se was the new beneteau Sense, 10 minutes later I walked away very disappointed am I just to picky but the fit and finish was terrible, the floor bowed and moved under my foot the gaps in the timber joinery where everywhere and the doors where not even hung straight and flush. Has anyone witnessed similar quality issues or did I just see a bad one .

No the quality is woeful . But if you want to see worse step onboard a Lagoon 38 {same company} it is appalling. However the Sun Odeyssey's prior to 2007 appear well made .

[simonpickard]

"However the Sun Odeyssey's prior to 2007 appear well made"

And after?

[bvimatelot]

Agree with Boatman, I've delivered quite a few brand new bendy toys from the US builder and haven't been mightily impressed. As I was told (by a Frenchman) "Pig farmers are not boat-builders".....

"Groupe Beneteau" have gone the way of many, building Down to Price, at the expense of Quality. C'est la vie, je suppose. Tony

[kabball]

I read an article recently that stated the Sense line was one of the boats Bene makes that is only built overseas and they do not build them in NA

[bouncingyellow]

The bendi Sense was particularly popular with people boarding and having a look around, I guess those glossy brochures work well, I forgot to mention the stepped floor in the Sense which is quite dangerous especially to those unaware of it . Witnessed two people tumble on our tour. My girlfriend really liked the new Catalina 355 and fell in love with the interior, checked out a similar size Hanse a bit more lacking in flair but was 20% faster says the sales man, the bravaria's seemed appealing to my girlfriend too especially seeing the sunbed in the cockpit, I quite like the range of hatch and window coverings from Oceanair.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by bouncingyellow

The bendi Sense was particularly popular with people boarding and having a look around, I guess those glossy brochures work well, I forgot to mention the stepped floor in the Sense which is quite dangerous especially to those unaware of it . Witnessed two people tumble on our tour. My girlfriend really liked the new Catalina 355 and fell in love with the interior, checked out a similar size Hanse a bit more lacking in flair but was 20% faster says the sales man, the bravaria's seemed appealing to my girlfriend too especially seeing the sunbed in the cockpit, I quite like the range of hatch and window coverings from Oceanair.

So you found the Catalina, Hanse and Bavarias all of acceptable (to you) build quality?

Did you see any Jeneaus or Beneteau Oceanis series and can comment?


Mark

[bouncingyellow]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

So you found the Catalina, Hanse and Bavarias all of acceptable (to you) build quality?

Did you see any Jeneaus or Beneteau Oceanis series and can comment?

Mark

Yeah I thought they where all quite nicely presented, didn't jump on an Oceanis but managed to look at an older Sun Odessy but didn't do much for me, that was at the end of the day and was probably over it.

[Mr Mac]

My wife and I attended the Strictly Sail Chicago show back in late January and had the opportunity to look over a couple of Beneteau's and the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey's and were quite well impressed by the fit and finish of the French built Jeanneau's over the US made Beneteau.

We asked the Beneteau rep why the quality was down over the competitors and he said that the boat we were looking at was one they used for shows and that's why the quality was down. I then asked him why Beneteau would want a boat like that to represent the manufacturer in such a negative light and he could only shrug his shoulders.

I'd imagine that it's like anything else, if you like the Sense and had issues with a particular boat at a show, go see one at a marina. If you see the same issues then you know it's a manufacturing issue and need to look elsewhere.

Just my two cents worth...

[Liam Wald]

Building down to price is a real issue for most builders at this time.
We have experienced a huge inflation curve since 2005 based upon the cost of oil.
It has effected every aspect of manufacturing, not just fiberglass and other actual
oil based" products.
If you took a 36 foot boat that cost $150k to build in the year 2000 as an example and built the same boat to the same specifications today my guess is that it would cost $250k.
Builders are faced with building to the same quality they did in the past and risk pricing themselves out of the market or cutting corners with materials and labor to maintain an acceptable price point.
This condition is exacerbated by the fact that the market has trended toward bigger and bigger boats.

[ColdEH]

Lets just face it , good boats are expensive . The economics has changed so much. I was just down In Annapolis and walked on a couple of Bristols . It was the first time I have been aboard one , I was shocked by the build quality of the vessels. The man hours that must have gone in to them . I think it would be tough to build a Bristol 51.1 in today's economy with less then a 1.5 million price tag.

Regards

[FrankZ]

Originally Posted by bvimatelot

Agree with Boatman, I've delivered quite a few brand new bendy toys from the US builder and haven't been mightily impressed. As I was told (by a Frenchman) "Pig farmers are not boat-builders".....

"Groupe Beneteau" have gone the way of many, building Down to Price, at the expense of Quality. C'est la vie, je suppose. Tony

Bah, they grow more tobacco in SC than pigs.

[s/vPainkiller]

Originally Posted by FrankZ

Bah, they grow more tobacco in SC than pigs.

Was going to comment earlier, but I'm pretty sure that there are no pig farms in Marion, SC. Lots of peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes. Chickens, maybe but no pigs that I am aware of.

"Groupe Beneteau" have gone the way of many, building Down to Price, at the expense of Quality. C'est la vie, je suppose."

This is another way of saying they are doing what is necessary to stay in business. They could always maintain the same "better" quality and go out of business because no one can afford their boats. How many "higher" quality boats are selling the marketplace these days?

Scott