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Old 06-03-2017, 13:01   #16
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

Being in the market for a new (previously owned) boat, and with Beneteau, Jeanneau and a few other models filling the checklist, I've looked over many Beneteau in the 40'-50' range.

The newer boats (> ~1992) are not made to the same standards as the older boats. The most obvious is the interior.

The floor panels of the ~1988 Beneteau 430 are laminate wood, not laminate plastic over particle board. And the B430 are edged while the newer boats are raw. What that means is if the edge of a lift panel on a newer boat gets wet it will suck water like a straw and delaminate.

The 2003ish Beneteau interior wood looks worse than IKEA. Some of it isn't even wood. I've seen a lot of damage that wouldn't have happened if the item were at least laminated wood, and certainly not if solid wood. Hunter makes better interiors.

I'm not impressed with how beefy mechanical fastenings and supporting structures are. They appear to be done as inexpensively as possible. Rudder areas seem to be a big complaint.

I can't argue structural comparison of the ~1998 vs ~2005 though I prefer the thick solid hull of the older models. I don't have much experience at all aboard anything after 2012, so I'll have to leave that to those with such experience.

One thing I will give the newer boats is the gelcoat is far superior. A friend has a 2003 43' Hunter and the gelcoat looks like it came off the factory floor. I've observed the same with the newer Beneteaus- the gel hasn't gone to powder even when neglected.

The question is: will it last? I think a 1988 B430 will last a lot longer than the equivalent 2010 model.
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Old 06-03-2017, 13:16   #17
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

My Beneteau 393 just sank for no reason!


Ooops, I mean my Beneteau just stank and I am the reason.

But it did sink on my circumnavigation. Twice! Or was it 3 times? Whatever, but it sank often.

Sometimes I survived.
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Old 06-03-2017, 13:35   #18
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

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Originally Posted by MarkJ View Post
My Beneteau 393 just sank for no reason!





Ooops, I mean my Beneteau just stank and I am the reason.



But it did sink on my circumnavigation. Twice! Or was it 3 times? Whatever, but it sank often.



Sometimes I survived.


Did you survive all of the sinkings or just a few?
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Old 06-03-2017, 13:40   #19
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

We have owned a 1985 First 42 and now own a 2008 49. The 42 was a great sailor and well laid out. The construction quality was above average. The 49 is 8 years old, been sailed over 20,000 miles, from Halifax to the Bahamas and had no failure or major system replacements (we have lived aboard for 9 months for the last three years and are in the Bahamas as I write this). The gear used is high quality but perhaps one size smaller than a higher quality boat may use. The chainplates are a good design and well secured to the hull, the steering gear is robust and strongly attached with adequate plywood. I'm an old xperienced offshore cruiser and racer and have sailed this boat hard in coastal cruising and am pleased with the way it has held up.

However, it is a coastal cruiser with an abrupt motion in a seaway, typical of modern flat bottomed beamy boats. When we have pounded into a head sea, we have found a little sawdust, indicating some movement between furniture and hull (but no signs of delamination or cracks).

It is a lot of boat for the money, fast (steady 10 knots under chute in 20 knots of breeze and a steady 12 knots under Genniker on a beam reach). The iron keel does require maintenance to keep it encapsulated but otherwise it is low maintenance. I would buy another, but would go for a better offshore boat if we were younger.
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Old 07-03-2017, 10:45   #20
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

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Originally Posted by Utahsailor View Post
When we have pounded into a head sea, we have found a little sawdust, indicating some movement between furniture and hull (but no signs of delamination or cracks).
More likely it's just saw dust that didn't get vacuumed up during assembly. My boat is 16 years old and anytime it takes a big long hard beating there is dust in places.
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Old 09-03-2017, 03:06   #21
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

I have an '88 Oceanis 430. French built. It's outfitted to sail anywhere and well-maintained. The only design issue I have noticed is the spade rudder which is somewhat vulnerable as compared to a Morgan rudder hinged at the keel. The rudder on my boat is fiberglass and susceptible to damage with even soft groundings. Once the fiberglass is breeched, the rudder takes on water. Some one brought up maintenance surrounding iron keels: the maintenance is minimal. Keep is clean and painted. Iron doesn't rust underwater. But it will if up in the yard. I also recently changed out my keel bolts which also wasn't a huge issue. I personally know of people who've circumnavigated in Beneteaus and the capability has more to do with maintaining the boat and the experience of the crew not in that order.
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Old 09-03-2017, 03:30   #22
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

I bought a very used German Frers, Beneteau built Idylle 15.5. At 51' it had interior room to spare. It went through two hurricanes, sailed from St. Croix to Trinidad, Venezuela up to Maine. Down the eastern seaboard to Key West, Cuba, Isla Mujeres, Guatemala, back up and basically every island in the Caribbean. Fast, strong, comfortable, dry and can motor sail at 7 a 8 knots. Never had the urge to go transat. but the boat could do it. The carbon steel keel p, when properly sealed is not a problem. I had mine blasted and glassed in Venezuela.
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Old 09-03-2017, 04:13   #23
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

$35,000 to build a 35 ft. boat!!???
I'm in the wrong business!
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Old 09-03-2017, 05:28   #24
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Re: Will Beneteau Last?

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Originally Posted by joshstoneman View Post
Hey guys! I'm reaching out to the sailing community for some advice. I'm looking for a blue water cruising boat and the Beneteau oceanis 40 has caught my eye. I love the layouts inside but I'm not sure how sturdy they are. I've been getting some mixed recommendations about them that they may not be known for holding up. I thought I would see if anyone else here has any experience with them and could help me out. Thanks a lot!
We took delivery of a Beneteau 411 in 1999 and for the money it was a great boat for coastal cruising. Maintenance was a high priority but we were disappointed by the number of system failures ranging from Chargers and poorly designed electrical systems (I defy anyone to figure out which wires go where in a stock Beneteau 411) to leaky port windows etc. After a dozen years of ownership we decided the value of the boat did now warrant expenditures for necessary retrofits. Instead we ordered one of the last Sabre 426's ever built. It was a sobering experience when we compared the build quality of the two vessels. Much of what failed on the Beneteau would have been avoided if Beneteau had selected comparable hardware. However there were clearly shortcuts in design, hull strength and construction quality in the Beneteau vs the Sabre. There are many better boats than Beneteau but they come with much higher price tags. I would not hesitate to buy another Beneteau but I would want to specify many of the system components.
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