QUESTION:

I have decided to buy a blue-water cruiser and have the Beneteau 323 in mind. According to a formula in one of the books on seamanship I have been reading, this boat has a displacement/length ratio of 153, which makes it a ' very light displacement cruiser or a racing boat' . Is this the type of boat you would sail across an ocean if you had a choice? Another formula in the book is the ' Capsize Screening Formula'. According to my calculation, the 323 with a score of 2.1is just over the limit and is ' relatively vulnerable to capsizing and remaining upside down'. I've focused on Beneteau because I know it has a good reputation. How important do you think these results are? A last question: if you buy a new boat from a maker like Beneteau, is it necessary to get it surveyed? Thank you for your homepage.

ANSWER:

You will probably get a different answer from me than from many other people who wouldn't feel safe on anything other than a tank of a boat. Watermelon is a moderate-to-light displacement cruiser or racing boat. One of our "expert" friends commented negatively on our taking her long-distance cruising. In some ways he has a point, though I view the slow, expensive heavy-displacement cruising boat to be over-rated.

Light boats are much more lively and can be overcome by heavy winds much more quickly than a heavier boat. For coastal cruising this isn't much of a consideration because in bad weather you normally won't go out, and when you are caught out it is a relatively quick trip into sheltered waters. You don't have those options when you are three days into a 10-day passage, and in such conditions it can be rather uncomfortable on a lighter boat. In a lighter boat it is also more important to reef the sails early as winds increase to keep the boat from being overcome by the winds and seas. It requires more vigilance on the part of skipper and crew.

Finally, you cannot carry as much "stuff" on a ligher displacement boat. In other words, loading a Beneteau down with washing machine, hair dryers, every book you can't bear to part with, too many spare parts, tools, extra fuel and water, plus all those comforts you thiought you needed is not a good idea. It makes that quick responsive boat slow and sluggish and a bit too low in the water.

On the plus side. Most cruising time is spent at anchor, and most passages are no more than 3 days, and a quicker boat shortens your time at sea, though not so much that this would be your most important consideration.

As far as the capsize screening formula, I'm not qualified to answer that. I would not have expected a Beneteau to be that vulnerable to "capsizing and remaining upside down". Our Jeanneau has been laid on its side many times and righted herself very quickly.

I do not believe that a survey would be necessary for a new boat, though you might consider it anyway to have an expert look over the boat to be sure there are not manufacturing defects.

Finally. there are so many Beneteaus and other more traditional cruising boats on the market that I would strongly urge you to do a bit of comparison sailing to get a better idea if this boat is for you.

Fair winds,
Jeanne