393 owners?? Feedback
- Thread starter Joe Roc
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I believe there is a pretty active 393 yahoo owners group - you'll probably get good feedback there.
Groups.yahoo.com/group/beneteau393/
Groups.yahoo.com/group/beneteau393/
I have a 2 cabin 393. Great boat. No complaints. The 393 and 411 are pretty similar but not identical. The 393 is a little newer, made from 2001 -2007. The interior space is not much different, even though the 411 is a little longer in LOA. Similar sailing characteristics. Main point is: look at each boat individually; condiition is paramount.
The 393 and the 411 production runs overlapped. The 411 began first, and ended about 2005, but continued as a Mooring charter badged boat. They are very similar, and the 2 cabin version is preferred, freeing up a large cockpit lazarette, and moving the galley where it belongs - mid ship. The forward head is one of the great aspects of these boats and I do not know why it is no longer built. It provides a great sail locker / feed location for a cruising A-sym. I can't stand to sleep in a V-berth, and so the pullman berth further aft is perfect. The difference in size is taken out of the main saloon, which is shorter in the 393. The later production runs tend to have the bugs worked out. As Paul notes, you want to examine each boat carefully. Shop very carefully for a surveyor, and check references.
The rigging is very robust, but have the attachments inspected carefully. B likes to use fender washer's in lieu of proper backing plates. It is a production boat after all, and all production boats balance cost against construction.
The deck cleats are installed on aluminum spacers through the toerail on a both boats, the aluminum corrodes, swells, and splits the rail. Plan on getting rid of those aluminum spacers, and replace them with something like SS.
For a number of years B installed deadlights in the cabin roof of their boats, and the 393 continued that tradition. They are placed where they commonly get walked on as crew work at the mast, and they will inevitably begin leaking. I prefer traditional cabin top hatches, which are easily maintained.
Inspect the teak inlay on the cockpit seating and swim platform. Many of the older boats will show signs of delamination here. These are teak veneer over plywood, and can be very pricy to repair / replace.
Finally, consider having an ABYC electrician independently inspect your electrical system prior to final sale, should you get serious about any particular boat. I see many, incompetent DIY electrical installations on boats. For some reason, many boater's fancy themselves capable of wiring a boat. Repairs to DIY electrical work can get very expensive.
Both boats sail very nicely, in fact the biggest difference is between the full-batten "classic" rig, and the roller-furlers. Give me a classic rig 393 and I can sail to wind ahead of any roller-furler 411.
The rigging is very robust, but have the attachments inspected carefully. B likes to use fender washer's in lieu of proper backing plates. It is a production boat after all, and all production boats balance cost against construction.
The deck cleats are installed on aluminum spacers through the toerail on a both boats, the aluminum corrodes, swells, and splits the rail. Plan on getting rid of those aluminum spacers, and replace them with something like SS.
For a number of years B installed deadlights in the cabin roof of their boats, and the 393 continued that tradition. They are placed where they commonly get walked on as crew work at the mast, and they will inevitably begin leaking. I prefer traditional cabin top hatches, which are easily maintained.
Inspect the teak inlay on the cockpit seating and swim platform. Many of the older boats will show signs of delamination here. These are teak veneer over plywood, and can be very pricy to repair / replace.
Finally, consider having an ABYC electrician independently inspect your electrical system prior to final sale, should you get serious about any particular boat. I see many, incompetent DIY electrical installations on boats. For some reason, many boater's fancy themselves capable of wiring a boat. Repairs to DIY electrical work can get very expensive.
Both boats sail very nicely, in fact the biggest difference is between the full-batten "classic" rig, and the roller-furlers. Give me a classic rig 393 and I can sail to wind ahead of any roller-furler 411.
Thanks. We've looked at 393's and 411's. we prefer the 393 with the cabinetry to starboard in the saloon. I honestly don't know why every boat maker doesn't put the head in the bow. Best layout I've seen. Great input regarding furling mast vs classic set up. I assume the cockpit inlays can gotten from B?
How well, typically does the refrigeration system hold up over time?
We're going from an ODay 28 to one of these boats. Is there much of a learning curve in handling a bigger vessel? We're mooring rats but occasionally I do have to tie up on the dock for H2O etc...
How well, typically does the refrigeration system hold up over time?
We're going from an ODay 28 to one of these boats. Is there much of a learning curve in handling a bigger vessel? We're mooring rats but occasionally I do have to tie up on the dock for H2O etc...
Not really. If you know how to use a midships spring line and there are cleats on the docks.
Happy hunting.
Yes, the cockpit teak inlays are available directly from Beneteau, pre-cut.
The Adler/Barbour (now Domestic) refrigeration systems are very robust, using a Danfoss 3-phase compressor and a controller that protects it. If it is in good working order, you just need to make sure that the condenser coil stays free of dust buildup.
The starboard galley option is also known as the "owners model".
I don't think you will have any trouble handling it. A couple down the dock from me are in their late 80's and I just marvel at their effortless, and coordinated ability to handle their 393. These boats spin on a dime, and the working lines come to the cockpit. I often single-hand.
One thing to consider is a feathering prop. Max Prop is an overwhelming fav of B owners. It gives you better control in reverse, adjustable thrust in forward, and protects your transmission. Yanmar/Kanzaki transmissions must be sailed with the trans in neutral. If you have a fixed prop, you will be listening to a rolling prop shaft as the propeller free-wheels. And you get constant wear on your cutlass and transmission bearings. It is a worthwhile upgrade to a feathering prop that does not rotate, but pricy (+$3,000)
The Adler/Barbour (now Domestic) refrigeration systems are very robust, using a Danfoss 3-phase compressor and a controller that protects it. If it is in good working order, you just need to make sure that the condenser coil stays free of dust buildup.
The starboard galley option is also known as the "owners model".
I don't think you will have any trouble handling it. A couple down the dock from me are in their late 80's and I just marvel at their effortless, and coordinated ability to handle their 393. These boats spin on a dime, and the working lines come to the cockpit. I often single-hand.
One thing to consider is a feathering prop. Max Prop is an overwhelming fav of B owners. It gives you better control in reverse, adjustable thrust in forward, and protects your transmission. Yanmar/Kanzaki transmissions must be sailed with the trans in neutral. If you have a fixed prop, you will be listening to a rolling prop shaft as the propeller free-wheels. And you get constant wear on your cutlass and transmission bearings. It is a worthwhile upgrade to a feathering prop that does not rotate, but pricy (+$3,000)
Gunni,
Good comments on similarities and differences. One thing I don't understand is your comment on the deck cleats and the toe rail. On my 393, I have aluminum toe rails and the cleats are not connected to them in any way that I can see. How is your 411 set up?
Good comments on similarities and differences. One thing I don't understand is your comment on the deck cleats and the toe rail. On my 393, I have aluminum toe rails and the cleats are not connected to them in any way that I can see. How is your 411 set up?
411, 423, 471 have a teak caprail. The cleats are set into the caprail and the spacers talked about isolate the cleat studs from the teak.
Yes, thank you TJ. The aluminum cleats have a stainless threaded stud cast into the feet of the cleat. An aluminum "doughnut" spaces the cleat off the deck and sits inside a hole cut through the teak. At about year 9 I noticed that the teak was splitting on either side of the cleat. At first I thought it was from a flexing cleat, and beefed up the backing washers. The problem continued and on more careful inspection I noticed the severe corrosion and swelling of the aluminum spacer doughnut. Replaced all aluminum spacers with spacers milled from 1.75" shaft stainless stock, extending to the top of the toerail. A 3/16 backing plate completes the install.
new 393 owner
We just went through the same process and settled on a 2005 2 cabin 393. We upgraded from a Catalina 30. The 393 handles like a dream, but it is A LOT heavier than the Catalina and that has to be taken into consideration when manuvering! There's a lot of inertia there. The achiles heel of the 393 is the beautiful three panel skylight. Most owners tell me they either have leaked or will leak. Knock on wood ours hasn't yet. Give any boat your looking at a good spray with a hose on the skylight.
We chose the 393 over the 411 largely because of the coach roof and skylight styling and we didn't like the teak cap rail on the 411. Also, for reasons I've never figured out, most of the 411's we looked at had bad gelcoat issues with crazing on the deck. I don't know if its a manufacturing thing or bad luck on our part with the boats we looked at.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions. We looked for 6 months before settling on our dream boat. I'm probably familiar with most of the 393's and 411's for sale on the east Coast! av8rsailor@verizon.net
Antony Dalton
"Bliss"
St. Petersburg, FL
We just went through the same process and settled on a 2005 2 cabin 393. We upgraded from a Catalina 30. The 393 handles like a dream, but it is A LOT heavier than the Catalina and that has to be taken into consideration when manuvering! There's a lot of inertia there. The achiles heel of the 393 is the beautiful three panel skylight. Most owners tell me they either have leaked or will leak. Knock on wood ours hasn't yet. Give any boat your looking at a good spray with a hose on the skylight.
We chose the 393 over the 411 largely because of the coach roof and skylight styling and we didn't like the teak cap rail on the 411. Also, for reasons I've never figured out, most of the 411's we looked at had bad gelcoat issues with crazing on the deck. I don't know if its a manufacturing thing or bad luck on our part with the boats we looked at.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions. We looked for 6 months before settling on our dream boat. I'm probably familiar with most of the 393's and 411's for sale on the east Coast! av8rsailor@verizon.net
Antony Dalton
"Bliss"
St. Petersburg, FL
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