I purchased a new 36CC in 2001 and she was commissioned in June that year. I am trying to find out whether I have a problem affecting the gelcoat of my 36CC, which is a general problem of construction for this Beneteau model. Or whether the problem is due to the construction of my specific 36CC. I would be grateful to hear from any Beneteau owner who has had similar problems. Stress cracks in the gelcoat on the cockpit sole: Over the last year stress cracks have appeared along the edges of the small raised plinth (which acts as a baseplate for the binnacle) which is part of the moulded cockpit sole. The stress cracks are significant. On the port and starboard sides they run from the edge of the plinth, where it sits on the cockpit sole, to the base of the cockpit lockers. Some of the cracks that radiate out from the forward facing edge of the plinth are over 30cms long and and form an extensive fan shape. Stress cracks in the gelcost floor of the heads: About six months after the boat was commissioned I began to notice that when you stepped into the heads from the saloon side the head floor made a small 'cracking' noise. I thought it was the gelcoat floor flexing. Within a year however I noticed stress cracks on the heads floor by the saloon door. At the present time there are a series of stress cracks in the gelcoat which radiate out from the area beneath the door to a distance of 20cms. The boat was commissioned in France and sailed immediately after to Gibraltar (over 800 miles.) Which meant that we could not reasily take it back to the French boatyard that carried out the commissioning! We lived aboard the boat for the first eighteen months, but she has not been sailed a great deal and I do not consider that the stress cracks could have been caused by 'fair wear and tear'. Is there anyone out there who has had a similiar problem?
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gelcoat cracks
Hi Stuart - Interesting boat; how do you like it (other than the gelcoat cracks)? I don't know much about your particular model, but I do know that there can be variances in thickness of gelcoat in different boats. The cockpit cracks sound like they are cosmetic, but I understand why it's annoying. The old grind, fill, fair, colormatch program is the route you'll likely have to take there. As for the interior head floor cracking, you may need to add more glass to reinforce the floor in boat heads. Not a fun job, but you'll want to keep moisture from penetrating the pan. Too bad your boat is out of warranty, as this sounds like a problem from the factory. Let us know how it goes. Trevor
Hi Stuart - Interesting boat; how do you like it (other than the gelcoat cracks)? I don't know much about your particular model, but I do know that there can be variances in thickness of gelcoat in different boats. The cockpit cracks sound like they are cosmetic, but I understand why it's annoying. The old grind, fill, fair, colormatch program is the route you'll likely have to take there. As for the interior head floor cracking, you may need to add more glass to reinforce the floor in boat heads. Not a fun job, but you'll want to keep moisture from penetrating the pan. Too bad your boat is out of warranty, as this sounds like a problem from the factory. Let us know how it goes. Trevor
French Beneteau Warranty
Stuart, I bought in France a 361 in October 2000 and brought it to the USA soon after commissioning. I know that the French warranty should last for 3 years after commissioning if one follows the instructions on the "Contrat de Plaisance" that you must have received from the French dealer you bought the boat from. (Who was it?) Although the contract specifically excludes gel-coat fissures or cracks, it sounds from your description of both cracks that there is a serious manufacturer's defect that should be covered by the warranty. I can't imagine that you can expect such type of cracks in a 2 year old boat. My boat developed stress cracks (see photo) on the instruments binnacle the first year that I reported to the USA Beneteau representative. The cracks were repaired once, at Beneteau's expense but re-appeared in less than a month. After sending electronic photos to Beneteau France, I received a new binnacle from them although they refused to pay for the labor of changing it. To date the cracks have stabilized and I decided to keep the new binnacle until the time take pictures of the cracks, and even better, a movie of the sound the head floor makes and send it to the local dealer and to the dealer that sold you the boat in France explaining them that they developed soon after you bought it but have become worse with time. Although this late you may not get all, they mayI need to replace instruments or the cracks become intolerable. Since you should still be under the 3 year warranty, I would recommend that you do something for you. Personally, I had very good response from the USA warranty representative in 3 different warranty issues that my boat had, including one on the end of the third year. Good luck Jose
Stuart, I bought in France a 361 in October 2000 and brought it to the USA soon after commissioning. I know that the French warranty should last for 3 years after commissioning if one follows the instructions on the "Contrat de Plaisance" that you must have received from the French dealer you bought the boat from. (Who was it?) Although the contract specifically excludes gel-coat fissures or cracks, it sounds from your description of both cracks that there is a serious manufacturer's defect that should be covered by the warranty. I can't imagine that you can expect such type of cracks in a 2 year old boat. My boat developed stress cracks (see photo) on the instruments binnacle the first year that I reported to the USA Beneteau representative. The cracks were repaired once, at Beneteau's expense but re-appeared in less than a month. After sending electronic photos to Beneteau France, I received a new binnacle from them although they refused to pay for the labor of changing it. To date the cracks have stabilized and I decided to keep the new binnacle until the time take pictures of the cracks, and even better, a movie of the sound the head floor makes and send it to the local dealer and to the dealer that sold you the boat in France explaining them that they developed soon after you bought it but have become worse with time. Although this late you may not get all, they mayI need to replace instruments or the cracks become intolerable. Since you should still be under the 3 year warranty, I would recommend that you do something for you. Personally, I had very good response from the USA warranty representative in 3 different warranty issues that my boat had, including one on the end of the third year. Good luck Jose
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Thanks Jose
Jose, Many thanks for your comments. Most helpful. The ship broker tells me that Beneteau will do the repairs, but they seem to be suggesting that we take the boat to France. This is a nonsense as we live now in southern Spain. But I guess thery will see sense in the end. Thanks Stuart
Jose, Many thanks for your comments. Most helpful. The ship broker tells me that Beneteau will do the repairs, but they seem to be suggesting that we take the boat to France. This is a nonsense as we live now in southern Spain. But I guess thery will see sense in the end. Thanks Stuart
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