late 80s Beneteau 430 feedback

[sandrunner]

Found one (1988) on the hard and going to look at her next week. Was curious is anyone with some experience sailing/owning the model had any feedback in terms of handling, trouble spots that usually need updating/watch out for, etc?

TIA!

[Tetepare]

I had my heart set on a 430, and have looked at them in NY, Tahiti, and Australia.

Every one of them had wet decks, every one leaked. Most problems had gone unaddressed for some time, leading to cosmetic and arguably structural issues.


The rudder bearing is an issue, at least one lost a rudder in heavy seas.

The big skylights- to me a great benefit of the 430- often leak and are a bear to fix properly. Most had been gunked-up with silicone. God forbid you break one, a replacement would have to be custom made at thousands of dollars.

As new, the fit and quality is way above later Beneteaus like the 400 and 411. I'd take an equivalent quality 430 over a 411 any day. The few I've seen for sale that had been kept up demanded double the price of the others; I don't know if they sold near those prices.