Beneteau, Bavaria and Jeanneau

[bg9208]

Are there an y known problems with boats by these builders making them less attractive for passage making?
Looking for a 12-13Metre for liveaboard so any input from satisfied (or unhappy) owners would be appreciated.
TAI
Whatnot@free.fr

[freetime]

How much do you want to spend? New or Used? How many persons? Do you "liveaboard" in south france or north? Sailing around???

Hanse, Elan Impression, Dufour, Dehler....pricequestion.

[bg9208]

Looking to spend up to £75K, just 2 persons experienced cross channel etc. sailors, years ago. Looking for a (about) 40ft preferably used - no problem with an older boat. To sail from UK to Med, around Eastern Med and through the Red Sea and possibly back and to the Canaries, maybe further. I'm used to a 35ft ketch but would live with sloop/cutter, prefer centre cockpit but not critical. I have my eye on a number of boats but, the reason for the initial post was that I would like to hear, in particular, about the above three makes before discarding or considering them. Are you implying that the Hanse, Elan Impression, Dufour and Dehler are preferable to the other three for parrage making?

[Oldfield]

Jeanneau 42 DS has given us no trouble so far. Good support, however, crusing equipement like DeSal, Life Raft, Davits, Extra Nav gear need to be put in place. Extremely comfortable easy to handel, Auto furling Good and simple to use. Handels well, perhas a little light, however, for crusing sholud give very few problems

[GordMay]

Bavaria Yachts has, in the past, had Keel problems.
One crewmember died after the keel fell off a chartered Bavaria Match 42 during a race in Croatia (2005?).
The Match 42 had been afflicted with keel problems before this race, and all 10 that had been built at that stage were recalled for extra laminating and steel backing plates for the keel. Bavaria has now recalled all 150 Match 42 and Match 38s for modifications and reinforcement of their hulls in the keel area.

[MarkJ]

If any had current, ongoing problems they would have been sued out of existance.

[Vasco]

Actually Bavaria is having some financial problems. Apparently the company was sold recently in a leveraged buy-out and its financial status is a bit shaky right now.
Bavaria Yachtbau: Among the deals heading for the rocks - Times Online

[Rhosyn Mor]

I have an Older Jene, 1980, CC ketch 37 feet LOD, been fine, sails sweetly, takes rough water and winds in its stride.the pre Bene Jene's were built heavier then the modern ones, but I know of no problems with the newer ones, not too sure about the others but all of the Jenneaus should be fine for long ocean passages. I know of at least a couple of the 50 foot bene's that are in the middle of long cruises, just be wary of those that have been in charter, All of these boats are popular with the charter co's
hope this helps

[speedoo]

I own a Beneteau Idylle 11.5 (as in meters). Built in 1984, there was some kind of Beneteau anniversary back then and the firm built several Idylles in the series for just a few years. The 11.5 was one of the smaller ones. Definitely a cruiser, not a racer. I am very happy with it and I think it's plenty big enough for two people. Great layout below, and well above average storage space in three cockpit lockers.

Only disadvantage to you as a buyer is there are not many on the market. But they are well within your price range here in the USA, more costly in Europe.

[Randyonr3]

Being you're in that part of the country, you might want to check out the early Beneteaus in the FIRST Editions.. The 38, 42, & 456, once built for racing have proven themselves to be worthy cruisers. Very roomy inside with a wide beam, and easy to sail...
Mine is a somewhat rare, custom version of the FIRST 42 that came equepted with cutter rigging, and a number of other options for cruising........

[Stella Polaris]

I used to own a Bavaria 40 Ocean (no longer being produced). It had the feel of a weekend warrior. It was made to "live" in a marina on weekdays, for use on weekends and for a few weeks every summer.

Don't get me wrong, it was a good boat and for what you paid you got a great boat, but you'd have to invest time and money in it, to make it a good live-aboard boat. If you buy a second hand one where someone else has done just that it could serve you well. The pricetag should certainly be appealing.

[bg9208]

Ahyone have any thoughts on the "Reinke" boats?. They seem to be sold as passage makers but they do have 3Tonne bilge keels. This seems to be an unpopular format for such a boat, is there a particular reason for this?

[chuckr]

i bought a jeanneau ds40 new and simply love her - have the 2 cabin version as i wanted the extra storage space when i started cruising - she is shoal draft and thus a bit heavier as i plan to spend time in the bahamas - under sail she is quick and as i sometime single hand her with all lines leading aft a breeze to hand - did put a lot of extras on her for cruising -
now as a full time cruiser i really appreciate her more - solid and rigid and very roomy with a lot of storage space - clean lines and easy handling -
there were some 50' jeanneaus in this years cross atlantic rally -
the more i sail her the more i like her - did look at a bavaria and bennie before i bought the jeanneau
the bavaria was a nice boat but did not seem to have the quailty of the jeanneau nor the strength
the bennies are becoming cheaper as it seems they are trying to hold the prices level while cost continue to rise - it just did not seem like a well put together boat and while sailing on one did not seem as tight and rigid as a jeanneau
i just hope bennie keeps their hands off jeanneau and let them do what they do best - make great reasonably priced sailboats that can take you anywhere
just my thougths
chuck and svsoulmates
ki4sry

[aquilina]

I think Jeanneau's are fantastic boats. Have a 9.15 metre Sunlight and I love it.

[ssduca]

Go for a Hanse! Fast and easy to sail and excellent cruiser. Have logged thousands on miles on Hanse and most of them double handed. get in touch if you need any more information.

Shawn