Beneteau Oceanis 42 CC - Cant find one in the US?

[jefndeb]

Hello,

I think we have found a cruiser to take a serious look at. It has what we think we will like in its floorplan, among other things on our list.

But in looking for one, they mostly seem to be in Europe.

It also looks like they moved the wheel to the front right side of the cockpit on the newer models.

Was this a success or no?

Anybody know why?

[dlymn]

I like what centre cockpits give you, namely an aft stateroom often with an island bed. I would imagine that people who own them swear by them. There are aft cockpit boats that offer the same. In the same vintage the Sun Odyssey 43 or 43DS have the capacity to provide a huge bed in the aft stateroom.
We sail in the Med and almost always moor stern to. With a couple sailing on a boat with the cockpit aft, "med" mooring is fairly straightforward; one on the anchor winch and one at the helm. When you get within a metre of the quay the helmsman cuts the throttle, turns around and throws the lines to anyone on the quay. Sometimes you need to step off and tie up the boat yourself. During the process you take the engine out of gear and trim the anchor. All this is fairly easy when you're controlling from the stern. I would think that a 'mature' couple might find the same a little difficult when you need to climb out of the cockpit and get down to the stern to manage the lines.
We also like open transoms and twin helms. They make access very easy and open up a lot of space in the cockpit. Modern boat shapes really encourage this design. Having a stern swim platform makes getting in and out of a tender very easy. It's also great for diving off and climbing back on.

If you don't mind coming to Europe to buy a boat, I would look at other options as you'll get more boat for the same price. Sailing the Med is not too bad a life. You can get your boat sailed back or loaded as cargo. I am not sure but You might get it back to the US for about $20,000. That's not too bad when you consider the price difference. You must do research about the appliances and wiring on EU boats. They might have thinner wires for the high voltage system and that might need special considerations.

[RoyL]

Yacht world has 7 listed in the US