Benny 321 = opinions sought

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Hi all,
I'd be grateful for any views on the capabilities of the above as cruiser for a family of 4, Solent plus odd cross channel.
 
An ideal starter yacht and a good fit for your cruising intentions. How old is the example you are considering?

Bennys of that era suffer a bit more than most from a worrying trend towards very wide aft hull sections which adversely effect handling when the wind gets a bit lively.

Watch out for erratic handling in reverse with that particular Benny model.

The one I knew was underpowered and had a crude prop shaft based engine installation that was noisy.

Sound out a good surveyor on some structural problem that affected the hull in the p-bracket area early in the production run.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm particularly pleased with the starter yacht comment. It's a 1995 - as you say, it is beamy with a 4' 3" keel so I was a bit worried about handling, esecially with 2 kids in tow. Having said that, it probably means I would be rightly more cautious. As usual, SWMBO was attracted by the layout, so I wanted some reassurance re performance. It sounds like a good compromise.
 
I thank you (in an Arthur Askey type voice)! You wouldn't have said that if you'd met the kids!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Ooh, that is another one for the contentious themes thread, how big is an ideal starter yacht?

IOn my opinion this is too big.
 
It is a "large" boat ... but it depends how old the family of 4 is, and what their sailing background is...

if they've got dinghy sailing experience then it is easy to transfer that to a bigger boat ...
if not - then a Benny 321 is easy enough to handle under power, it may be a bit daunting under sail to start with though.
 
Not overly impressed with the one I chartered in Turkey (a 1998 model). As i remember it slammed a lot when motoring, terrible access to the engine and lowsy in reverse. Did not feel as well built as the Bavaria we subsequently bought, nor handle as well.

And it does not have a P bracket, but a moulded shaft log. This has a good reputation for robustness and reliability, but the whole engine installation is poor with more noise and vibration than a saildrive.

They are spacious and stylish (except for the cramped forecabin) and were very popular. However there are probably better boats in that category - which I don't think is too big for a starter if you have basic boat handling skills.
 
Perhaps I should explain a bit more. I've read all the views on size of first boats as I've been lurking here for some time (along with all the AWB v MAB debates) - so this is a considered decision. The decision so far is a c30-32ft AWB, <15 yrs old, <£45K. I also need to 'attract' my wife to this if it's going to be a success and she was immediately attracted to the space as we've had some uncomfortable nights on some of the boats we've sailed on.

As with most things you're new to, when you seek advice you are faced with a variety of views but at the end of the day I want to do something rather than nothing. I appreciate the risks and there'll be plenty of support sought until we feel confident & competent to take 'bigger' risks. I wouldn't be doing this if i thought i was putting my family at risk.

So, do you think the 321 a good bet or are there better choices?
 
Take no notice of the doom mongers, I started on a 351, 12ft 6in beam, no probs, been caught out in 40 knots of wind gusting to 46 at one point, she handled it with aplomb. She finished 3rd in the Dickies Beneteau Cup, narrowly beating a 31.7. A friend in Pwllheli bought one last year down south and sailed it home, got caught in an 8 across the Bristol Channel, not a prob.
Point Im making is that the beam is not an issue, from my point of view the length is certainly not an issue, if you fancy it, buy it.
Stu
 
You get what you pay for..it's not a Rasy but it wont cost as much either.
Check her over and get a survey.
If you like her sod the opinions to the contrary and buy her.
10 m is pretty big for a starter but not that big. I started with 7 metres moved on to 9.1 and have now settled on 9.6. You will soon get used to her traits.
P.s. don't be too gung ho to start with. Concentrate on having fun.
 
Pleasure!

With a budget of £45k you could get a much newer Bavaria 32 or even a 34 with a bit of bargaining.

Have a look in the March 2009 YM there is a review of a 2002 Bavaria 32. Very complementary and comments are in line with my experience of owning a 2001 37 from new - although I don't agree with the comment about gloomy down below. Has more space than a 321 - you can actually stand and undress in the forecabin. Definitely has the "family appeal" and very easy to handle.

I think there are 3 or 4 on the market at the moment. Consider also the previous model 31, just a bit smaller all round and a more traditional panelled interior, but regrettably often with ghastly multi coloured upholstery.

Good luck with your hunt
 
Perfectly capable, however check out the 311 as well, it performs better... and, of course, the 331 is the best boat of that size around but is a bit more expensive.
 
[ QUOTE ]
bennies dont have "P" Brackets /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
I know, hence the term "p-bracket area". Was not sure what to call the vestigial aft keel that provides the prop support tube.

Anyhow for the OP... when getting a Benny 311 surveyed about 6 years ago I was in debrief mode with the surveyor when he interrupted and ducked under the hull to look at the p bracket area. Then he backed out and said "no worries I remember now it was the early production examples in the next model up that had the problem".
 
[ QUOTE ]
are there better choices?

[/ QUOTE ]
Most likely there are more suitable designs but you will be in a much better position to make that call 3 or 4 years from now. Until then we would just be guessing on your behalf without knowing you.

The important thing is that a Benny 321 is not a bad choice and it is a tradable design, not loosing a shed load of money should be your overriding priority when buying your first yacht.

You will want something else in a few years, so resist the temptation to turn your first yacht into a pristine example with lots of new goodies that you won't recoup 4 years later.
 
I chartered one in Croatia some years ago and was impressed by the internal space and layout. The cockpit wasn't bad but the sailing performance while not great was adequate though the boat suffers the usual low ballast ratio, excessive beam problems. The astern performance has already been mentioned. I can't comment on the structure as I was only on it for a week. For what you want the boat for you could do a lot worse.
 
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