Hello all, I am looking to purchase a new 373 Beneteau. I have not heard exactly wonderful things. I would like to have some input from present owners of an 06 or 07 Beneteau. The boat is beautiful, however, Hunter owners tell me that basically its a floating condo, and I will want to sell her within two years. I need advice. Thank you,
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373
Idont think so, and it is amazing that the "Floating condo" comment should come from Hunter owners. The boat sails well, and has tons of room. I especially like the head. Aft cabin is almost king size. You will be able to go downwind better than a Hunter, you don't have to worry about the B&R rig like the Hunter. Look at the little stuff. The backing plates for Hunter thru-hulls are plywood. They quicky become saturated and start to rot.
Idont think so, and it is amazing that the "Floating condo" comment should come from Hunter owners. The boat sails well, and has tons of room. I especially like the head. Aft cabin is almost king size. You will be able to go downwind better than a Hunter, you don't have to worry about the B&R rig like the Hunter. Look at the little stuff. The backing plates for Hunter thru-hulls are plywood. They quicky become saturated and start to rot.
Hunter vs Beneteau
You will love the elegance down below. She is comfortable down below, and you don't have to deal with the bastardized B&R rig. The boat looks good at the dock and under sai. Get the Yanmar upgrade on the engine. Also the 373 is a dry boat due to the last drop prop seal. All hunters have stuffing boxes that leak.
You will love the elegance down below. She is comfortable down below, and you don't have to deal with the bastardized B&R rig. The boat looks good at the dock and under sai. Get the Yanmar upgrade on the engine. Also the 373 is a dry boat due to the last drop prop seal. All hunters have stuffing boxes that leak.
Nice boat
We delivered and returned one from the Annapolis Show this year and found it to be a very nice boat. BTW I only help move boats I don't sell them. We sailed, motored and motor sailed so we got to taste it all. Roughly 24 hrs round trip. It handles very much like the 361 we own and that's a good thing. Very steady, even in higher winds. Saw 20+ kts and she was steady as a rock. It ran about 7kts under power at apx 2800 rpms, which is pretty much in line with expectations. No problems handling sails either. I really liked the traveler control lines run to individual locking cleats on the cabin top. Made it very easy to trim the main. Backed straight with little prop walk. More than enough spots to sit at the helm, be comfortable and still have good visibility. The Yanmar fired right up and ran strong. The salon is roomy and well lit. More lights than I knew what to do with. Plenty of ports both fixed and opening. Always something to grab onto when underway. The head has a seperate shower that is bigger than my 361. The wife was along on the trip and commented on how nice it was. Aft cabin plenty big as well with good ventilation from the ports and hatch. Wife also liked the combo fridge/freezer. Definately a boat you can be comfortable on during those week long or better vacation trips. I don't know what else to say about it but buy it. Feel free to ask questions, I'll do my best to answer them. Good luck Mike
We delivered and returned one from the Annapolis Show this year and found it to be a very nice boat. BTW I only help move boats I don't sell them. We sailed, motored and motor sailed so we got to taste it all. Roughly 24 hrs round trip. It handles very much like the 361 we own and that's a good thing. Very steady, even in higher winds. Saw 20+ kts and she was steady as a rock. It ran about 7kts under power at apx 2800 rpms, which is pretty much in line with expectations. No problems handling sails either. I really liked the traveler control lines run to individual locking cleats on the cabin top. Made it very easy to trim the main. Backed straight with little prop walk. More than enough spots to sit at the helm, be comfortable and still have good visibility. The Yanmar fired right up and ran strong. The salon is roomy and well lit. More lights than I knew what to do with. Plenty of ports both fixed and opening. Always something to grab onto when underway. The head has a seperate shower that is bigger than my 361. The wife was along on the trip and commented on how nice it was. Aft cabin plenty big as well with good ventilation from the ports and hatch. Wife also liked the combo fridge/freezer. Definately a boat you can be comfortable on during those week long or better vacation trips. I don't know what else to say about it but buy it. Feel free to ask questions, I'll do my best to answer them. Good luck Mike
Happy sailing
Roy, congratulations and happy sailing. I'm sure you and the family will enjoy her very much. BTW don't worry about what owners of other brands have to say. Everyone including myself think we have the best boats, it's human nature. We've had our 361 for 6 years now and still love her. We've taken a number of trips lasting two weeks and she's always been up to the task. So sit back and enjoy the experience. What will you name her? Mike
Roy, congratulations and happy sailing. I'm sure you and the family will enjoy her very much. BTW don't worry about what owners of other brands have to say. Everyone including myself think we have the best boats, it's human nature. We've had our 361 for 6 years now and still love her. We've taken a number of trips lasting two weeks and she's always been up to the task. So sit back and enjoy the experience. What will you name her? Mike
Go for it!
Hello Roy, Yes, we are happy with our Beneteau 373. The main issue has to do with commissioning, make sure the dealer goes over the whole boat thoroughly with you. When the boat is launched pay attention to how she sits on her marks ( check that the boot stripe is parallel to the water), if not, get the dealer to add some ballast to the bow. This will help when sailing in to the wind and also make it a little more manageable in close quarters. The big three blade prop tends to cause cavitation around the rudder which will make the boat round up in to the wind under full sail as the winds approach 20 knots so make sure that you reef early. We have sailed in 35 knots and 12-15 foot waves on the great lakes without too much trauma. One thing that did let us down was the refrigeration unit. We had to get a replacement control unit with a higher start voltage, get the dealer to check that you have the upgraded control module. Make sure the dealer checks all hose clamps and through hull fittings, and also the cable tension and quadrant clamp on the steering mechanism. Also, have some one go over all of the gel coat, particularly on the deck and around the transom, it is after all a production boat and it will be easier to get them to fix things before you sign it off. We have spent the past two summers cruising the North channel ( Northern lake Huron / Georgian Bay) and thoroughly enjoyed the boat. We plan on taking her South and in to the Bahamas next fall. Regarding the anchor, we rarely tie up at a dock and spend most nights at anchor. We have a 20Kg Bruce with 200 feet of chain and this combination has yet to let us down. If you plan on cruising get plenty of good sturdy ground tackle. Where will you be sailing? I have tried to include a movie sailing at 15-20 knots. as you can see..no problem! Regards......................Tony. ----- Original Message ---- From: "twofoot2@verizon.net" To: tsellick@rogers.com Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:27:33 PM Subject: Email from a Hunter owner This email has been generated from the HunterOwners.com at http://www.hunterowners.com. Your email address has not been displayed to the sender. Sender: Charles at twofoot2@verizon.net Hello Mr. Sellick, I am going to purchase a new 373 Beneteau for 145,000. ((Dealer wont include the anchor package)) The boat looks beautiful, wife loves it. I have heard comments that the boat does not sail well. Could you please forward your opinion of your boat? Are you satisfied? I appreciate any and all information. I am going to contract the day after Thanksgiving. Many many thanks Charles
Hello Roy, Yes, we are happy with our Beneteau 373. The main issue has to do with commissioning, make sure the dealer goes over the whole boat thoroughly with you. When the boat is launched pay attention to how she sits on her marks ( check that the boot stripe is parallel to the water), if not, get the dealer to add some ballast to the bow. This will help when sailing in to the wind and also make it a little more manageable in close quarters. The big three blade prop tends to cause cavitation around the rudder which will make the boat round up in to the wind under full sail as the winds approach 20 knots so make sure that you reef early. We have sailed in 35 knots and 12-15 foot waves on the great lakes without too much trauma. One thing that did let us down was the refrigeration unit. We had to get a replacement control unit with a higher start voltage, get the dealer to check that you have the upgraded control module. Make sure the dealer checks all hose clamps and through hull fittings, and also the cable tension and quadrant clamp on the steering mechanism. Also, have some one go over all of the gel coat, particularly on the deck and around the transom, it is after all a production boat and it will be easier to get them to fix things before you sign it off. We have spent the past two summers cruising the North channel ( Northern lake Huron / Georgian Bay) and thoroughly enjoyed the boat. We plan on taking her South and in to the Bahamas next fall. Regarding the anchor, we rarely tie up at a dock and spend most nights at anchor. We have a 20Kg Bruce with 200 feet of chain and this combination has yet to let us down. If you plan on cruising get plenty of good sturdy ground tackle. Where will you be sailing? I have tried to include a movie sailing at 15-20 knots. as you can see..no problem! Regards......................Tony. ----- Original Message ---- From: "twofoot2@verizon.net" To: tsellick@rogers.com Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:27:33 PM Subject: Email from a Hunter owner This email has been generated from the HunterOwners.com at http://www.hunterowners.com. Your email address has not been displayed to the sender. Sender: Charles at twofoot2@verizon.net Hello Mr. Sellick, I am going to purchase a new 373 Beneteau for 145,000. ((Dealer wont include the anchor package)) The boat looks beautiful, wife loves it. I have heard comments that the boat does not sail well. Could you please forward your opinion of your boat? Are you satisfied? I appreciate any and all information. I am going to contract the day after Thanksgiving. Many many thanks Charles
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