We (wife, young daughter, and myself) are looking at buying a boat in a couple of years to do a sail around the Caribbean for a couple of years and we are interested in the Beneteaus. We might even start on the Westcoast and sail down and through the canal and then continue our cruise in the Caribbean. I was just wondering what Beneteaus that are less than 10 years old and around 38-40 feet in length can easily do this without modifictions? We want something that can handle some rough conditions if the need arises, and is easy to handle solo (we need to sleep sometime). I know most boats would be fine for this, we just would like one that is "designed" to handle whatever conditions may arise.
Beneteau for Offshore
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Baught one ...
I bought a Oceanis 350 sailed Galveston Bay 2 years. Got moved to Miami, sailed the boat to Miami, 9 days to Key West. Boat held up, so did crew, in general boats hold up better than crew. Marc
I bought a Oceanis 350 sailed Galveston Bay 2 years. Got moved to Miami, sailed the boat to Miami, 9 days to Key West. Boat held up, so did crew, in general boats hold up better than crew. Marc
offshore Bene
The boat could take it, but it wasn't really designed as an offshore boat. I have a '94 OC400 and for coastal cruising, you can't beat it. Comfortable, lots of storage, sails well (but not so easily). The very things that make it great for coastal are what make it not so great for offshore: the boat is designed for chartering in the relatively protected waters of the Sir Francis Drake Channel; it has a huge cockpit, an almost flat bottom, with a tiny main and a very large 155% genoa, plus, it only carries 40 gals of fuel, not enough for good offshore work. When I took it to Cabo and La Paz, I had to carry a lot of extra fuel to make one of the return legs under power. The boat is not easy to singlehand, which is what you'll end up doing, trust me. Most wives don't have the physical strength to handle lines and if you can get them to take the wheel you'll be doing well. That large genny is difficult to tack and grind in, too, especially with the winches on the cabintop. A good underdeck autopilot makes it doable, but not a lot of fun. if you're looking for serious offshore boat with a wife and daughter, you may want to look into something with a more managable rig, a pilothouse with inside steering and an underwater shape meant for offshore work.
The boat could take it, but it wasn't really designed as an offshore boat. I have a '94 OC400 and for coastal cruising, you can't beat it. Comfortable, lots of storage, sails well (but not so easily). The very things that make it great for coastal are what make it not so great for offshore: the boat is designed for chartering in the relatively protected waters of the Sir Francis Drake Channel; it has a huge cockpit, an almost flat bottom, with a tiny main and a very large 155% genoa, plus, it only carries 40 gals of fuel, not enough for good offshore work. When I took it to Cabo and La Paz, I had to carry a lot of extra fuel to make one of the return legs under power. The boat is not easy to singlehand, which is what you'll end up doing, trust me. Most wives don't have the physical strength to handle lines and if you can get them to take the wheel you'll be doing well. That large genny is difficult to tack and grind in, too, especially with the winches on the cabintop. A good underdeck autopilot makes it doable, but not a lot of fun. if you're looking for serious offshore boat with a wife and daughter, you may want to look into something with a more managable rig, a pilothouse with inside steering and an underwater shape meant for offshore work.
Offshore
I noticed that the ARC (Race across the Atlantic) is drawing a lot of Beneteaus, expecially the 393's. And then there is the marketing that states they are offshore capable, must be the CE Rating? But, I like to hear from actual owners what there thoughts are on the boats and to try to seek some kind of truth.
I noticed that the ARC (Race across the Atlantic) is drawing a lot of Beneteaus, expecially the 393's. And then there is the marketing that states they are offshore capable, must be the CE Rating? But, I like to hear from actual owners what there thoughts are on the boats and to try to seek some kind of truth.
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