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Old 17-08-2018, 01:52   #46
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Re: Beneteau 42/44CC vs 473/423

Congratulations! Looks like a beautiful boat
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Old 17-08-2018, 04:00   #47
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Re: Beneteau 42/44CC vs 473/423

Quote:
Originally Posted by drewm3i View Post
Just to update this thread: we have finally purchased a sailboat! She is a 1987 Ericson 38-200 and we are closing on her in a few weeks! Her keel stepped mast, medium displacement, teak wood work, and lead keel were deciding factors for us!
That was a good choice, we had a 1982 and later on a 1988 model. She is fast with a deep keel, and well built no doubt. A little weather helm will develop in high winds under beating conditions, so keep the main flat, to leeward, have 3 sets of reef points in her. She is easily driven, and won't pound.

I have a good friend with a Bene 473 (2006) and that is a very good overall boat, although surprise with how little the fuel tank is (55 gallons). About the only drawback I see. Nice cherry interior, nice features.

I have a another friend with a Catalina 400 (2002) and their fixed cabin port lights cracked from some miss steps on deck so Catalina sent them new ones. The broke the old ones out by tapping with a winch handle and they shattered easily, so sun must have got to them.
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Old 03-04-2020, 06:37   #48
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Re: Beneteau 42/44CC vs 473/423

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Originally Posted by drewm3i View Post
Hello Cruisers Forum!

Here is some background for this post:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...37#post2491237

I will copy relevant parts here:

My name is Drew and I am from South Florida. As the title suggests, my fiance and I are looking for our first sailboat to live-aboard and cruise when we have free time. We have been inspired by a number of sailing blogs like Delos and La Vagabonde and have decided to take the plunge.

We are powerboaters and have owned a number of boats, including a 21' Chaparral bowrider, a 24' Chaparral cuddy cabin, and now a 30' Sea Ray Sundancer with twins that we are in the process of rebuilding due to partially rotted stringers.

As a young couple with no real financial responsibilities, zero debt, etc. we are pondering the possibility of buying a sailboat as our floating home with a mortgage that we would easily be able to pay off within 5-10 years by working full time (for now).

That said, we still want to sail and will take frequent weekend and short trips to the Keys and Tortugas out of Miami. We would also like to use our vacation time to cruise the Bahamas, especially Andros, the Exumas, and the Abacos as we are divers/free divers and love to observe the immense beauty of coral reefs. Thus, we want a seaworthy boat, not simply a floating home. Eventually we will want to cruise the Caribbean and maybe even head to the South Pacific via the tradewind route once we have years of experience.

So far we have looked at some new a Hunter 410 DS, a Hunter 420 CC, a Beneteau 411, and a Beneteau 423. We also looked at some new Jeanneaus and were unimpressed by the paneling and flimsy build. The older boats seem to be much higher quality. Of these boats, the 423 seems perfect. I understand this is one of Beneteau's best designs ever? My research says she sails quickly and is relatively seaworthy for a production boat. We loved the layout and spaciousness, combined with the streamlined design as opposed to the Hunters which felt very cheap and more like floating palaces. Any comments on these boat choices? We also love the Beneteau 44 CC with its tub, huge aft cabin, bulkhead wheel, hard dodger, and secure center cockpit. We have about 150k to spend over 10 years. We have paid cash for all of our other boats, but this is a substantial purchase and we are looking at it like a condo purchase, rather than a boat.

Personally, I don't mind a higher quality used boat, but financing seems to be an issue for boats older than 1997. I also prefer the newer boats due to no wood used for the stringers. I know the grids are possibly not as strong, but as someone who is currently rebuilding a boat, I don't want another huge project. I am very handy and can fix almost anything, but I want something new and without the possibility of rotted decks, stringers, etc. So years I am looking at are roughly '97-'07.

At this point in my search (about 6 months), I am most interested in the Beneteau 42/44 CC and 423/473. Of all the "awb" production boats, I feel Beneteau makes the best boat and is also the easiest to find. The 42 and 44 cc we have not seen in person, but would like to (we are currently in the wpb area of FL). The center cockpit with bulkhead wheel, keel stepped mast, and fewer windows scream seaworthy to me. The aft deck would also be a nice spot for dive gear, workouts, etc.

The 473 also seems like a great boat. First, it must be FAST with 44' of waterline. It is also spacious and we'd get an extra cabin (3), yet keep the master stateroom and sea galley. This boat has the greatest tankage of all four which is a plus. It is the newest, fastest, biggest, but most expensive.

Ideally, I'd want a cutter rig to have both a 90% jib and 140% Genoa. Cats seem too expensive though the admiral would like one. I really want a fast, modern monohull with spade rudder and a fin keel. I do not want a full keeled slug.

Any input is much appreciated! We are in the WPB area and new to sailing. These boats seem to be the best for our needs but additional suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks,
Drew
3 and half years later, which boat did you settle on? Hows the cruising dream coming along?
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Old 14-09-2023, 16:08   #49
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Re: Beneteau 42/44CC vs 473/423

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Originally Posted by Miketcq8 View Post
3 and half years later, which boat did you settle on? Hows the cruising dream coming along?
Well, we bought the Ericson 38-200 a few posts above. It turned out to be a massive project, but made for some good feature articles in Practical Boat Owner...After doing a full refit, including standing rigging and a bottom job with like 200+ massive blister repairs over 8 months or so, we broke a chainplate on our first passage and I lost the will to continue. We were also quickly running out of money to fund the refit which cost a small fortune...

Ended up selling it to a guy who used to work for Ericson who replaced all of the chainplates, sails, and electronics that we had just installed. He then tried to singlehand her to NC during a winter cold front and sank her about 200 miles off the coast of Florida and had to be rescued:

https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads...florida.18495/

I am however, starting to get the itch to try again someday, but have been enjoying my sporty, 25' powerboat immensely the last few years that is perfect for now, considering I run a boat repair business and am in the process of becoming a marine surveyor so big projects are a bit much right now, with how much is on my plate...also thinking of starting a family in the next few years!





I am going to try this again with my fiancé at some point, but we are going to get a newer production boat most likely and do the refit at a slower and more sustainable pace and I want to cruise part-time and seasonally in a cool, northern climate like the Med, Great Lakes, or Maine, rather than full-time, which I think is a bit much for us. I still really like the Beneteau CC boats, so that's probably what I'll target. I learned a lot during this process and all of the tasks that I had to complete helped elevate my skill level and knowledge so it was not all bad...
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