Go direct to Beneteau . . .
Pierre-- You obviously are not a happy Beneteau Owner. I suggest that you let your feelings be known to the management of Beneteau and see what they offer. Although a manufacturer can not be totally responsible for everything a dealer does or says I am sure that Beneteau would like all their clients to be happy. If your boat was made in 2000 and already has a significant blister problem it was not manufactured to the usual high Beneteau standards. A few of blisters can and will happen over a 5 years period (as a boat owner you need to expect that) but I would not consider a couple of blisters to be a significant problem. Now if you have 50 blisters or if you have some that have actually opened and they smell really bad that is a significant problem. Concerning dropping a winch handle and it causing a hole . . . all I can say is that I have dropped plenty of winch handles and never once has dropping a winch handle caused a hole. If there is a hole someone did a lot more than drop a winch handle. As for repairs not being done correctly I don’t think you can fault Beneteau for that. These days especially here in the US people want to find someone else responsible for every error or problem. Well it seems like you had nothing but problems with these guys from the beginning and with all these problems you still went ahead and continued to work with them instead of going somewhere else. Proper boat repairs in many places of the world are very expensive and some boat yards are under considerable pressure to get things done quickly and cheaply. As a boat owner or skipper you need to make sure your boat is correctly repaired. A poor repair to your boat could result in major problems; like the boat sinking and loss of life (yours). Frankly I would not sail on a boat that had open smelly blisters or had been holed and not repaired correctly. So here is my recommendation. Talk to Beneteau and be honest with them and tell them you are unhappy with your dealer. Ask for help. No matter what they decide to do however get your boat repaired correctly so it is safe. Then go and enjoy your boat, it is a beautiful boat and you are lucky enough to live in the South of France, a wonderful place to sail. Count your blessings. I am sure that given the opportunity your boat can make you a happy boat owner once again. Good luck to you. --Dan
