mjcoon
Well-known member
We recently chartered a Beneteau Oceanis 41.1 in Greece for a fortnight. We were not surprised that its detailed design was for marina hopping in benign weather (which we sometimes got!).
But were caught out be a detailed feature of the cabin. The furniture fronts left a few cm gap to the cabin sole, so small items dropped to the floor, including cutlery and personal items, could roll through this gap and disappear. This would be merely irritating, but for the 2nd feature. The cabin sole did not continue to the hull line, but stopped a similar few cm behind the furniture front. This meant that items that made it through the gap could also drop down into the bilges.
Retrieval was then impossible without performing a Drug Squad destructive "rummage", because the bilges were divided into sections so the lifting sole panels gave no access to the heffalump traps.
Of course, if it were our own boat, besides berating Beneteau for their cheapskate boatbuilding we would stuff the gap with pipe insulation or similar. But that should not be necessary!
But were caught out be a detailed feature of the cabin. The furniture fronts left a few cm gap to the cabin sole, so small items dropped to the floor, including cutlery and personal items, could roll through this gap and disappear. This would be merely irritating, but for the 2nd feature. The cabin sole did not continue to the hull line, but stopped a similar few cm behind the furniture front. This meant that items that made it through the gap could also drop down into the bilges.
Retrieval was then impossible without performing a Drug Squad destructive "rummage", because the bilges were divided into sections so the lifting sole panels gave no access to the heffalump traps.
Of course, if it were our own boat, besides berating Beneteau for their cheapskate boatbuilding we would stuff the gap with pipe insulation or similar. But that should not be necessary!
