New member B43 #50

[Alan]

Hello All,

I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself.  I am a new owner of a B43 Hull #50.   I was on the Yahoo Beneteau 43 site and a Sea Knot member invited me over.   I thought I would give you all a quick overview of my first trip on my B43 that turned out to be quite a harrowing experience off the coast of Oregon and Washington state.

 

I live in Vancouver British Columbia and I purchased the boat through a dealer in Seattle although the boat was located in Portland Oregon at a now defunct Beneteau Dealer.  So my very first sail and trip on her would be to pick her up in Portland, Or. and take her back to Seattle for re-commisioning after sitting idle for almost a year. 

 

This particular trip involved following the Columbia River to the mouth and crossing into the Pacific -about eight hours under motor to the Bar, also known as the graveyard of the sea.  The Columbia Bar can be quite a handful especially when the speed of the river meets the ocean.  It can be can be like running into a three storey building.  We chose to cross the Bar on a flood and the trip was uneventful.  Heading north, we chose to move offshore approximately 40 miles to avoid the long string of crab traps and fishing vessels as darkness began to fall we felt comfortable knowing that the next 10 hours would not be dodging troublesome water hazards.  Wind was S, SE at about 8-10 knots and following seas were 3-6 feet and stable.  We motor sailed most of the way and sailed just as the winds began to pick up.   As the evening turned to day we began to see a change in the weather as we neared the northern half of the Washington coastline.  Seas were building and winds picked up quickly turning to 20 plus knots and 9 -15 foot seas.   Within the next couple of hours we found ourselves in winds gusting to 30 knots and large wind waves abaft hitting our rear quarter we handled the gusts of wind well until we found ourselves over canvassed and overpowered by the bigger gusts of winds.  As the boat began to turn up, my sea mates fought to keep her down and suddenly the helm gave way, -no steering.   The next few moments were quite hairy, as we loosened off the main and let the headsail go, the resultant flogging of equipment we were at the mercy of the wind and waves. Why is it that one loses their steering at exactly the moment one needs it most?   Later we discovered was the chain link had broken on the last link where it connected to the steering cable. 

 

The next few minutes we were looking for the hand steering apparatus, you know, that thing hanging in your locker that I've never bothered to even remove to see if it fits into the rudder chock.   We of course never bothered to check if there was one on board on our pre-departure checklist.  Now, our first look into the port locker revealed no such animal.  A moment later we were relived to see one hanging in the aft lazerette.  The hand steering mechanism is poorly designed and obviously not for any extended use.  The pressure on the rudder makes steering by hand a job suited for people with an abundance of upper body strength.  

 

After getting the boat under control via the "T" steering, we tried to start the engine and it did not turn over.  So now a difficult situation turned into a worrisome one.  As we battled to keep the boat pointed in the right direction, my mates found the problem.  The starting battery had died.  Within minutes we hooked up to the house batteries and we had her started.  With a sigh of relief, we motored at about 6.5 knots and began to collect ourselves.  First off we discovered that the auto-pilot was connected independently and we were able to run the auto-pilot to steer the boat the rest of the way back to Seattle.  Approximately 12 hours later we arrived, happy to make it back to port.

 

Here are a few things that you may also want to check out on your B43.

 

1.  Take some time to visit your steering cable and chain in your aft lazerette.  Make sure you have no serious twist in your chain.  The liklihood of breaking your chain is very low and a rare occurance.  In my case a twist in the chain could have made the last link separate from the pin under load.  You won't know there is a problem until you are under a very heavy load strong enough to break this piece.

 

2.  Upon further investigation, Beneteau has acknowledged that the battery isolators can be a problem.  This item directs power to your different batteries.  IE start battery and bow thruster or house batteries.  I have had mine replaced under warranty but should it go again, I will take the recommendation of CSR marine and install a more robust system.

 

3.  Although I did not have a problem with this item, I have learned that Beneteau has a recall on B43's to replace the backstay bolts on the chain plates.  I don't know if this is because they have broken or just because they want to beef up the system.  The recall calls for increasing the size of the bolts.

 

I have other smaller problems as a result of this shake-down cruise, but I attribute these to basic issues that most boaters may find after having spent a month or so on their boats.  Items include water spilling from the forward head sump onto the head floor instead of being pumped out.  The Starboard side large coach window had come loose on the aft bottom and will need to be entirely re-bedded.  The fuel gage is way out of wack. A number of cabinets and one door do not close properly.  Some hardware issues, hinges etc.

 

All in all I am still happy with the boat's handling.  She felt solid before the steering broke loose and pointed well. I am hopeful that all if not most of the problems will have been addressed now that she is being completely re-fitted and all the adjustments are being made before I pick her up. 

 

I intend to install a number of items including a dual battery monitor, Samsung HDTV LED, DVR, with E120 repeater on the TV. Whisper pole set up and fresh water inlet on the stern.

 

Thanks,

Alan

 

 

[Alain Brauckmann]

Welcome to the world of oceanis problems!
Thank you for reminding me that I have to check this chaine ...
Tryreading of my problems ... And you will have enough to check once you ll get yoir boat back.

[foster]

Hello Alan,

Many of us have experienced to some extents problems in the first few months. Most of them are easy to fix.
In Europe there is a lot of inertia since Beneteau almost always sends the customer to the dealer who usually says "I no nothing" we will check and years later you are still waiting. You have to be proactive directly with Beneteau but they often also say there is no problem. This is where Seaknots comes in since we share information. The rudder post problems have been fixed thanks to this. Could you give us the recall paper of Beneteau on the backstay. Franc of Candrac has had this problem.
I showed his photos to the head of Beneteau aftersales who said .... No there is no problem.
If you could show a photo of the steering chain problem this would also help.

I am sure you will be happy with your boat in the end.

Denis
Hibernia N° 77 (French made)

[Alan]

Denis,

At the moment I am getting taken care of very well by the dealer, so no problems yet. They appear to be on top of the issues and they are active with the repairs. I did not get a recall paper to deal with the backstay bolts as the dealer volunteered this information to me and said they were being replaced. Also, I am not sure if this problem is unique to N.A. built boats or the whole line-up. I will find out and post my results when I am at the dealer next.

Here is the photo of the chain.

Thanks
Alan
B43 #50

[Alan]

Thanks Geoff,

For clairification, only the bolts that attach the chainplate backstay (N. America) are in question as a factory recall. I am not aware of any factory recall on the steering systems.

The dealer is actively repairing the problems and I am looking forward to a problem free boat! (grin)

[Mike Brown]

Alan, nice to see you on Seaknots. So it's a couple of months later, how do you like the boat now?

FYI the backstay chainplate U bolt recall was a result of a 43 (owned by Andrea and Franc the people who created and run Seaknots) having one of them pull open during a storm during their crossing to Europe. While the dealer replaced ours I've heard that Beneteau is no longer replacing all of them. Seems as though they've had little to no further issues with them.

[Alan]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the update on the backstay bolts

The boat is great. I think she handles extremely well. I had her up to 9.5 knots in 24 knot winds the other day and I could not get the grin off my face!

The small items that need repair are being taken care of by the dealer and in a timely manner. I managed to repair some smaller items myself to save time and hassle. I wish that Beneteau would put these boats through their own thorough inspection before they send them out of the factory.

I will also add in speaking with Neil Pryde, they have made modifications to the in mast mainsail battens so if you happen to have an older sail (sails manufactured pre-2008), you can send your sail to Neil Pryde and they will make the change-out for you. Apparently the new battens have a lower profile and move in and out of the mast easier. They also have a designed small velcro strap that holds the tack of the sail closer to the furler and is supposed to address any luff bagginess at the tack.

best,
Alan

[Aquamarine]

Hello Alan and also welcome, we have hull# 27. Can you tell me more about the batten mods, as ours are a consistent challenge furling and unfurling the main. Maybe a particular contact at Neil Pryde?
Regards,
Stew

[Alan]

Hi,

I have not received my sails back from Neil Pryde yet. When I do, I will be able to see the modifications. I was told that the battens have a lower profile and should make furling and unfurling easier. I will be happy to report after I get them back and sailed a couple of times.

[Mike Brown]

Alan, thanks for the info on the mainsail. I'll talk to my dealer about and see if they can make the change once I put her up for the winter.
Mike