Elan 431 vs. Beneteau 411

[kunami]

I have recently sold my regal 40' (yes I know, a powerboat ) and was looking to buy a sailboat of similar size. I have researched boats within my budget of 65k € on the past week and have reduced my list to either a Beneteau oceanis 411 or an Elan 431. Although information about the beneteau is extensive, the same isn't true for the Elan. What is your opinion on these two models? Do you have any suggestions of other boats within my price range?

Thanks in advance,
João

 

[BobM]

I was helping a friend boat shop and mentioned the Elan to him as he was shopping for a 45 footer. If I was in Europe I would probably try to visit the manufacturing sites. He currently has a 2007 Jeanneau 39DS, which is a beautiful boat. He said that he felt the build quality of the Jeanneau is better than Beaneteau...which is odd because they are one company. However, perhaps the boats are built at different sites to different specs. The website for Elan showing their manufacturing process is pretty impressive.

I noticed that your budget seems barely enough for the yachtworld prices for a 431 (65-85K euros) and below what I could find for a 411 (over 150K US). Use boats always require work too. I like the layout of the 411 much better than the 431. The forward galley looks to be a problem under way, vs. the more traditionaly U-galley of the 411. I like the pullman berth in the 411, but have heard complaints that it can be a problem under ways...which seems odd to me unless you don't make a lee-cloth to stop you from being dumped out on the cabin deck.

What do you plan to do with the boat? By the way, I spent a few weeks in Portugal, in Lisbon, recently and enjoyed it...except for the working part. I was at Hovione working on a new process.

 

[kunami]

Thank you for your answer BobM and I'm glad you enjoyed your stay in Lisbon, it really is an amazing city. Regarding your question, I would be mostly using the boat for near shore cruising, with an ocasional journey to ibiza and possibly the canary islands. Hence, I would be interested in a boat capable of buewater travel, even though this capability would be rarely used.

I was able to find a 1997 Elan 431 for 50k€ and a 1999 411 for 65k€, both in croatia if memory recalls (which would make bringing the boat to Lisbon quite a journey by itself). Also, these boats were never chartered from what I understood. Do you reckon a sailboat with over 10 years is more trouble than it is worth? From my experience with the regal, boats this old require tons of maintenance, is it also so with sailboats?

 

[Ed Schenck]

Neither boat is very heavy for their size. My 37-footer has the same displacement as the two boats mentioned. Having spent time in the Mediterranean I would opt for a more solid boat. The Elan with all that teak would be a lot of work. And doesn't it have three heads and three staterooms? Never wanted a boat with even two heads let alone three.

 

[tommays]

I am going with my gut which is thats not really a 40' to 43' boat budget

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

If you think you will be doing a lot of maintenance for that price, you are right. Assuming you find a boat in good condition, you might want to consider the ease of getting parts and upgrades, finding people who are familiar with that kind of boat, etc. Since a Beneteau is pretty common, that might be an advantage.