Beneteau 393 Engine Compartment Gas Spring

[Hoverjocki]

Hi.
Do any of the Beneteau 393 owners have a picture of how their gas spring is attached to the boat under the stairway to access the engine?
I have a 2005 model with no gas spring and i have to buy the parts and figure out how it was originally fitted.

Thanks for any help

Justin

 

[ToddS]

I have a similar era Beneteau 373, but unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the gas spring/piston setup. Unfortunately, getting a look would require a couple hours of driving from where I am, and being up north where snow is flying I'm not going to visit until later in the spring. I'm not 100% sure the 373 and 393 are identical there anyway. If I were you, I'd do a couple searches on yachtworld.com for 393s (or maybe 373s too?) where sellers tend to take lots of pretty pictures of their boats, and the engine pictures are likely to get a glimpse at those springs. Surf through those listings, and I bet you'll find what you're looking for. In the unlikely event you're still hunting in a couple months when I pull the cover off the boat (hopefully you'll be all set before then) I'd be happy to photograph mine. Good luck!

 

[Hoverjocki]

Thanks a lot mate. Your idea worked plus i found the elusive brackets i was going to order at a pretty penny.

Cheers

Justin

 

[ToddS]

Nice! Hope your new shocks/springs work out great. Our boat is new to us, but already I feel like those things are worth their weight in gold... they make accessing the engine SOOO easy and convenient. Good luck!

 

[Gunni]

Did a replacement on mine a couple of years ago and found all the parts at McMaster-Carr. Very affordable and easy fit. You have to match the gas spring to the weight of the companion way stairs, plus a bit more and the gas strut throw has to match open and closed positions.

 

[Hoverjocki]

Eventually got the gas spring from Beneteau but now need to get the locking mechanism for the door.

 

[ToddS]

Ha... ironically, now *I* need a replacement strut. I know the travel/throw length of mine, and the overall extended length (28" from eye to eye extended) but I have no idea the weight/strength of the original. Looking online at replacement struts for that length, there seem to be 50, 80, 90, and 100 pound options... but I'm unsure which one matches, and I don't think mine has that spec written on it. Any idea what specs I need (mine is a 2004 373, but very likely the same as strut/stairs as the 393). I'd rather not get into a whole science project of measuring weights and angles and fulcrums and calculating it if I don't need to. Thanks.

 

[jssailem]

I'd rather not get into a whole science project of measuring weights and angles and fulcrums and calculating it if I don't need to

Oh poo Todd. You take all the fun out if it.

So have you lifted the stairway? How heavy does it feel. A sack of potato’s or a bag of cement? 60 lb for the potatoes, a 100lb for the cement bag.

 

[ToddS]

Ha... I suppose I'll bring a bathroom scale to the boat next time I visit... disconnect the spring on the stairs... and try lifting the stairs while standing on the scale (holding on from the point where the spring attaches, not the "end" where I'd normally lift from) and pick the spot along the arc the stairs travel where the pressure/weight is at its max (theoretically when the steps are being held horizontally from their fulcrum)... subtract my own weight, and then round up to the next-strongest spring. I could theoretically just order the replacement from the Beneteau Sp@re P@rts site... but it's like triple the price of what I could get it on Amazon for... with free two-day shipping. I tend to use the Beneteau site for parts that are very specific to the boat, and can't easily be found elsewhere... not so much for "standard" stuff like bolts, Lewmar hatches, or a gas spring where the same product is stocked at Amazon (or Defender, etc.).

 

[jssailem]

At triple the price, buy one or two and test it. What is the problem if it is designed for 100 lbs and you only need 50 lbs? So you have to push the stairs back into place, and attach a lock to keep them down... Now that brings up and interesting side note.

You get the stairs set. You install a pair of 150lbs spring loaded shiny gas struts to lift the stairs. You get a mutinous crew member walking up the companion way stairs. You release the latch and launch the offender up and out over the stern. Better than making them walk the plank.

I use science but I am not a slave to it. The whole scale, angle thing would be a bit over the top even for me. Why I used the sack of potatoes. I can relate to that having moved a few 60lb sacks in my time behind a kitchen stove.