Beneteau hull defects

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Jerry Saville

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Mar 27, 2009
1
2 Oceanis 43 Portsmouth
I bought a new Beneteau Oceanis 43 last year after careful research of the market. My previous yacht was a Catalina 42 which I sold when I returned from living in New Zealand.

After one year serious hull defects have appeared as a result of flexing discovered during winter maintenance. The gelcoat has extensive cracking on the port and starboard topsides and a consulting engineer has confirmed that such a problem could not be the cause of collision damage. Hand pressure on the ouside of the hull causes flexing.

The problem has been referred to Beneteau and the yacht is still under warranty but the manufacturer is trying to find all sorts of reasons to find fault with the owner rather than their manufacturing process.

I have heard rumours of similar problems have occurred elsewhere. This is denied by beneteau but i guess they would say that... Interested if anyone has heard of similar problems. Jerry
 
J

jtaylo9576

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Mar 29, 2009
6
2 43 deltaville
Hi Jerry

I 2008B43 hull #19 in Oct of 2008. As of this time I have noticed no hull areas ofconcerns as we have not hauled the boat but I will have it hauled before th end of this year and have the hull inspected for flex and soft areas. Please keep me posted. let me know how and when this is addressed by Beneteau.
James



Jerry Saville said:
I bought a new Beneteau Oceanis 43 last year after careful research of the market. My previous yacht was a Catalina 42 which I sold when I returned from living in New Zealand.

After one year serious hull defects have appeared as a result of flexing discovered during winter maintenance. The gelcoat has extensive cracking on the port and starboard topsides and a consulting engineer has confirmed that such a problem could not be the cause of collision damage. Hand pressure on the ouside of the hull causes flexing.

The problem has been referred to Beneteau and the yacht is still under warranty but the manufacturer is trying to find all sorts of reasons to find fault with the owner rather than their manufacturing process.

I have heard rumours of similar problems have occurred elsewhere. This is denied by beneteau but i guess they would say that... Interested if anyone has heard of similar problems. Jerry
Click to expand
 
J

jtaylo9576

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Mar 29, 2009
6
2 43 deltaville
Re: Hi Jerry

Sorry about those typo's. That should have been we purchased a 2008 B43 in Oct of 2008.
 
Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I've not heard that from Beneteau, but a friend with a Formula go-fast boat had the same problem and the factory came out to fix. during boating season, of course. Sounds like Beneteau had a bad day at the factory, and they should make it right.
 
E

europe

spider cracks

I have a new Oceanis 40 from 2009 and until now i had so many problems with the boat ...

The newest problem: Spider cracks ...

take a short look @ www.antares.ning.com for some pictures ( text is in german )
 
M

mac1840

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Mar 5, 2008
58
Beneteau 43 Alameda
Jerry,

I have a 2008, 43 as well. So far, no cracks or hull issues. Where in the topsides are you finding the cracks? How soon did they occur? I have had minor issues and they've supported the repairs / replacement of items with little to no arguement. I hope your experience improves with Beneteau. This is my third boat with them.

Mac
 
Mike B

Mike B

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Apr 15, 2007
1,013
Beneteau 43 Baltimore, MD
We have a 2008 B43 hull #001 and have not had any issues with gel coat cracking. It sat on the hard all last winter and we've sailed her in rough enough water that any issues should have surfaced by now.
 
Mike B

Mike B

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Apr 15, 2007
1,013
Beneteau 43 Baltimore, MD
Re: spider cracks

I've heard the build quality from the France factory is not very good.
 
J

jtaylo9576

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Mar 29, 2009
6
2 43 deltaville
Jerry
James of hull#19 here.
Our boat was hauled for winter, Splashed in April. Found small crack in gelcoat 6 inches from starboard waste cover on deck. Contacted Beneteau for repair.
A few other items we've dealt with.
Interior locker latches, I have had to replace one locker latch and it seems this may be a systematic problem. These latches appear to malfunction after short usage. Other B43,40,46, owners are also dealing with these latches failing in a relatively short service life .

Door hardware. I have to replace/repair the salon door-to-head locking hardware. It appears the internal spring mechanism is failing and the door does not securely seal.

Fuel tank gasket failure. Had diesel fuel in engine bilge. Would only happen after filling fuel tank.Gasket on top of tank (feed and return line to tank housing) failed and allowed fuel to seep. A simple repair but the boat was only 1 year old when it started leaking.
 
S

SeaMist II

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May 19, 2009
22
Beneteau 323 Ipswich .. East Coast
Gellcoat Air Pockets

I have seen this before on a 323 we chartered .. Fault in layup but there are alot of corners on a deck mould .. We have our own 323 made in France and have not found any yet .. We have had a couple of problems but all sorted out by our local dealer .. As some others have said perhaps a survey and then take it to Beneteau .. You may consider sending it to the French Headquarters they have responded very quickly to one of our problems and sent the dealer a very detailed description of how to adjust our swing keel .. It very simple once you know how ..
 
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