Beneteau 473

[Bodo]

Beneteau 473.Does anybody know anything about this boat? I am planning on cruising for about 5-7 years. I have the money to buy it, and skills to do it, but little knowledge about this boat. Please help me find out a little more.

I have a little knowledge of this boat. I had looked at the 473 at its U.S. introduction in Annapolis. I really liked the lines of the boat compared to the earlier boat that the 473 it replaced. I was less taken with the interior arrangement which has the galley stretched along the port side and a centerline bench and that is part of a large dinette.

The two cabin (vs three cabin) seems to be a better layout for distance cruising. (At least according to the sales materials) Beneteau has tried to engineer the 473 more for offshore use than some of the earlier Beneteaus. In particular they have gone to bonding bulkheads on all sides (including the deck) rather than simply to the hull. This typically results in a substantially stiffer hull and deck struuture.

I am not a fan of the stowaway mast. I would absolutely not buy one of these boats with the stock sails or the in mast furling option. This will cost you some money but the stock (and even their ''upgraded. Neil Pryde sails) are so poorly shaped (at least based on my experience with previous stock Beneteau sails) that they really hurt the boat''s performance to the point that you will spend a lot more of your life motoring than sailing if you go with the stock sails rather than a higher quality set of sails.

Good luck
Jeff

[toddps]

Hi Bodo, in your quest to find out about the Beneteau 473; I own one and can tell you from my experience with one, and arrange and possibly arrange an opportunity to sail one, that is if you are willing to go to the BVI's. First there is to much to write about, so I'll tell you a bit briefly and then give you my personal email address if you want to continue. I have not owned a lot of sail boats, I have sailed others, mostly Beneteau's, some Jib n Sea's, etc. I love the boat, for me she handles very well, I can sail her alone all through the BVI's, I can anchor and pick up a mooring all by my lonesome. The dual wheels make life much easier, the captains cabin is fine and the head is a decent size, the galley needs a bit of upgrading like microwave, and a host of other persaonl choices, the nave table is more then adequate. I have Doyle Sails and find her nicely responsive, at 10 people she starts to get crowded but 8 is the perfect max. The fridge and freezeer are good, though the drain on the fridge needs to be a drain down than a suck up bilge type. The only thing that I still in the process of trying to figure out is where-n-how to get a generator that will power the boat at sea. Oh, it comes with A/C that will run off dock power which is a very nice feature, very nice! indeed. To me her name says it all... Splendour In The Wind -O-___/)__~~
Hope this was some help... Cheers!
Todd
Sorry the website won't allow me to post my email address, hopefully Sailnet will alert me to when you reply, as I will accomodate as well.

[sailingdog]

ToddPS—

Welcome to Sailnet. I'd highly recommend you read this POST to help you get the most out of sailnet. I'd also point out that the thread and posts you're attempting to reply to are well over seven years old, and very likely it doesn't much matter to him, as he's either bought the boat by now or not....