I am considering the purchase of a 2005 Beneteau 393. The broker's specs show the boat to have a 5'1" draft, however when I look at the draft listed in the USCG documentation directory it shows a draft of 6'2". The boat will be based in the Kemah/Galveston Bay area where depth is an issue. I'd like to call Marion, SC but I don't see any phone numbers listed. What is the best way to find out the actual draft for this particular boat? Thanks in advance.
Beneteau 393 draft
- Thread starter Larry737
- Start date
Larry, Stu is a hard man, but a fair man! He would rather teach a man to fish, than hand him a free cold one. I respect that and believe it builds character, the inquiring mind, and better sailors. But it is Friday so... Both answers are right you just need to figure out which keel (standard or optional) is dangling under yours.
Have you looked at the manual. There are 2 model types of the 393
http://community.ilovemybeneteau.com/boats.php?boat_id=33&type_id=1
http://community.ilovemybeneteau.com/boats.php?boat_id=33&type_id=1
just a note the more heavy stuff you have on your boat will change the draft. ie stock batteries 2 but you have 4 you added AC
it all adds up.
it all adds up.
If the draft is a critical concern, you should measure it yourself. Manufacturer's brochures sometimes have errors or the actual design/construction may have changed since the brochure was printed. Brokers don't always have the correct information. I have personally experienced broker's spec sheets listing totally incorrect information. One broker even published the floor plan for the wrong boat. When purchasing a used boat, things can get even scarier. A boat owner in my marina cut off 9" from the bottom of his keel. I bet that most buyers wouldn't have noticed that. The draft of my present boat was incorrectly listed by the broker by 14". There are 4 different keel configurations and he didn't do his homework. This could have lead to a huge problem if I depended on the broker or surveyor to pick up the error. Glad I checked it myself. Draft was a major consideration for me also. Measure it yourself to make sure you are buying what you think you are buying.
Thanks to all for your help. I'll be seeing the boat tomorrow and will try to confirm configuration. Sounds like only seeing and measuring is believing. I'll also try to e-mail Beneteau with the hull #. They may be able to confirm the draft.
We just bought a 323 which is spec'd as having a 4'9" draft but I measured her at bang on 5'0" from the water line stain to the bottom of the keel and she has not been heavily loaded. I was surprised since the stain is no where near the painted waterline on the hull, perhaps 2" below it!
A fully equipped, cruise-loaded Beneteau will easily sit 3 inches lower than design draft, and that draft may not be uniform. Batteries off center, gensets, extra chain rode, etc. I had to correct weight loading on my boat to get rid of a starboard list and a stern-low squat.