Ex-charter Beneteaus

H

Hurleyburly

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 May 2003
Messages
131
Location
Berkshire
Visit site
A certain well known yacht charter company has a fleet of ex lead boats for sale:

Beneteau First (1984)

£14,100 (inc)

Good value? W

What are the pitfalls ?

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Which one is it? how big?

Generally tho, its like buying an ex hire car, well used, but maintained ok. I would expect that alot of the gear will be worn out, but if its a really good price, i may be worth it.

Don't forget to offer them 1/2-2/3's of the asking price...

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.quest-net.org/jamesaustin/images/Img1094.JPG> Recognise us? </A>
 
I think they are First 32 ? They are good racer-cruisers,
The price is good but they must have been chartered a lot !
And they are certainly along way from UK : shipping or delivery cost ?


<hr width=100% size=1>Brittany Yacht brokerage & assistance : PM
 
If they have always been lead boats (unlikely, probably demoted into this category after a few seasons of normal flotilla work), the engine will have done thousands of hours, sails almost unused, they will have been lived on constantly by three people for 8 or 9 months of the year. Galley unused but remainder of accommodation pretty tired. But probably not bad for the money, especially if you can take your pick of a few.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Engine and gearbox is likely to have had 20 times more use and abuse than a privately owned yacht.

Sails are unlikely to be original ,have a good look if the price is right why not??

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
MED-charters?

Find out where the boats have been chartered. In the Med? In that case, check well for UV-damage. Even our very heavily built Nicholson, which we bought in Greece, needed rather much work to get this repaired. Teak laid decks are probably leaky because they are often dried out completely in the Med. Also, all canvas having been exposed in the Med is probably gone, even if it's not been used much.

Apart from that, I can imagine the overall condition of these boats is probably not that bad, at least they have not been extensively raced....But do check if all lockers and cabin doors open and close the way they should to make sure...

fair winds

<hr width=100% size=1>Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by heerenleed on 13/10/2003 11:36 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
"in the right place for a spot of winter sun" ! ?

You intend to leave the boat there or sail her back home ?
(no VAT to be paid on a 1984 boat, if you can show builder's certificate or bill of sale as proof)

<hr width=100% size=1>Brittany Yacht brokerage & assistance : PM
 
I had a charter job moving a Beneteau 50' from Tortola BVI (well known charter companies ex boat) to Buzzard's Bay Mass,
via Bermuda. the new owner had the boat surveyed and found that the standing rigging needed replacement. They had
rod rigging which had deteriorated to the point it could be broken by hand. He had to bargain with them
to include the new sails. Other than that, the boat was in good shape, bare boat, no ac or heat.
We had to load some spares, (spare engine impellor, another battery..etc.) He also had a new autopilot installed.
The only problem with the boat in general was it's tendency to "pound". (which I understand is common with
Beneteau's) The owner and his girlfriend had the two aft cabins and myself
and the crew had the forward staterooms. I got more "airtime" and was thinking of putting in for
frequent flyer miles as the boat lifted and dropped out from under me and then "thudded" down and me coming down
a fraction of a second later. Definitely not an easy up and down motion. All said, it appeared to be a good buy,
not a boat I would buy however simply for that reason. We did however average 7 knots.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
1984 is old for a charter boat. They are usually taken out of the 'premier' fleet after 5 maybe 6 years then run for the same amount of time as second tier charters before being sold off. They will inevitably have had a lot more engine hours than with private use but these boats don't tend to travel far - they like to moor up for drinks and a BBQ at the end of each day.

They will also be lightly equipped. Minimal electronics and no spare sails -some only have a single anchor. Does the dinghy/outboard come with it? Again, some don't.

If it's a reputable company, they should be able to supply you with a complete service history. If they can't it's a big minus point, especially with a 20 year old boat.

14,000 pounds is about 20,000 dollars at the moment. If you add up the possible upgrades (electronics, extra batteries, sails, decent anchor, safety equipment etc.) plus any repairs (fix broken bits, revarnish, generally clean up) you're actually talking nearer 30,000.

So, just like any boat, you probably get what you pay for but don't go on the initial price only. Your manin difficulty seems to be arranging to actually see the boat for yourself.

For my money (pardon the pun) there are better value boats in the U.S. for 30,000 dollars. Try doing a search and see what you get.

Good luck.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
The 32 is a nice boat to sail. Although not at its best hard on the wind it still performs well and takes off when freed a bit. Would agree the mechanics and sails will probably be shot but why not try an offer reflecting that. The going rate for a good one in the U.K. is about 29/30k but in the Med about 22/24k. Nothing ventured........!

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
was interested in a 35s from largs, it was ex charter, a while back, any way did a search on the american run bene site and found a surveyors report on one of them, pheww he didnt pull any punches, the prospective buyer and payer of said surveyor was highly peed off at having spent a survey fee on a what the surveyor intimated was a pile of junk.
stu

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk
 
I have ofen seen the way charter yachts are looked after by the inexperienced sailor,I vowed and declared I would never buy one. Also coming down from Fiji to NZ once a " delivery charted " yacht got into rouble as the boat wa flexing badly in the big dseas,we were several hundreds of miles away ,actually towing an abondoned yactht to NZ at the time, but stood a close radio watch with the yacht in case they got into serious trouble.
You guessed it ,,the type of yacht was a B.....
BrianJ

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
I've bought, owned and since sold an ex-charter Beneteau. As long as you get a comprehensive survey you should be all right. Mine had been pranged, and the vendor ended up having to re-step the keel to get it put right. It was a bit tatty round the edges, but on the other hand was the only way I was going to afford a boat of that size and that vintage, and I chose that compromise rather than smaller / older.

The thing you can guarantee is that the engine will be shagged. As noted above, charterers will put a lot of engine hours on, and all will be at maximum revs. The only thing I had any problems with after I bought her was with the engine...

The other problem I had was with the boat... with retrospect the Beneteau wasn't the right boat for me: my wife was too persuasive when she saw the interior, compared with some of the other things we'd been looking at for the same money.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top