Beneteau Oceanis 46

[tant]

Hi all,
I have an eye on 2010 Beneteau Oceanis 46, 2 cabin 2 head version. It is in the USA. My plan is to sail East Coast (ICW) and go further South to the Caribbean for a couple years then cross the Atlantic and spend another year or two in the Med. Do you think it is a good choice for a 50+ years old couple (with a dog) to liveaboard and is it a good choice for bluewater? Any pitfalls I should be looking before buying? Do I need to upgrade any part of the boat?

Thank you,

[Indolent58]

We have a 2009 example of the same model. Going into our third season cruising the Atlantic coast, Bahamas and the Caribbean, with the first half of that time being with our dog who has since passed away. The furling mast clears some of the tighter nominally 65ft fixed bridges by a hair but no real problems so far. The longest offshore passage we’ve done is 11 days from Beaufort NC to Puerto Rico and we felt perfectly safe. Overall the 46 is a fine choice for what you want to do. If the opportunity had presented itself we would have preferred the 49 which gives you a bigger bed in the forward cabin and a forward sail locker but really the 46 has worked well for us.

[Indolent58]

As for upgrades that depends mostly on how the boat you are looking at has been equipped and maintained. If systems are original they are starting to get to the age that some may need to be replaced. Our boat came with a stern arch with davits. We added solar panels, lithium batteries and a watermaker, and over time have replaced many other components as necessary but that’s really standard for any boat.

[suiramor]

Did you not miss having a whiskerpole?

[Indolent58]

Originally Posted by suiramor

Did you not miss having a whiskerpole?

Actually yes. We’ve thought about adding one but haven’t yet. If we were doing more extended bluewater sailing we definitely would.

[barnakiel]

Benes have regular problems with rudder area - bearings and the general ruder tube area. Mostly applies to the Cyclades series but I looked up the stern compartment and the design seems basically the same on Oceanis.


Google your friend.



If were to be used for trips from the US to the West Indies or else to cross oceans, I would not buy a Bene. And not that I do not like their cockpits or interiors or anything.


Look if you like same size boats that are believed to have been built a bit stronger - e.g. the X-Yachts, a Swan, etc.


b.

[Saltymoggy]

Sailed over 100,000 miles on various Beneteau models … mostly new boats out of France to the Caribbean charter fleets … First sail over the Biscay in winter always interesting . Also States to the Pacific charter bases Tahiti / Tonga . Ex charter boats back to Europe / States etc. Problems ? Nothing of any great significance in a lot of miles and weather … had a lot of confidence in all the ones I sailed . Models differ of course . Did drag a 50’ Idylle with a 2 mtr draught over a 1mtr reef in St Martin by a line to the masthead …. Plenty of banging and grinding .but she still floated . Rudder demolished mast bent but hull ok and was back on charter couple of weeks later . The flag pole at the Moorings base is the straight bit of that mast !

[tant]

For the one I checked yesterday, I noticed the rudder was little loose when you shake it. I was able to see the shaft and Teflon ring around it were moving. What can go wrong? Is it a concern?
Thanks

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Benes have regular problems with rudder area - bearings and the general ruder tube area. Mostly applies to the Cyclades series but I looked up the stern compartment and the design seems basically the same on Oceanis.


Google your friend.



If were to be used for trips from the US to the West Indies or else to cross oceans, I would not buy a Bene. And not that I do not like their cockpits or interiors or anything.


Look if you like same size boats that are believed to have been built a bit stronger - e.g. the X-Yachts, a Swan, etc.


b.

[Indolent58]

Originally Posted by tant

For the one I checked yesterday, I noticed the rudder was little loose when you shake it. I was able to see the shaft and Teflon ring around it were moving. What can go wrong? Is it a concern?
Thanks

Some amount of play is OK but an expert should look at it. When we bought our boat the surveyor thought the rudder play was fine. Later the rudder was dropped to replace the propeller shaft and the yard staff also said it was within the normal range but the boat you are considering could be different.

[donradcliffe]

What you are calling Teflon is probably Delrin, which does not swell as much when it gets wet. If the play is a problem, you can get new bearings machined.

[barnakiel]

There is plenty of read on the web about what problems with the rudders existed and how they got solved. Also which boats sunk and how.


Not saying this is something that happens only to Beneteau. Most lightly built boats from the area of about 1980+ designed to be built either as charters or else as weekend use. Very few boatyards tried to keep the quality high. Many of those who did went bankrupt.


To me any design with known repeated issues in the area of rudder, keel, or standing rigging is automatically off my list of potential deep sea cruising choices.


Still. As 99% of all sailing is done within 10 miles from the dock, in good weather, one should not worry and simply buy a boat his heart desires.


PS the amount of acceptable free play is defined in relation to the diameter of the bearing. So simply consult any marine engineer for this.


ymmv



b.

[tant]

Where did you install the watermaker?

Originally Posted by Indolent58

As for upgrades that depends mostly on how the boat you are looking at has been equipped and maintained. If systems are original they are starting to get to the age that some may need to be replaced. Our boat came with a stern arch with davits. We added solar panels, lithium batteries and a watermaker, and over time have replaced many other components as necessary but that’s really standard for any boat.

[Indolent58]

Originally Posted by tant

Where did you install the watermaker?

I installed a 40 gph Seawater Pro AC powered watermaker. The membranes and high pressure pump went in the furthest forward bilge compartment in the salon. The prefilters and low pressure pump went in the compartment aft of that and the backflush carbon filter and timer valve went in the next compartment. I teed off the existing raw water intake for the air conditioner and the control panel went on the starboard side wall behind the table.

I have heard of people installing everything in the aft lazarette but that would have involved too much boat yoga for my tastes.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

There is plenty of read on the web about what problems with the rudders existed and how they got solved. Also which boats sunk and how.


Not saying this is something that happens only to Beneteau. Most lightly built boats from the area of about 1980+ designed to be built either as charters or else as weekend use. Very few boatyards tried to keep the quality high. Many of those who did went bankrupt.


To me any design with known repeated issues in the area of rudder, keel, or standing rigging is automatically off my list of potential deep sea cruising choices.


Still. As 99% of all sailing is done within 10 miles from the dock, in good weather, one should not worry and simply buy a boat his heart desires.


PS the amount of acceptable free play is defined in relation to the diameter of the bearing. So simply consult any marine engineer for this.


ymmv



b.

Actually, Beneteau put o rings in the lower bearing to seal the shaft. After having the bilge pump go off every 5 minutes while sailing to Australia, I replaced the bearings and considered it normal maintenance.

The PO had beefed up the bulkheads with the steering cables after he let go of the wheel when going backwards at 6 knots.

I pot another 75000 miles on that boat, and I would not have hesitated to take it across another ocean.

[MicHughV]

My only beef about the Bennie's, mine is 423, is that the planing hull, which makes these boats so fast, leaves no room for a bilge per se. The hull is only a scant 12" or so under the cabin sole.
The " bilge" for want of a better word on the 423 is a shoebox size indentation in the keel. Not sure if other Bennie's are the same, but I would expect so.

There is no room in there for a bilge pump of any size or kind.
What you will find in there is two hoses, one going to the electric bilge pumps, such as that they are, There are two of them, but they look like water pumps to me, and the manual pump in the cockpit.

The bilge float switch is affixed to the hull next to this cavity.
Here's the problem. When heeled over, any water that finds it's way inside the boat simply ends up on the low side of the boat and not in the "bilge" Needles to say, this is not a good situation.
I fitted electric bilge alarms on either side of the hull. These will activate with an ear splitting wail in the event they sense water. Because the alarm is so loud, they are fitted with a switch to turn them off.

Nonetheless, if I'm in the cockpit....especially at night....I want to know instantly if there is water coming into the boat for any reason.

It would behove you to check this situation out on any Bennie you see.

Other than that, the boat sails like a dream,