Beneteau 370 or Bavaria 34??

[vellad]

Hi,

I am totally new to sailing and am looking at buying my first sailing
boat.


I am currently looking at 2 different boats, specifically below:


Beneteau Oceanis 370
Year: 1992
Engine(s): Volvo Engine(s) HP: 28
Raymarine C80 Chartplotter (new 2005),
Wind speed and direction,
boat speed and depthsounder,
Ram driven autopilot (new 2005)
Furling Mainsail (new 2006),
Furling Genoa (new 2005),
Asymmetric cruising chute (new 2004)
4 owners


and a


Bavaria 34
Year: 2000
3 cabin version,
8 berths
furling mast
Volvo 30 hp diesel,
stainless steel mooring cleats,
Full electronics including radar and GPS, plotter, spray hood ,
bimini, folding propellor, rodkicker
Brand main and genoa
1 owner


I live in Malta (in the Mediterranean) and I do plan to sail up to
greece, cyprus and sicily - so i doubt that I would ever get out of
the Med basin!


I really like the Beneteau however I am thinking that maybe it would
be safer for me to go for the Bavaria due to it being newer by 8
years! To a certain extent I also like a bit more the Bavaria
interiors - but then again its newer by 8 years!


The Bavaria sales man said that the Beneteau farling mast typically
gives a lot of problems and that the Bavaria one is much much better.
I know almost zilch! Is it true? Beneteau dealer said that the
Bavaria robustiness and build is not so good .. duh wouldnt know!


What do you think? And is it true re the Beneteau farling?

[camaraderie]

I would not get either boat..but if you must choose...get the Bene.
Build quality is slightly better and ALL in-mast furlers CAN be troublesome until you figure out how they need to be furled (i.e. what point of sail and how much tension is needed.). Get a good survey of both the boat and a separate one from a diesel mechanic for the engine!

[cardiacpaul]

"I am totally new to sailing and am looking at buying my first sailing boat".

Whoa there big fella, far be it from me to tell you what to do but ... ummm, take a couple of lessons first, wander around the docks, ask to join some people for day-trips on their boats, ask a heck of a lot more questions from owners of boats than you ask of any broker.... then.... keep your wallet in your pocket on these two and look for something you can handle.

[sailingdog]

I'd have to agree with both Cam and CP. You really need to get some experience on some boats and learn how to sail IMHO, before jumping in and buying a boat. By getting experience on several different boats, you'll get some idea of what you're looking for in a boat, which you really don't have as of yet IMHO. There are far better boats out there, but you really have to have an idea of what you want before you can go look for a boat that will perform the way you want it to.

Are you going to be just cruising the Med, coastal hopping, daysailing, racing or a combination of the above? Are you going to be sailing single-handed or with crew? How many people will normally be aboard???

One of the best pieces of advice I've heard about buying a boat is that the "primary use is primary"... so if you want to sail single-handed or as a couple...buy a boat with that as a focus...

[KRJohnson2]

You've probably already decided and purchased your new boat - if not, I recommend Bavaria (I own one, and have sailed Beneteaus). Let me know if you want details......

[CroMagnum]

Saw your post and am considering purchasing one of several boats. I have sailed the Bavaria 44 and really enjoyed it. It felt solid and fast, but why better than the Beneteau? I have been sailing an Islander 36 which is fast and solid but just not large enough or comfortable as I would like.

Want to take a fews years off since the construction biz in Vegas is so slow. I figured that now would be a good time to head to the Caribbean and I want a boat I can easily scuba dive from and still single hand.

Jim

[Cruisingdad]

Originally Posted by CroMagnum

Saw your post and am considering purchasing one of several boats. I have sailed the Bavaria 44 and really enjoyed it. It felt solid and fast, but why better than the Beneteau? I have been sailing an Islander 36 which is fast and solid but just not large enough or comfortable as I would like.

Want to take a fews years off since the construction biz in Vegas is so slow. I figured that now would be a good time to head to the Caribbean and I want a boat I can easily scuba dive from and still single hand.

Jim

Jim,

I do not mean to side track you here, but would like to offer another option that is great for the carribean: A Catalina 380 or for more money, a Catalina 400. THe 380 is a very solid boat, the 400 a better performer. We lived aboard our 380 (and soon will our 400). We have great memories of it. Here is a pic:



- CD

[teddier1]

I own a 2001 Bavaria 37 and my friend owns a 2002 Ben 393. The sailing characteristics are similar, but the interior workmanship of the Bavaria is superior. The Bavaria was sailed from Europe to South America and than the US and I feel that overall it is a better built boat.

It also has a furling main that has given me no problems.