Beneteau 423 vs 473

[jorgenl]

I suspect that it may be the Genset in the starboard locker that causes the list. I seem to remember having heard that somewhere.

[Vasco]

No the list was there before the genset was put in. The galley is on the starboard side on the 423, on the port side for the 393. This accounts for the list. Guess they designed them for stripped down racing and forgot all that heavy, good quality stuff in the galley. These are all the 2 cabin models I'm talking about, not the 3 cabin charter jobs with the galleys on one side of the saloon.

[jorgenl]

Vasco,

Thanks for all the info and the pics.

I share your sentiments on the proportions of the 423, I think it is a dang good looking ship. IMHO - Much better looking than the new 43, 46 etc.

I have seen quite a few 423 in the flesh but never been on one or down below. We plan to take a look at one in a couple of weeks time (if it's not sold)

I have sailed on a friend's 473 and it is BIG and fast. We sailed next to Robin Knox Johnson when the Velux restarted from Norfolk in 2007. We did 9-10 kts and had to slow down to let a double reefed Sir Robin catch up!

The point about the hatch in the V-berth is a good one, I suspect that same applies to the 473. I liked the V-berth hatch on the tartan 3700 - huge.

The microwave will probably not be a problem, we like to cook a lot and mostly do so via "traditional" methods.

I still think the galley in the C400 is outstanding (it is important to us foodies...)

I like the arch doubling as davits! Looks a bit like my buddy's Passport 40 arch.

CD,

It is a deal - the dog for a B423!

Cheers

[camaraderie]

The answer on the ICW is that I've done it several times with drafts of 5'6" and 6'.
It is really bad in a few spots and you must either navigate carefully or wait for the tide. Fortunately...the worst spots have 6-8 foot tides. You can also avoid those sections by taking day hops from inlet to inlet. So..I don't think it matters too much whether you have 5' or 5'7". It is not too bad to figure out...get some towing insurance just in case...get the inlet guides as well as the icw guides and go for it. Literally man hundreds of boats with 5.5' of draft or more do the route every year. More important is a 65 ft. mast...what does the 47 have?

[jorgenl]

Cam,

Thanks for the advice.

Bene 473 = 59'5"

[Cruisingdad]

If it is a simple matter of fuel, I do not understand why he could not just add a bladder? Even a few 5 gallon tanks would work. He will end up putting on a water maker anyways.

- CD

[Vasco]

I forget the height of the 423's mast but it went under the Julia Tuttle in Miami (lowest fixed bridge on ICW Norfolk - Miami) at half tide. Under the span to the west of the center span, a bit more clearance there. The vhf antenna clinked a bit. I wasn't scared. It wasn't my boat.

[camaraderie]

CD...the trouble with that is there is not much storage room on these boats and when you go full time cruising you need to store a lot of stuff. As you take up locker space and V-berths with fuel bladders and gen sets and water makers you start losing spaces you really need. Both boats are well suited to what he wants but we moved from a 44' to a 52' for just those reasons. And our 44' had a lot more room than a B423. (Though the Bene sails better!)

[danielgoldberg]

Go with the 473. First and foremost, if you plan to live aboard and cruise for a while, you will be very happy for the extra room. I'm not aware of anyone cruising on a boat and thinking that they have too much room and wish they went with a smaller boat. Likewise, the larger cockpit on the 473 will be material to your enjoyment once you're on the hook and settled in, particularly if you're the type that likes to host social gathering. Particularly considering your comment that you may look to move up in a couple of years, you'll be wasting money going with the smaller boat, and you'll be thinking fairly frequently that you wish you had the room of the 473. Just MHO.

Also, the 473 is known to have a more seakindly motion. I don't know this from personal experience, but have discussed it with actual owners and a dealer. The 423 apparently pounds fairly easily, and the 473 does not pound much at all. Boats that pound too easily can be very uncomfortable in snotty conditions.

As to the posters that say the 423 is a better looking boat, I'm not sure I see that. Obviously that kind of thing is incredibly subjective, but the 473 and the 423 have very similar lines. The 473 is just larger. I actually think they both are attractive boats.

A note about the Catalina 470, which I think got mentioned. It is a very nice boat, but I think it has a pullman berth arrangement up forward. That's the kind of thing that either you like it or you don't. We had that once on our Bayfield 36, and we won't do it again. It's a pain for one person to have to climb over the other, either to get in or out. Climbing all over each other sounds fun, but after the first 27 times, it gets real old real fast.

Good luck with your choice. In the end, you'll enjoy either one, so don't sweat it too much (and if you buy the 423 I bet you'll end up enjoying them both eventually.

[jorgenl]

Daniel,

Thanks for your advice.

At this point I think 42' (the 423 is actually 43'2" LOA and 38'7" LWL - so I think it may be a big 42' ) will be plenty big enough for us. No plans for anything bigger but I will probably retract this statement in a couple of years I feel that the extra $50K for a (older) 473 will buy me a lot of Pyrate rum.'

Interesting about the pounding and the motion. Will try to find out more and take into consideration. I just think that going from 30' to 47' might be a big step.
I have skippered 40 footers and feel (relatively) comfortable with this size. Not sure how comfortable I would be with a 47' boat. I guess it is just a (steep) learning curve.

About the C470 - checked it out at the boat show, incredible amount of storage for a production boat, I hear you about the pullman berth, but the master statesroom is aft below the cockpit, and it is HUGE! The headroom is quite a bit more than the C400 and my wife can nearly sit up in the bed (can you tell she is focused on the sleeping arrangements? )

The C470's draw 5'9" which can be a problem in some areas of the Chessie. I have friends with 5'6" that have to time the tide to get out of their marina, hence 4'9" is attractive (despite adverse affect on performance)

CD,

Yes - if we go to the bahamas a watermaker will be installed. The Irish chick just left for a last minute business trip and she said "Let's go in June instead of September". I guess I am one of the lucky fellas who's wife is more gung ho about this than meself Not sure if we can pull the logistics of in time though.

Cam,

About storage - this is one thing that appeals to me very much about the older, blue water cruising boats. I am just not sure that I want to deal with wiring and hoses from 1981 And, I'd rather sail than sand... Mind over heart or whatever it is called.

Anyway, regardless of boat choice, it is looking very attractive to bugger off down island in 2009 and wait out this recession and come back when the fan has stopped spinning and the sh$te has settled on the ground.