Tips for new commissioning

[Brett Campbell]

Hello All. My wife Jane and I have just finished a Croatian bareboat charter, and in Trogir we were very fortunate to moor next to Sea Knots' members Alain and Nina in their Beneteau 40. We spent a very pleasant few hours discussing the merits - and dissapointments - of their Beneteau 40, and we're very excited about taking delivery of our new 43 in Sydney. Our new boat arrives from France on Saturday, so commissioning should start early next week.

Alain suggested we join Sea Knots, and I'm very grateful for that suggestion. After reviewing the discussions I'll be very careful to watch for any leaks from the aft shower, deck shower and hot water systems, check for any cracks on the water tanks, check the chain link to the steering gear is clear, check the backstay bolts have been upgraded, and I'll also check the size of the wiring from the battery switches to the DC panel. Are there any other issues Sea Knots members suggest I should watch for?

Last year (December 2009) I navigated a Beneteau Oceanis 37 in the Sydney Hobart race, and we came a very credible second in our division. It wasn't a prticularly rough race - Bass Straight was quite kind last year - but it gave me a lot of confidence in the Oceanis brand. Jane and I have owned a 1990 Oceanis 390 for the last three years, so we're sure our upgrade to a new 43 will continue our sailing pleasure around the east coast of Australia and beyond.

I look forward to any commissioning suggestions from the group. Cheers

[Brett Campbell]

Thanks Geoff - really good advice. Vicsail in Pittwater are our brokers. We bought our 390 through them, and one of the guys was the bowman during the Sydney Hobart. So hopefully things will go well - but I'll still check the details as suggested.

We'll be mooring 'Amble' in Careening Cove from mid-October. Would be great to catch up and share a beer or two.

Cheers

[David]

Hi Everyone - We purchased our boat from Vicsail in Sydney in 2007 and although I have had a number of issues with the boat (all minor) Shane & Hamilton (Vicsail in Pittwater) have been very helpful in fixing them all. Now with generator, LED’s and extras batteries – no more power issues!!!

Our 2 Cab Beneteau 40 (Enchanted) is in Pittwater Sydney so if anyone sees us come over and say Hello.
David

[Mike Brown]

Brett, congratulations on the 43. Yes check the wiring from the batteries to DC panel but I understand it was only the early models that had the issue. Likewise the backstay U bolts, current build boats should be fine. For the most part any of the early issues we've had were due to supplier hardware issues, not Beneteaus build process or quality. Overall we love our 43. She sails very well and is quite comfortable at anchor. Note that you'll have to play the traveler and mainsheet to keep her on her feet in good winds. Keeping her flat seems to produce the best speed and control. It's nothing to see speeds in the high 8 to mid 9kt range in 15-20kt winds. We've topped out at 10kts and that's without a spinnaker. She is an energy hog with electric toilets, shower and sink sump pumps, lights, navigation instruments, etc. I would make sure your battery power is at least in the 450A range. You can use 150+ Ah per day depending on how many people are on board and what you have turned on such as stereo, lights, etc. We also added more anchor chain as the basic 25' was inadequate. We now have 65' which is plenty as we normally anchor in 10' depths. We have a 35lb Delta anchor which works very well for us with the extra chain. Not sure what style salon cushions you selected. Ours are a light colored fabric so we decided to spray a protective barrier on them such as Scotchguard. It makes cleaning up a spill much easier.
I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll share it.
Mike

[sam]

Welcome aboard Brett and Jane. I have hull #9, B43 US produced.I have really enjoyed the boat. Mike offers very sound advice. I would add that during commissioning that you ask and ensure that anti-sieze material is used on bolt to aluminum connection. I recently had to drill out several set screws on the headsail roller furling unit in order to adjust the headstay turnbuckle .
I use a Rocna anchor and feel very good about it. It has 175 ft of chain followed by 200+ feet of nylon rode.
Add batteries-cannot have too much capacity, unless you have a generator installed.
This is a great site.
Enjoy the boat!
Sam
LONGHAWK

[Brett Campbell]

Thanks Sam. I agree with you - this is a great site! The responses from you, David, Mike and Geoff, as well as Alain's original welcome, are giving Jane and I a lot of comfort about the extended Beneteau family. We're seeing Vicsail tomorrow, so it will be interesting to get their feedback on these issues. I'll keep you posted....
Cheers