Beneteau Family Tree

[SaltyMonkey]

Good man boatman!

Heave away...or heaving to
best thing to do ol salt
You'll never have to finally say
"Its not my bloody fault!"

[SaltyMonkey]

Goboating now:

Think I mentioned again and again the following. I based my approvals on what I've researched. Moreover they are nice...so nice I think they are rare to market and get snatched quickly =(:

First 35 - earlier 1980's not 2009!
First 38 - earlier 1980's
First 40.5 (I believe this might be related to the 38 as a modified version of the hull??)

Please, please...add some more to the list if you want - I need recommendations! But these kept coming up and I am strictly looking in the under 40's models.

A couple of others that popped up in my lists are:

Beneteau First 456
Beneteau 523

Outside of this, these boats popped up based on boatman's experience in this thread.

Oceanis 331 - 2001
Oceanis 321 - 1987

caught my attention...to really consider. Why? Well...this is boatman we're talking about here!

Oceanis 390? Nope not for me.
Newer F 35 nope.

Tell me more...

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

...
Do you think you have enough information to calculate STIX on this example by chance?

Yep. But I suggest you go to the USYRU Archives.

[Weyalan]

I have never owned a Beneteau. I have crewed a few races on a relatively modern First 40.7. I have to say that I thought the gear layout on deck was good and the below deck layout was pokey and unimpressive. The boat sailed very nicely though.

[SaltyMonkey]

Thanks svHyLyte!!

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Goboating now:

Think I mentioned again and again the following. I based my approvals on what I've researched. Moreover they are nice...so nice I think they are rare to market and get snatched quickly =(:

First 35 - earlier 1980's not 2009!
First 38 - earlier 1980's
First 40.5 (I believe this might be related to the 38 as a modified version of the hull??)

Please, please...add some more to the list if you want - I need recommendations! But these kept coming up and I am strictly looking in the under 40's models.

A couple of others that popped up in my lists are:

Beneteau First 456
Beneteau 523

Outside of this, these boats popped up based on boatman's experience in this thread.

Oceanis 331 - 2001
Oceanis 321 - 1987

caught my attention...to really consider. Why? Well...this is boatman we're talking about here!

Oceanis 390? Nope not for me.
Newer F 35 nope.

Tell me more...

Salty
What everyone is trying to tell you is that there is NOT ONE boat, that
will be better than the other.
as durring a party a month or so ago while we were down at Two Harbors, a couple of us Beneteau owners were setting around and swapping lies and compairing the size of our Johnsons, I happened to run across an owner of a 42s7.. he approched me as he had seen us come in on our FIRST42.. He said he had an older F42 but upgraded to the s7..
There were some things about the older 42 he liked but other things he liked the s7 for.. all in all, he liked the newer s7 more..
Now the things he liked about the s7 had NO bearing on what i thought was inportant..
these two boats, both built by Beneteau, have completely two different designers and handle completely different, even thou, they are both 42 foot First design..
You cant find the "BEST" boat on paper, you find it on the water, and what might be the best boat for you, might stink in my openion..
And you see this right now, as I have, as well as Scott, and a number of others on the forum, a FIRST42 of the mid 80s..
While others have different versions and we all think, the boat we bought is the right boat for us.. and that changes day by day and week by week..
Right now, I'm giving up my FIRST 42.. and the wife has just anounced that my Christmas present this year is a NEW "NITRO Z-9" Bass Boat with a 300 hp Merc.. Time to GO FISHING...........

[SaltyMonkey]

What!!!! Randy! Don't give up the 42!! That's crazy talk especially after all this! Youre pulling my leg. You're joking right????

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

What!!!! Randy! Don't give up the 42!! That's crazy talk especially after all this! Youre pulling my leg. You're joking right????

serious, R3 is up for sale, has been for a couple months... she'll be going to the broker in the spring..
we've been out cruising going on 8 years now.. had my fill......we're going fishing

[Capt.Don]

Hey Salty, Perhaps we need to compare notes and put together the list of 10 best Beneteau's. I've looked at an early 80's First 38 (might be First 38.5), late 80's First 40.5 and of new (IKEA interior) 40. The new 40 can be ordered without in-mast furler, upgraded sails.... Not interested in the new First 40 with the removable cockpit. I suspect there are some real dogs out there, but in the space we both seem to be looking, the above list of Beneteau's seem to be nice boats. I'm starting to think that late 80's might have more potential and not as much a project. My wife really liked the new 2 cabin 40 at $200K. That's now set the bar. My research continues....
Don

[Bash]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

That's crazy talk especially after all this!

It's a fairly rare event when I agree this strongly with SaltyMonkey. But, yeah, that's crazy talk.

[SaltyMonkey]

Gad Randy. Im really sorry to here this news. This, a real downer after so much fun for both of you. I hope you change your mind and come on back.

[SaltyMonkey]

Here I'll take a crack Capt.Don

1980's were a very good year er...decade for the Beneteau line

First 35
First 38
First 40
First 40.5
First 42 - in honour of Randy and others
First 456

More modern variants to consider

First 42s7
Oceanis 331
Oceanis Clipper 523

and to just show you how confusing it can be for SaltyMonkey:

Sailboats built by Beneteau (FRA) on Sailboatdata.com

try wrapping your head around that.

[boatman61]

Salty... take my words on the Bene's with a pinch of sea salt... they were two boats I bought coz the price was right and the boats I originally went out for were either sold or crap..
With the '87' 321 I went out to look at and buy a Cheoy Lee Clipper 36 which turned out to be a badly maintained heap of crap with rotted teak decks and varnish streamers flying at the masts.. only reason I found/bought the Bene was coz of Mount Gay n Coke in the Soggy Dollar, a desperate Frenchman and a $25K tag.... never researched or sailed one before... just did not want to fly back..
The 331 was coz a Gibsea 42 had sold and I spotted the Bene when I walked back through the Marina in Roadtown... 2001 for $60K.. did not want to fly...
They did me fine and handled well enough not to scare me going back across to Europe... some might find them to skittish and light...
I work to different priorities... which many think are crazy... after all..
I have bought a Hunter in my time....

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

Salty
What everyone is trying to tell you is that there is NOT ONE boat, that
will be better than the other....

You cant find the "BEST" boat on paper, you find it on the water, and what might be the best boat for you, might stink in my openion..

Amen...

For some while we remained in contact with the former owner of our boat who traded up to a Bene 473 when we bought his boat in 2001. When asked how he liked the 473 his response was that it had much more room and his wife loved it. "But how do you like it?" was the question. "Well, it sure isn't a First 42...but it has more room." he responded.

In fact, during the course of negotiating for our boat we also looked at the First 456 and the First 435. After inspecting them closely, however, my much better half liked the 42 much better. And, most importantly, she feels very safe on the boat and has no qualms about standing a watch on deck alone, even in crappy weather (I rest in the port quarter cabin with the port open so I can hear her if she calls out and a string with a loop around my wrist that she can haul on in the event I'm sleeping soundly and don't respond to her call quickly enough). The only issue with the 42 (sorry Randy) is that the machine spaces are tight so repair work can be a real trial if not a flat PITA. More modern boats have more "room" but at sea that can prove a disadvantage. (Friends of ours with a Hylas 53 that we also looked at closely tell us they rig a grab-line between the base of their mast and the ladder at their companionway in crappy weather as the boat is very wide and hand-holds are insufficient otherwise.).

N'any case. I think it's a shame that Randy has chosen to give up R3 but there is a season for everything and so long as R3 passes into good hands she will be preserved and, in any case, a little bit of Randy and his family will remain with her 'till her last day. One never really owns a boat--'tho' for awhile it may own you. We are all just custodians for awhile, some better than others.

FWIW...

[SaltyMonkey]

boatman61 - thanks for the details on the qualifications of those bennies. Important to know.
ummm....Cheoy Lee's suck rot ooops i pretend to be good