B40 advice

[GaryG]

I am looking to upgrade to a B40 and would like advice about  pros and cons of this boat, as well as recommended options and upgrades, expected performance, ease of use, and any other input.

[David Runkle]

I have a 2008 B40 and sail on the Chesapeake Bay.  When I bought the boat it came with just abouat anything you would need or want, Dodger, Bimini, AC, roller furling main and jib, windlass, fridge and freezer. I do a lot of sailing with just my wife as crew so I added a bow thruster to help get us in and out of docks. I also added fans in each cabin and a TV. Overall I love the boat and would recommend it to anyone doing any kind of coastal crusing. The biggiest issue I have, and apparently so does everyone else, is the VDO display for fuel, water and battery, is useless.  (Read the thread on fuel guage accuacy) I have had my boat back to the dealer three times to get this fixed and they haven't been able to correct it yet.   I'm scheduled to go back again later this month once my boat is splashed, but I don;t expect any better results.   

[Aquamarine]

GaryG,

 

We have an 2008 B43, with the RF main, but really looking at the options list, I would say these would be important to us if we were buying again,

Bow thruster VHF at Nav Station with Command Remote Mic at Helm

Raymarine Nav Inst ST70 Depth and Speed

Raymarine Nav Inst ST70 Wind

E90W Multi Function Nav Display @ Cockpit

Autopilot ST70 LS40

40.2STCEH Electric Port Hal Winch

Indirect Lighting Salon

Remote Control Courtesy Light

12V Quiet Flush Toilet

 

We also had dealer installed canvas, (the dodger, bimini), a full length rub rail, TV, macerator pumps, and radar. We since added a galvanic isolator, and wish to add AIS. We currently don’t have a need for the Genset or that $2200 1000W inverter.

 

I do have to agree that the VDO is useless and it does have inaccurate and annoying alarms.... which we pretty much silence now anyway.

[stephen grainger]

Hi Gary

I also have a 2008 Oc 40 which is the best toy I have ever had although I suspect everyone thinks this about any yacht they ever buy. We have done around 4500 miles on the Western Australian coast and love the boat. We have never had really heavy weather but have bashed  into 30 to 35 knots and big swells without problem coming down our coast.

I have a shallow draft Keel which I love when we head into shallow bays but find less then ideal when racing on a windward leg. A trade off and I guess it depends what you want to do with the boat.

For heavy weather I have optioned an inner forstay and have a storm sail which works very well.

The canvas for bimini and dodger is very basic. My dodger has had it after only 3 years. Maybe purchase your own rather then Beneteau option.

My main advice when purchasing a new boat from your Beneteau Dealer would be to not pay your final installment until the boat is exactly as you want it as getting things done after that on warrenty has been a nightmare. There will inevitably be small issues that need fixing but try not to lose sight of the fact that at the end of the day you have an amazing machine.

Good Luck

It is such a fun time

[Jeff Jakus]

We purchased a 2011 B40 - first one off the production line this year. We love the boat, but have had a couple of issues. First, we ordered the classic main. That is fine in itself, but there were big issues with it coming down after a day of sailing. After MANY attempts to rectify the problem, our local dealer had a Tides Marine Track system installed and all is well! One other item related to the main - if you do buy the classic rig option, be aware that if you are not at least 6' tall, you will not be able to reach the sail from the deck. We did not purchase the bow thruster and find it relatively easy to maneuver without it. We installed Radar during commissioning (non factory installed) due to cost and that worked out fine. We also installed a 32" LED TV after commissioning and placed a powered digital antennae in the forward cabin port side cabinet, with Blue Ray DVD - works great and uses very little power. We live in a rather lite air locale (San Diego) so we purchased a 155 Genoa that is now installed on the roller furler and provides a bit more performance. We purchased a custom convertible dodger that folds to the clear portion for racing and covers the companion way when extended. We do have the electric port side winch for controlling the main halyard, main sheet, traveler, etc. and that is GREAT. The electric head is also a nice upgrade - we are just now converting the head to fresh water to eliminate (reduce?) sea water holding tank oders. I had a 12 v adapter outlet installed near the helm under the cockpit table for cell phone charging.

In terms of expected performance, we have great fun with the boat - but it really does not easily sail to its PHRF handicap in the mid to high 90's. We have not purchased a folding prop or a spinnaker - both of which would be required for serious racing.

All in all a perfect coastal cruiser for 2 to 4 people. Plenty of fresh water and fuel capacities - relatively small holding tank.

We upgraded to the 54 hp Yanmar and it is nice to have the power of the larger engine.

[Mike Brown]

Will, the odor issue with the toilets comes from the salt water sitting in the water lines. The micro organisms die and then rot producing a rather nasty odor on flushing. The electric toilets do not fix it unless you have the dealer plumb in the fresh water flush system. Basically it's a hose tapped into the fresh water line in the head, then through a solenoid which is controlled by the flush buttons. It also includes a one way check valve to prevent any bacteria from migrating to your fresh water supply. Since you moor in fresh water it may not be worthwhile doing it at this time, but if you're going to sail in salt water it's well worth the money. Actually I bought the parts from the dealer and installed it myself. Not that difficult as project go. Good luck with your 40, you'll be amazed at how well she sails. Yes fast, fast ,fast.

Mike

[Andrew Landis]

I recently got my 2011 B40. I can't say enough about it. I have most of the options including HD Radar. I just installed a 24" flat screen with a built in DVD. I didn't get a thruster. I probably should have as I sail alone frequently. My only problem is the AC. We can't seem to get the Main Cabin unit to work right, also it appears that all the condensation goes into the bilge. My dealer has been great working on it. Re batteries, I think the boat needs a third house batery between the fridge, freezer, nav, pilot, pumps etc. My previous boat was a 2004 B31. Overall interior rating is B+. Exterior and winches/line locations also B+. Under sail, points extremely well(I have the long keel), when the wind kicks up, reef and she will stay flat with excellent speed. I'm sure as time goes on small things will pop up. I have a 2 year waranty which hopefully will be enough time for things to show up if any. Your dealer is key. I'm located in Buffalo NY on lake Erie. RCR is my dealer, first class.

[Andrew Landis]

Forgot to mention VDO issues. Fuel gauge is inaccurate once down to half mark, water gauge for forward and aft tanks work fine but voltage meters need to be upgraded. Not the best/quality choice Beneteau has made. I haven't decided on an upgrade yet but do plan on adding a third batery and a higher capacity charger/inverter with room to add a 4th battery if needed

[GaryG]

How did you get a 2 year warranty. I'm negotiating now to purchase one of the last B40's The new models--all with traveller on an arch-- are coming out this fall, and I prefer the current one.

[Andrew Landis]

Hi gary. The 2 yr warranty is something for the Great Lakes area I was told because of our short sail season compared to down south. The Ice boom in Lake Erie usually gets lifter Mid April. A good number of us at our Marina are usually in till the 1st or 2nd week of Nov. This is the first year there doing this I was told. I didn't ask too many questions, two years is two years

[Mike Brown]

The boats are energy hogs which dictates you have as much battery power as you can. We have 450ah in our 43 which does a good job for us on weekends. For longer periods I like to plug into shore power on day # 4. If we do an extended run under power that usually brings us back up to apx 90%. Eventually plan on adding more battery power to take us up to 675ah.