Conversion Project

[crow551]

I am considering converting a 1989 Beneteau First Class Europe into a coastal cruiser. The boat currently has very few interior accommodations because it is primarily a racer.

Why would I want to do this? Well there are a number of reasons. First of all I am not primarily a racer, but I like to sail fast. Most racer cruisers that I have found fall into one of three categories:
1) To much racer and not enough cruiser. The interior is bland and not accommodating enough for a medium length voyage.
2) To much cruiser and not enough racer. They took too much fun out of the boat.
3) I can't afford it.

So my thought was to pick up a racer cheap and add the better interior so that it is capable of a 2-3 week cruise. I am not afraid of the cabinetry work because I am good at that. But I am curious what people think of the project. Is anyone familiar with this boat or has experience with similar projects?

Thanks,
Chris

[paulk]

Adding the furniture may increase weight in places that make the boat less fun to sail. Adding the equipment and stores for a three week trip certainly will. But that's the trade-off. We loaded an Ohlson 38 six inches down on her waterline once and ended up in Ireland about 3 weeks later, so there you go.

[Faster]

This is certainly do-able, especially if there's little in the way of liners that would interfere with your interior plan. However as Paul says you're likely to change the behaviour and performance of the boat by adding the extra weight in fixtures and gear.

btw PHRF may give you a rating break for when you do race the boat if it's been modified this way. Let us know if it works out for you.