Beneteau Gran Turismo 38/Prestige 38S

mcanderson

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The worm continues to turn on our sail to power conversation in the South of France. With a few false starts, wandering down dead end lanes and bursts of frustration we are getting close...

We are now buying an apartment and so the need for a more substantial (read longer) boat is decreasing and so we are now looking at options that will fit on a 12m berth that can cope with the two of us living on board for upto 2 weeks at a time.

Both the Beneteau GT38 and Prestige 38S come in at just under 12m (there is no flex in Beaulieu Sur Mer) and look good on paper. We are now arranging some viewings, but I would like to hear from any owners.

If anyone wants a lead to a cracking 2000 Princess V42 with a mooring in St Jean Cap Ferrat for €165,000 let me know.
 
The worm continues to turn on our sail to power conversation in the South of France. With a few false starts, wandering down dead end lanes and bursts of frustration we are getting close...

We are now buying an apartment and so the need for a more substantial (read longer) boat is decreasing and so we are now looking at options that will fit on a 12m berth that can cope with the two of us living on board for upto 2 weeks at a time.

Both the Beneteau GT38 and Prestige 38S come in at just under 12m (there is no flex in Beaulieu Sur Mer) and look good on paper. We are now arranging some viewings, but I would like to hear from any owners.

If anyone wants a lead to a cracking 2000 Princess V42 with a mooring in St Jean Cap Ferrat for €165,000 let me know.

We had the face lifted 390s, of which we were very fond.
Only issues we had were software relating to the smartcraft/Cummins set up which regularly required 'resetting' but we got used to this.

Good sea boat, we crossed the channel 4 or 6 times in it and the cockpit space and accom is good.

Excellent visibility and the open roof is well done.

Engine room day checks are tricky if you are tall or rotund, (I'm both), but there's great access from the tender garage.

Usual checks for the brand required before purchase, so hull survey, all switch gear, bilges and check the service history and updates for the engine set up, there have been loads of them.

But a great boat for us and plenty on the market so you should be able to find a good one. Any specifics just PM.

Good luck

PS

You'll need to upgrade the mattress, the Jeanneau standard fit are paper thin on that boat.
 
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I don't own the Princess V42 just saw it and got the details. Private sale with the lease to the mooring included, not sure what the split cost would be. The leases on berths in St Jean run until 31 Dec 2021. It is on a 12m C2 berth in St Jean which rent annually for c11k or I know of one for sale at €78K.
 
Well with the berth for 5 years that does indeed sound like an ok deal.

Yr2000 V42 is probably in reality worth €90-100k so it values the mooring at €65k or €15k per year.

The question is what would a yearly rental mooring cost you.

Edit: just seen annual rent is €11k per year. Deal isn't that good then. I'd value the remaining 5 years at more like €32500 so boat and berth together starts to be reasonable at €125k ish.

Of course, they may have built €40k into the price for negotiation.
 
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I've got a GT38 ... it's a 2012 model which had an extended swim platform added ... I think she's just over 40ft but the paperwork says 11 point something metres and that's all the Capitainerie is interested in! I'm on a 12 metre berth, which I own, (30 years 25k euros), so I hope they don't come round with a measuring tape! Guy next door has got a Fairline 40 which looks longer than mine so I think I'm safe! Beneteau Gran Turismo 38 is a fine boat (so far) but I've only had it since late October ... only weekending at the moment but plan 2 week trips to Spain in the summer. Plenty of room for two. Superb central driving position and the joystick makes parking a doddle! Everything works and I got a money-off deal so happy at the moment!
 
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Another consideration is the Sunseeker Portofino35 its 11.7 M but importantly 3.54 beam .
many older berths are 3.55 beam .
I was thinking when BsM leases are up and you may be unhappy going forwards from there- (with what you are offered deal wise?) at 3.54 M it opens up more options nearby for a reasonable discount ,as opposed to having a 3,7 M beam or something .
We had one with Kad 300,s for 9 un event full years in the Sof - easy to run + berth and the SS tech guys are great
just a thought !!:cool:-
 
Portofino,

A quick chat with Julien and the chance of an annual 12m berth is pretty high so the width of both the Beneteau and Prestige is okay. The hardtop is very high on the must have list especially after having a week aboard last week so the SS35 is not quiet hitting the mark, but it is a very nice looking boat.
 
Whitelighter - the chances of picking up a 12m berth in St Jean for an annual rent isn't high I imagine. We had to wait 3 years in BSM for our 10. For someone the package might work. We had lunch in St Jean on Saturday and this was moored on one of the central fingers. It looked in excellent condition for the age and when we asked for the follow up photos they too were very good.
 
So the berth is the grey area - I'm only going on the fact you said rentals are available for €11k. If in fact they are like hens teeth then that ups the value.

2000 V42 is €90-100k in nice condition. In poor condition much much less
 
Fair enough. All the leases come with a premium over annual rents x years left. Also the leases still have to pay harbour fees.

Beaulieu s/Mer leases all run out 31 Dec 18 and no one has yet to state what will occur.
 
I've got a GT38 ... it's a 2012 model which had an extended swim platform added ... I think she's just over 40ft but the paperwork says 11 point something metres and that's all the Capitainerie is interested in! I'm on a 12 metre berth, which I own, (30 years 25k euros), so I hope they don't come round with a measuring tape! Guy next door has got a Fairline 40 which looks longer than mine so I think I'm safe! Beneteau Gran Turismo 38 is a fine boat (so far) but I've only had it since late October ... only weekending at the moment but plan 2 week trips to Spain in the summer. Plenty of room for two. Superb central driving position and the joystick makes parking a doddle! Everything works and I got a money-off deal so happy at the moment!

GT came to SIBS the September after we bought our p390s and I remember thinking that we loved it.
It has a sportier feel and I prefer the accom. The payoff is that the prestige has the better cockpit/tender solution so it will come down to the OP's pref.

Both are great couples boats and perfect for extended breaks.
 
How big a tender can you fit in the Prestige? I do like having the flex of being able to run ourselves ashore rather than wait for the beach bar boats.
 
I've got a GT38 ... it's a 2012 model which had an extended swim platform added ... I think she's just over 40ft but the paperwork says 11 point something metres and that's all the Capitainerie is interested in! I'm on a 12 metre berth, which I own, (30 years 25k euros), so I hope they don't come round with a measuring tape! Guy next door has got a Fairline 40 which looks longer than mine so I think I'm safe! Beneteau Gran Turismo 38 is a fine boat (so far) but I've only had it since late October ... only weekending at the moment but plan 2 week trips to Spain in the summer. Plenty of room for two. Superb central driving position and the joystick makes parking a doddle! Everything works and I got a money-off deal so happy at the moment!

‘Is your GT38 the one for sale in Cogolin by any chance? I’m looking for one...
 
Brilliant. It is the same length as the Jenneau and Beneteau, but wider so we get more space. We love the size of the heads and the separate shower compartment is great. We spend two weeks or more on board easily. We have been caught out in some nasty weather (my wife stopped speaking to me for hours) and we felt safe and I was happy the way it handled.

Fit and finish is fine, we have the larger D6-330 engines which are nice and also a generator and airconditioning. I would rate both as musts for the Cote d 'Azur as even at anchor we use the generator to keep the batteries topped up and run the aircon to drop the temp before retiring. Also with the gen you can use the grill in the cockpit which is nicer at anchor than cooking below.
 
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