Beneteau 211 Versus Etap 21i

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DMac

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Hi,

I am currently interested in buying a 21ft sailing boat and am looking at either the Beneteau First 211 or the Etap 21i. I have spoken to a number of owners of the 211 and they have all been positive about the boat however I have not been able to find any Etap 21i owners so I'm looking for some here!

The boat will be sailed off the south coast of Ireland mainly for cruising but I'd like to keep the option of racing open. I have heard that the Etap suffers somewhat with the tandem keel when racing but I dont know how much this would affect cruising - the fin keel version is not an option unfortunately.

If anybody has experience of sailing either of these boats I'd be very interested in your opinion and pros and cons of both.

Thanks a lot,

Declan.
Cork, Ireland.


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I have an ETAP 21i, which I purchased new in 2001. I also looked at the Beneteau First 211 as well as the Jeaneau 2000. I dismissed the Jeaneau early on in the buying process as I thought it was too cheap and this was reflected in the quality of the end product. I then tried to view a Beneteau First 211 at my local Beneteau dealer in South of Scotland, but he was quite blatantly disinterested in my enquiry. He justified his disinterest by stating that there was not enough profit in a First 211 for him to invest much time in my enquiry. On the other hand the Etap dealer (Yacht Services based at Derwent Water), could not have been more helpful. When I viewed both boats (I viewed a Beneteau at my local yacht club at Port Edgar & I viewed an Etap at the Etap dealer), the Etap was in my opinion quite obviously better built. The Beneteau seemed to be more flimsy in construction and of course you have the swing keel, which is just something else to go wrong and seize up. In addition, the Etap is certified as unsinkable, which I find quite reassuring especially as I have a young family.

As the prices of the Beneteau & the Etap were quite similar, I decided to purchase a new Etap 21i with tandem keel. I took delivery of my new boat in July 2001 and I have to say that the after sales service has been excellent, with the dealer spending a considerable amount of time, at Port Edgar, setting up and commissioning the boat.

Three years later I am still very pleased with my purchase. The boat is still in excellent condition, looking as good as new and I have not had any problems. It always attracts positive comments from onlookers.

The only slight down side is the tandem keel, as it does impact upon the upwind performance. I don’t want to overstate this issue, as it is not a major problem, but it does not perform as well as a fin keel, although it does outperform a twin keel. I have raced the boat a few times and you do become aware of the slight limitations of the keel in this situation. However, when cruising (which is what I spend most of my time doing) you do not notice any performance loss. Another slight gripe is the lack of an anchor well, but as I do not anchor the boat that much, this does not bother me. Finally, the rudders on earlier boats do not lift, so they do get covered in weed, which can be a bit of a pain. I understand that newer boats have lifting rudders so this should not affect you if you are buying new.

Finally, the Etap depreciates slower than the Beneteau and this is demonstrated by the secondhand prices in the yachting press. This is of course good news when you come to sell your boat.

If you have any other questions please contact me.

Regards

David


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i would disagree. i checked out the etap 21i before buying my current Beneteau 211, and found the 211 to be the better boat.

the 211, looks smarter, can sail closer to the wind, which is handy if you want to do some racing. also the etap21i has an RCD class of C where the 211 has RCD class of B4.

which means the 211 can take rougher weather than the 21i etap.

the 211 is also certified as unsinkable.

the 211 is also cheaper than the etap 21i

also the 211 has a furling jib the etap doesent.,.... the sailing equipment on the etap is very basic compared to the 211..

the 211 is a cruiser/racer. just look at the number of 211's in ireland compared to the number of etap 21i, and that will tell you what a good boat the 211 is.

also when fitting extra deck gear on the etap 21i it is more difficult as you have foam inside the hull, which can be a problem if it gets wet........


anyways i chose the 211 over the etap 21i as the boat is a lot better,
the finish is also quite good on the 211......

but anyways thats just my opinion,,,,



im based out of dublin.

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Looks are a matter of personal taste. The overall design of the two boats is quite similar.

I accept the Beneteau can sail closer to the wind but only against the Etap with the Tandem Keel.

The Etap 21i can be converted to RCD B using an official Etap conversion kit (see Etap website), which consists of a small conversion kit to heighten the entrance to the cabin by a few centimeters (to a height of 25 cm), so the statement that the Beneteau can take rougher weather is a bit misleading. Also I am not convinced that either boat is really suitable for RCD B - with or without a conversion kit.

As for unsinkability, it is my understanding that the Beneteau has not been truly and independently certified unsinkable. The Etap has been certified independently and just to demonstrate this someone opened up all the valves and flooded the boat and then sailed it across the English Channel. Not something you would want to do, but demonstrates an important point.

The Etap does have a furling jib as an optional extra, which I ordered with the new boat. Most Etap 21i’s are sold with this extra. As for the equipment levels and the price (at time of purchase in 2001), they are very similar as I studied the specifications for the 2 boats very carefully. The Etap was slightly more expensive at the time but the difference was minimal.

Of course the 211 is more popular. It is produced by one of the largest mass production manufacturers, with a big marketing budget. However, being popular does not necessarily mean that you are the best by any stretch of the imagination. You only have to look at the car market to demonstrate this.

The point about deck fittings is quite right, but like anything else if the work is done properly there, will not be any problems.

Again I would point out that the quality of finish on the Etap is definitely better and I think most people would be hard pushed to argue against this. This fact is also reflected in the superior residual values. Also the Etap has some nice design features – eg the aluminum toe rail is a far better idea than a strip of teak as on the 211. The teak just rots while you can use the aluminum toe rail to hang and attach all manner of items.

Finally, I think your decision has to be based on what you want to do with your boat. If you want to race and the fin keel Etap is not suitable, then go for the Beneteau First 211. If you want to cruise then go for the ETAP 21i.

I am sure that every Beneteau owner will say buy a Beneteau and every Etap owner will say buy an Etap. Ultimately I think they are both good boats.

Regards
David


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hi dont get me wrong, i am not knocking the etap 21i , its a nice boat, and the finish is good, when i priced it here a couple of months ago it was about 3,000 euros dearer than the fully loaded 211.....(with yacht club pack and electronics pack).

the problem that i found with the etap was that, it came pretty basic and as you say, furling jib is an optional extra, and you have to buy a few extras. which add up and add to the overall cost.

i liked the etap, but it was too expensive.
i bought the 211 cause it came with everything i need ,,, and didnt have to add extras. both boats are well made.

i have the PBO review , if anyone wants to read it i can scan it in , it reviews the boats quite well.....
what ever decision you make,, enjoy! and good sailing!



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Thanks for the replies, still not fully decided but leaning towards the 211 at the moment. The main factor going against the 21i is the tandem keel, would like the option to race it at some stage.

Price is not really a deciding factor as we've negotiated on both to within a couple of hundred of each other with the same spec.

Johnboy, if you can scan that PBO review I'd be interested - not sure if you can post it here or just email it to me.

Thanks,
Declan.

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Hi Declan,
Just wondering if you made your decision as I'm at the same point myself. Have pretty much decided on the 211 and am looking at a few in the UK.
I'll be sailing in Dungarvan Co. Waterford.

Regards,
 
Hi Jj

I purchased an Etap 21i in 2001 and a friend purchased a 211 at the same time. If you wish to race and want a flyer then the 211 is the one. If you want to cruise with family the 21i is the one.
The 211 is basically a big dinghy and acts like one, whereas the 21i is far more sedate. The internal design and comfort is better on the 21i.
I feel the deck hardware on the 211 is more durable and I would agree that the 211 would stand high winds better without anything breaking, but the 211 is a considerable handful in strong winds whereas the 21i is very calm when reefed.
Hope this helps!!
 
Just taken delivery of the 21.7 (211 in old money) very very pleased with it. Only been out once so far for the commisioning sail in around 15 gusting 20 knot winds. Having come down from a 34 footer I was a little nervous as how the boat would handle but I was absoutely delighted at its performance and the helm balance. Even in the gusts she remained very predicable and light on the helm.

Went through similar thought processes re 21i, finally went for the beneteau as it representd better value for money and although I prefered the etap interior layout. Have to say interior finish of the 21.7 is very good. Better than the 34 footer I downsized from.

Guess what I'm doing this weekend? yep out to play. Asymetrical arrived yesterday so lots of fun for the weekend.
 
Hi Davidwf

How much weight did you have up? When racing on 211 we have found you need considerable weight on board or you spend a lot of time with the guard rail in the water in strong winds.
But she can fairly move

Regards
 
Just two of us, we did sit out but were able to keep her fairly level by easing mainsheet with loads of vang on to keep boom level. Think she'd benefit from a mainsheet track but that would be a bit intrusive in the cockpit as I mostly want to single hand her and having to hop over a track to get at the Jib sheets would be a pian.

Took her out Friday single handed in about a F2 - 3 found her easy to handle on my own and didn't really need the autopilot in those conditions. Out yesterday in about 3 knots of wind to play with the asymetrical found the long gun pole really made for easy gybes just let the kite fly gybe and haul it through the gap between end of pole and forestay. Mind you may not be so easy in stronger winds !!!

Still very impressed with the performance and apart from position of the loo cannot really fault her.
 
A mainsheet track will make it easier to play the gusts but it does fill the cockpit.
All 211 here have spinnakers have not seen one with asymmetric. Flying the spinnaker they develop a life of their own.
I have fitted spinnaker to 21i instead of asymmetric which means downwind I can keep up with 211 at least until we come back on the wind, then it's like someone puts the brakes on.
 
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