Beneteau First 210/211

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mike_1982

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Folks,

I'm thinking of buying a boat in the near future - 1st one. I was initially thinking of buying something cheaper, however I would possibly spend slightly more if I were to get one of these (<£12,000).

Can anyone give any advice on what they are like? ie. Would you buy one? Have you had one and sold it?

Regards,
Mike
 
Have you managed to sail one yet ? Worth getting out for a sail - perhaps at St Giles in France if that is where they are made now, and enjoyable trip in itself.

Expect may get a few negative comments on here, as perhaps many have a preference for traditional boats in preference to modern. But depends very much on planned usage (not ieal boat for transatlantic, but I am sure could be done - not much different in size from micro racers)
 
First 211

Well as an owner of a first 211 I might be a little biased....
On the plus side
Easy to sail (including singlehanded)
Responsive, more like a big dinghy and will start to perfom in anything above a force 2
Easy to maintain with well laid out fittings
The lift keel is very handy if you sail in shallower waters and want to get close to the shore
You get "alot of boat" for your money

On the negative side
the fact they are so light means they are a real handful in anything above a force 5 (you probably would want to be heading for shelter)
Steep short chop can practically halt the boat and can make using the outboard a problem (cavitation as the prop comes out of the water)
The cabin is adequate for two but not much more
The deck cleats are too small (no middle cleat which is always useful for singlehanded berthing)
The sails on these boats are vital - old baggy sails will lead to rounding up problems in gusts. I changed my sails to new dacrons with a fully battened mainsail and it makes a huge amount of difference to control.
There is no mainsail traveller but you can fit one yourself as a modification

My own conclusion is that they are largely day/weekending boats for short coastal hops.
I know people have crossed the channel in them but I would not want to be caught out in bad weather in one
It all comes down to what type of usage you have in mind.
I am very happy with mine and have contemplated getting something a little bigger for the family but largely ruled it out as I am having too much fun with my little 211 to want to move on.
Feel free to come back to me with any questions
 
Good boats

Mike,

I have a Beneteau 211 as well and like ARFA might be a bit biased. Basically I think they're great. As AFRA says, they are superb for just day sailing. Really quick and easy to get going - sail really well in light airs and with the lifting keel you can go where most yachts can't. The small jib makes tacking easy for the crew and the cockpit is a reasonable size for three, or four for a shorter period.

Where I differ from ARFA is my assessment of their offshore capability. I wouldn't cross the Atlantic in one, but I pop across the Channel regularly, and have never had a moments worry. A few years ago I sailed from Portsmouth to Ushant and back without incident. The deep, relatively heavy keel provides excelent stability and she deals with the larger waves with aplomb. With the original sails I found she wouldn't really go to windward in much more than a F5 but I now have a fully battened mainsail with three reefs and I can make progress in up to a F6. Downwind I've only ever been in a F6 but she dealt with it very well, the twin rudders giving perfect control.

The accomadation is pretty well laid out as well. There is only ever going to be so much room in a 21 ft boat, but we find that two can cruise perfectly happily for a couple of weeks, and I once had 5 sleeping onboard on a boys' cruise to Cowes. You can fit an inflatable under the cockpit, and elswhere find room for about 25 litres of fuel, which will give you 80 miles under power, and food for two people for two weeks perfectly happily.

And she sails pretty well too. I clocked just over 12 knots under spinaker once (not really under control, but great fun), and often overtake larger boats.

So all in all, if you're looking for a pocket yacht that can also day sail then the Beneteau 211 is a serious option, more of a seaboat than the Jeanneau Sun 2000, and faster than the Etap.
 
Gliptus, fair play to you for tackling more serious passages - did you have any problems with waves/water coming in through the open transom ?
I would be worried about shipping some serious water and it getting into the cabin.
I know the 211 is "unsinkable" but I am not sure I would feel confident running downwind in big seas.
 
I know someone with one on Windermere, and I had the older little sister a First 18 untill recently.

A 210/211/217 is fast. The open plan accommodation is OK for 2, but my friend cruises with his 12 yr old twins too. They had a good week on the Clyde cruising.

Sailing a trailerable boat or a trail sailer is a different mentality to cruising a bigger boat. It's limiting in that you may stay in port when others may go out, but you can up sticks and go for a cruise miles away fairly easily if you have a good trailer. You can save on mooring fees too if it's on the drive.
 
Hi Arfa,

In all seriousness the only time I've had a problem with the open stern is when tied up in a marina in Cowes - on the outside berth the wash from passing boats went right into the cockpit and lapped over into the cabin. Had to go back to the marina manager and get another berth. Going downwind isn't a problem at all - in over F5 I get a couple of millimetres into the cockpit every now and then, but in that weather I'm wearing sailing boots anyway.

Gliptus
 
Gliptus
I had a close shave coming in over chichester bar where the cockpit got swamped and nearly flooded the cabin. Admittedly the seas were fairly confused but it was a heart in mouth moment which put me off taking on too much in terms of sea conditions.
I didn't have washboards in place and was wishing they were there at the time. Admittedly the cabin did not take on any water but it was a close run thing
 
My friend has a 211 and goes out in weather when other stay in marina. He has it kitted out with all the home comforts for cruising and thinks it is a wonderful boat.
 
Arfa, Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I must say I haven't had the same problem, even when I got, ahem, slightly closer to Portland Bill race than I intended. I don't think its too much to worry about though. The boat weight just over a tonne, so I reckon that you could take onboard at least a quarter of a tonne of water and still be able to sail and steer. It would take several fairly direct waves to get 250kg of water in through the entrance, and I bet that you or I could get the washboard in place pretty quickly if given sufficient motivation.
Andrew
 
Thankfully no harm done but it was good to get a feeling of how much can be handled. Let's put it this way, the next time the seas kick up, the washboards go in !
Good to know that you coped with a "portland bill moment" !
 
sun 2000

Its easy to be dismissive of these little boats and there are comments re less seaworthy than a 211. Having sailed both, I just don't think that is accurate, The 211, 21.7 is higher with more windage and a bit tubbier in profile, so better headroom and nicer finish below, but the keel is more problematic and in my experience they are more tender than the 2000 despite more weight in the keel. The reason is that the 2000 has much much more form stability so firms up much more quickly than the bene. In terms of performance, the bene feels as if it should be quicker, but never having had them together, I am not so sure. The sun 200 is no slouch and the averages for these boats are almost identical in the Round the island race and arguably the 2000's do a fraction better.

From a practical viewpoint if going shallow, the sun 200 centreboard will kick up, but is really easy to raise simply by pulling the line in the cockpit whilst you have to go below in the bene and turn a winch handle 77 times. If you are coming on to a shoal mooring single handed I know which is easier! It also doesn't intrude in the cabin. The bene's can rupture the bearing reasonably easily when they run aground and they dont like drying mud moorings as they pack and then jam. When they unjam they go down with a thump and again can rupture the bearings. They also draw more than the 2000 and if you want to dry out and don't have the factory fit only legs, the bene leans right over whereas the Jeanneau dries out flat.

All that said I like both boats and own neither at present.
 
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