Beneteau 235

[235]

Is anyone out there racing a Beneteau 235. I have just completed my 8th race and continue to learn but I''m still running in the middle of the pack. Just looking for someone who has gone through the learning process and is willing to share with a fellow Beneteau owner. Thanks

[ibew292]

It seems that there are very few racers out there.Do you have a fin keel? What is your boat config. ?

I believe that most of the 235''s were swing keel boats. The 235 are really neat boats in a lot of ways offering great performance and reasonable accomodations in a shoal draft boat. I also think they have well above average build quality for this genre of boat.

They are not the easiest boats to race. While they are really quite fast for a trailerable boat, they quite a bit of skill to keep them at speed. Also, in most areas they are rated close to even with boats like the J-24 and Kirby 25 which is a tough rating range for the boat to sail competitively.

Jeff

[235]

The 235 came with a fin or in most cases, a wing keel. Mine''s the wing keel. It''s a full batten main and a 150 on hanks. Both sails are apx. 2 yrs old and in excellent shape. All the rig dimensions are very close to a J24 and a PHRF rating of 204. It does pretty good in 8+ knots of breeze but those days are few and far between on an inland lake. This weekend I''ll try a aysmetric.

Your post surprises me. Most of the 235''s that I have seen have had a swing keel and been rated in the high 170''s to low 180''s. 204 should be a fair rating although I don''t know how the wing keel compares with the swing keel. The wing probably offers more drag in light air orgoing down wind and poorer pointing ability than the swing keel but should be more stabile in a breeze.

Jeff

[firstoffense]

Ahoy!
Yes, I race a First 235 as well, finishing my 2d season. Here in the Chesapeake Bay the wing-keel 235s rate 198 or so. While I still feel that I haven''t done the boat justice with my performance, here are a few thoughts:
Watch the weight distribution fore and aft. She will drag her stern if everybody sits back in the cockpit. I stopped racing with empty water tank after seeing a picture of her with the bow out of the water!
Don''t pinch! Winged keel boats won''t point with fin keels, so foot off and go fast.
Downwind...when you find out how to go fast, tell me! Again, I think it''s a matter of weight distribution and being steady at the helm.
Good luck!

[235]

firstoffense;
You bring up an intresting point about the H20 tank. Earlier this year I finished second in one race. After the race, I found the anchor locker drain plug blocked and the locker about 14" deep in H20. I thought that draining the tank would help - maybe not! Going down wind is easy. Just prior to rounding the mark set up the vang as a preventor on the toe rail. Run wing & wing as close to dead downwind as possible but with the wind just off the opposite side of the main as possible. All the air off the main bounces into the headsail.