Survey of a 331

[novodka44]

Getting ready to purchase a 2002 331 and was wondering if there are any particular problems common to the 331 or to Beneteaus I should ask the surveyor to keep an eye out for. Thanks from hopefully a future owner of a Beneteau.
Walt

 

[BigEasy]

I spent approximately 40 non consecutive charter days on a 331 when I was A member of a charter club. Generally a well founded boat that was balanced & handled well. Things that I remember. Some Beneteaus of that era had a factory defect in the coatings applied to the cabin interior wood surfaces, that resulted in the top coat of sealer peeling off the underlying surface. The factory had to send a crew to refinish While under warranty. The Volvo shaft seal should have been changed at the ten year mark and the shaft seal cooling water nipple should have been replaced. Beneteau recommends removing the nipple periodically for inspection / replacement. I wouldn’t advise attempting to pull the hose off the nipple; cut the hose off. The nipple is notorious for corroding & breaking, resulting in a flooded boat. If it has a roller furled mainsail, a “blown out” mainsail will make furling very difficult. Be careful to inspect thru hull fittings. Beneteau used fittings that were not of high quality. Inferior metal that was not high quality bronze; they warranted them for only five years. I have replaced all of mine. Over all, it was a great boat and it was on my short list of prospective boats before I purchased my current Beneteau 343. Hope all goes well With the survey!

 

[novodka44]

Thank you that was exactly the kind of response I needed to hear.

 

[BigEasy]

Thanks from hopefully a future owner of a Beneteau.
Walt

Note, I should mention that the items that I mentioned are not deal breakers. Thru hull fittings, sails, shaft seals are all suspect on a 25 year old boat. The interior wood sealer problem should have occurred by now, if it was going to be a problem. The shaft seal cooling water nipple is specific to most Beneteau's and warrants inspection / replacement. Hope all goes well!

 

[novodka44]

Understood. I am very happy with my inspection. The surveyor will look at it tomorrow. The agreed price is way below what it was listed as. I expect to be sailing it soon. Thanks again.

 

[BigEasy]

Understood. I am very happy with my inspection. The surveyor will look at it tomorrow.

I do believe you will be happy with this boat!

 

[novodka44]

The inspector said all is rather well with the boat, I get the written report tomorrow. The boat has been sitting for almost two years. some of the window ports are not opening, The engineering idles ruff. But ran well at higher rpm. I am actually getting it for 9,000 less than what he is going to value it at in the report. So not sure if there is a way to get the price any lower. I do wish it had a windlass system. At 61 my back is not what it once was. Thanks for your help.

 

[BigEasy]

The inspector said all is rather well with the boat, I get the written report tomorrow. I do wish it had a windlass system. At 61 my back is not what it once was.

The deck on the 331 was designed to incorporate an anchor windlass. The 331 that I chartered had a Lewmar vertical windlass. I added a Lewmar V3 vertical windlass after I purchased my boat; it was a challenging project, but all went well. The seals on the cabin ports are probably stuck to the lens because the boat hasn’t been used. Try cleaning the exterior with warm soapy water. After you open them, suggest you clean the gunk off the seals, wiping with a clean rag, & coating the seals with 303 aerospace protectant to preserve them. Lubricate the hinges also.
As for the engine, could be the engine idle speed needs adjustment or perhaps the engine mounts need replacement. Again, normal for a boat of that age.
Hope you get a good survey report!

 

[PNWE36]

We owned a 2003 Beneteau 331 for 8 years. Purchased with 500 hours and sold it with 2000 hrs. Great boat and easy to handle, sail and maintain. The only issue we had that I considered pre-mature was a failure of the rudder bearings. The surveyor would check the play on the rudder so you should be covered there.
I hope it works out for you and get the same enjoyment we got from that boat.

 

[sailme88]

Do yourself a favor.. Don't run the engine anymore until you've had the fuel polished. 2 yrs of inactivity could result in algae in the fuel and suspended contamination now on the tank bottom. Once done, ad some Sea Foam to the tank.

 

[BigEasy]

Do yourself a favor.. Don't run the engine anymore until you've had the fuel polished. 2 yrs of inactivity could result in algae in the fuel and suspended contamination now on the tank bottom.

Good advice; no telling what’s living in the tank. I would take it one step further; drain the tank completely. Wipe the inside surfaces of the tank & clean any gunk out of the bottom & clean pick-up filter. Discard the old diesel, have it polished, or run it thru a Baja filter. Replenish with new diesel, Biobor, & Seafoam. We lack any fuel polishing services around here. When I last cleaned my tank, I used a baja manual filter to filter out any contaminates & possible water & it worked well. I would also recommend changing the primary & engine mounted filters after cleaning the fuel, then you can check off fuel system maintenance on your project list! Lots to do on a new to you boat to get it to base line maintenance status. Come to think of it, I need to add clean tank to my list also!!