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
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