120 years of Bennies

Robin

Robin

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Somebody likes them then - and the report is in Classic Boat! There you are then Bennies are classics and still a family run business

Beneteau celebrates 120th anniversary

Shipwright Benjamin Beneteau built his first sailing trawler in 1884 at his boatyard in Vendee, France. Today, three generations later, with Annette Beneteau Roux, Benjamin's grand-daughter, at the helm, Beneteau is a world-leader. Its boats have logged more miles offshore than those of any other builder.

Classic Boat, 18 May 2004

Jimi, enter Glen Rosa for the next Classic Boat Rally? or even the old Gaffers?





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So I would be buying a classic production boat then?

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That's been around for years. The first irons were invented by Beneteau just for fixing it./forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Joe

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It is well documented that when the French furniture industry collapsed and was replaced by MFI and MDF, along came Monsieur Benny who took on all the redundant cabinet makers to fit out their new range of luxury yachts. This workforce was brought in to utilise the superb woodworking skills they had practiced for years of making veneered decorative finishes (marquetry) including the use of heated flat irons and their use in the application of veneered edgings.

These techniques were kept very secret and were not available to other builders who could only continue to work in solid wood, hence the agricultural fnish seen on HRs, Rivals, Najads etc.

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A vote of thanks to the Benny family

Not for their services to boat assembly, but for an excellent example of how to do PR. And to Plastic Boat magazine for running with it.

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I am reminded...

Its boats have logged more miles offshore than those of any other builder.

...of Richard Branson, wearing a Virgin Airlines hat, who complained that BA's slogan, "The World's Favourite Airline" misrepresented the findings of passenger satisfaction surveys.

A BA spokesman replied. "We are the world's favourite airline; more people fly BA than any other carrier."

Which prompted the bearded wonder to remark "That's like calling the M25 Britain's favourite motorway."

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Re: I am reminded...

Suppose the alternative measure is time spent offshore .. in which case the MOBs (manky old boats) are in with a chance ....a case in point being a certain Twister which spent 10 hrs off the IOW going precisely nowhere whilst the seas around were full of AWBs moving purposefully towards their destination!

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Re: Bennies [NB] Absolute Classic

The word "Bennies" reminds me of that story from the Falklands. Having liberated the islands the Brit soldiers were less than impressed with the intellectual calibre of the locals. So the squaddies refered to the locals as "Bennies" after the cerebrally-challenged guy with the hat in "Crossroads".

Then one of the Ruperts hears the phrase and its origins. PR Disaster ahead! So, by order, the squaddies are forbidden to called the Falklanders "Bennies".

Within the week all the squaddies are calling the locals "stills". Why?
"Because they're STILL Bennies!" So that phrase is banned too.

Next phrase is "Andies". Why? "AND 'E'S STILL a Benny"!
I don't know what happened after that.


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An apt analogy

The BA analogy is very apt in my case. I always used to fly BA from choice, at one time for sure they were the best and of course they were truly British, I proclaimed their superiority with great pride to all who would listen. However, nowadays I have seen the light and realised there are alternatives, I can have an extra 3 inches of leg room whilst flying with American Airlines for example and yet save significant money at the same time. Of course if I could ever afford to travel Business Class or even above, then I might well return to the flying bath-beds of BA, excellent product but out of my price range!

Virgin of course deserve applause, a very good product, pricier than some but limited routes, only of use if you happen to be going their way or are prepared to make a significant detour.

It's all a bit like boats isn't it, if you can afford to pay the full asking price without worrying about the true value for money, then the builders of HRs, Najads, Swans, Contests are waiting to take your money. If like for many money is in shorter supply then you can get more for your buck elsewhere, or you have to buy older and tattier and do some TLC.

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More miles offshore

Only because you can't get back to shore if your rudder won't turn.

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Well Nick, I'm sure your cheek is complete with tongue. But my mate made many more trips to Swanwick, over a much longer time with his M36, than I made to Hamble with my B36!

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The big thing about the success of the Bennies is that they listened to the market instead of trying to preach to it.

Moreover their chairperson, Annette Roux, is a very astute business woman and was for many years the vice-chairperson of the French equivalent of the CBI.

John

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Exactly - Most of the British companies tried to dictate to the market, with a dictum which the market didn't want, but which is still pushed today

Its a very British pastime to knock success, especially when the success in question is by a bloody foreigner ;-) Many people knock companies like Beneteau, (and BA), but strangely many, many more keep using them, and most of the "customer compaints" come from people who don't actually use or own the product. - apart from Jimi's rudder maybe.... :-]

Personally I applaud Beneteau, I like their boats, they have dragged the other boat manufacturers kicking and screaming into the 21st century, Yes they are built to a price, but if you don't like ironed on edging MFI interiors, then a Halberg-Rassy has a good quality timber interior - but is it really worth the extra 100K? For the price of a halberg I could buy an oceanis 411 or 423 AND a First 31.7 AND uprate all the deck gear and rigging to offshore standard, and have he best of all worlds.(now theres an idea......). In a world of unlimited funds I would buy the Najad I fell in love with a the Southampton boat show, however In a world of realistic budgets the Beneteaus (or should that be Beneteaux?) are very high on my shortlist for my next boat.

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