Jeanneau 42i Vrs Beneteau OC43

[Slimy]

Hello,
I am planning to pick up a new boat in France and sail it back to Australia via the Atlantic, Panama Cannal and the Southern Pacific. Money and local market conditions dictate the choice of Jeanneau and Beneteau (mind you the new Dufour 425 looks beautiful).

Does anyone have experience of the new OC43, the new SO42i or even the Dufour? They all look beautiful to me.
My thoughts are the Jeaneau Performance 42i might be best when I get home as a club racer, but that the OC43 is better finished off inside. It cetainly has the best heads, which is important to some of the family. However as a perhaps retired racing sailor (having saied more than 4000 races in a life time) peformance and upwind characteristics will be important to me.

I look forward to any comments.
Dave.

[camaraderie]

I'm no racer but perhaps looking at the Dehler 44 while you're over there might be an option.
http://www.dehler.com/dehlers.php?id=39

[tomaz_423]

I do not have experience with the OC43 (it is a brand new model), only with Oceanis 423. The 43 is a new boat designed by a different design team then the 423. I also never sailed the SO42i, only the SO45. So why the heck do I reply at all?
Beneteau have different hulls for their Oceanis series then for their First series. This tells you that they compromised some speed for some comfort on the Oceanis. But that is visible by just looking at the bow from outside or the forward cabin from the inside.
From my comparison of OC423 (and OC474) with SO45 I would say that SO does point a little better to the wind. But the difference is not big. Perhaps it was just my feeling. Much more difference would make a folding prop for example.
So the real question is: is the head on SO45i god enough for your lady. This is most important. Deciding factor for me to choose OC423 over some other boat were the panoramic windows. :-)
My wife loved that. And she is happy every time we are on the boat. If she is happy I am happy. If you want to sail with her her feeling is more important than one or two degrees higher pointing ability.
Another reason I am replying to you is that I plan to cross Atlantic (and later maybe Pacific as well) in the OC423 in perhaps 3 years from now, so I might be interested to crew on your vessel if you need any crew to cross the pond. It is in both cases a very similar boat to mine.
P.S. I also think Dehler is worth checking. It may be more expensive.

[SlimyOne]

Tomaz,
You are a wise man, it is most important to keep the ship's company happy If that is the wife, who is also an owner it is vital. Well designed showers and toilets are part of what finishes off a cruising boat.

I like your views on sailing around your homeland and look forward to seeing you on the water one day. Your post on sailing Croatia is very funny.
Dave.

[SlimyOne]

Tomaz,
You are a wise man, it is most important to keep the ship's company happy If that is the wife, who is also an owner it is vital. Well designed showers and toilets are part of what finishes off a cruising boat.

I like your views on sailing around your homeland and look forward to seeing you on the water one day. Your post on sailing Croatia is very funny.
Dave.

[uozkal]

I have performance version till April 07. For club racing and family trips.

Here is my comments:

Negative:

1. No second spi hallyard. And there is no place for it on mast (both on top and bottom exit)
2. Selden spi pole is for a 30 ft boat. Unusable at all. Ask for cone and triger type end fittings.
3. When you walk on the deck there is cracking noise coming from your step. Maybe because of injection thing.
4. Genoa foot blocks bended in 35 knots wind.
5. No deck light
6. Microwave works ony with 220 not 12 V. (my mistake didnot check it while buying)
7. Common head is unbelievably uncomfortable. Also check for the hatch of it. Master head is ok.
8. Head tank exit is very crampy and stacking.
9. Not enough drawers and cupboard. ( less than my ex boat Oceanis 393)
10. Very bad finishing in wooden work. (even colors of wooden parts are not matching)
11. Genova sheets are short if you plan to use sym. spi.
12. No main switch for lights.
13. No manual 3rd reef on sail. Even it is listed on spec. list when I bought.
14. locker for life raft is unusable. Althoug it is a very big locker, all the water together with the dirt on the floor goes directly and accumulated in the bottom of this locker.
15. Fuel tank is small. Only 130 lt.
16. You should install a new bilge pomp. Low on capacity.
17. No step on the mast to close the lazy bag. You shld install at least one.
18. Wide spreaders and shrauds connecting to the outside of the hull are bad for the genoa sheet and the genoa sail. And you cant widely open your main sail because there is a greater angle to back. Bad for downwind.

Positive:

1. Speedy. You can pass First 40.7 on downwind.
2. Saloon layout is very good.
3. Very beautiful hull design.
4. Good electronics inventory.(raymarine)
5. Good rigging inventory (harken, spinlock, selden)
6. Yanmar engine is good. Room for engine room is good. Speed is 7.4 knots at 2800 rpm.(with flex o fold prop.)
7. Very large and well proportioned cockpit area, table.

In short,very good design, bad finishing.

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by Slimy

(having saied more than 4000 races in a life time) peformance and upwind characteristics will be important to me.
.

With 4000 races, I think you should be able to just look at the websites of those boats, with one eye closed, the other one open, and make your own opinions. So what do you need for real?

Unless your races were in mega yachts or dinghys, to which your race count does not mean a thing, I think your post has a second meaning. Maybe I am wrong.

Either way, of all the boats you mentioned, the Dufour is the best for what you want, get the performance series. They even make a "champion" model, for IMS...they cheat but the boat is fast.

The new Firsts suck, the old ones (the good ones) are old and obsolete, the Jeanneau from the times of the Sun Fast (a race "painted" version of the SO) to the present models, was never really a good racer, and the Dufour, will have the less used value of all 3 when you need to sell.

If you're going to bother and buy in Europe, buy a GrandSoleil, or a Dheler, forget the rest.

If it was me, and the French boats was the only choice, I'd go with the Dufour, but again....I could be wrong, I do not have 4000 races.