Big Easy in 42 feet
Blue Water Boats August 2006The Beneteau 423 offers generous accommodations in a cruising sloop that is a cinch to sail
Early this spring the BWS staffspent a day test sailing twoidentical Beneteau 423s onRhode Island's Narragansett Baywhile shooting photographs forthe special section on Seamanshipthat ran in the June issue. (Theboats were loaned to BWS byBareboat Sailing Charters, www.bareboatsailing.com, based inNewport, R.I.). We put the twoboats through their paces in allconfigurations of sail trim, includingan extensive test on how bestto heave-to.
During the day we had theopportunity to get to know theboats well and to see how theymight be suited for extendedcruising and living aboard. Designedby Group Finot and built inthe Beneteau USA facility in SouthCarolina, the 423 is the essentialcruising Beneteau - modern,commodious, easy to sail andextremely well thought out forshorthanded cruising.
In fairly light breezes the 423will sail upwind at four to fiveknots and at about 45 degrees offthe wind. When tacking, the boatcarried her speed through thetack and then quickly gatheredsteam when the genoa was setand driving. Off the wind theboat sailed best on a broad reachand would have benefited froma cruising asymmetrical spinnaker.Dead downwind, with the genoastrapped out wing and wing onthe spinnaker pole, the boat slippedalong easily and had very littletendency to wallow or wander.
We did not have enough windduring the sail trials to really testthe best ways to heave-to in the423 but found that a scrap ofmainsail and about half the rolledup genoa trimmed to windward,with the helm over to windward,held the boats at about 60 degreesoff the wind. Because of the hull's high topsides the windage of thebow acts almost like a low reefedstaysail, so in stronger breezes thebest approach may be to heave-towith only a scrap of mainsailstrapped in and with the travelercranked to windward.
The BWS staff was pleased withthe 423's sailing performance, easeof handling and the layout of deckhardware. We were all remindedagain how the development ofmodern cruising hulls and theinnovation in cruising gear, whenapplied creatively, can take thestrain out of sailing a midsizecruising boat.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Group Finot, which wasfounded by design innovator MarcFinot, is noted for their fast,seakindly designs and for creatingsome of the fastest Open Classboats for long-distance singlehandedracing. They also arepioneers of the Mini-class boats(21 feet) that race across theAtlantic in the Mini Transat. The423's design pedigree carriesplenty of performance potential.
But the 423 is a cruising boatfirst and thus has been given asmuch interior volume as possibleon its 38-foot waterline. By today'sstandards, the boat's beam is amodest 12 feet, 11 inches, which iscarried fairly far fore and aft fromamidships, thereby maximizing theinterior and creating a hull with alot of initial stability.
The design brief called for anearly flush deck forward, whichis a pleasure to work on and offersample space for sunning while inharbor or stowing a dinghy whenheading offshore. To create theflush deck effect, with the blisterraised cabin over the saloon, theboat's topsides needed to be quitehigh, which makes the boat drywhen beating into a chop.
The bow is fine enough to cutefficiently through the waves butbuoyant enough to prevent bluewater from streaming aboard inbad conditions. The stern is broadwith a very straight run for thewake as it leaves the hull.
Under the water the 423 sportsa bulbed cruising fin keel - available in shoal or deep drafts - and a large composite spaderudder. The hull's underbody has avery fair parabolic cross section,which gives it an easy run throughthe water and will do much todampen pounding when sailing towindward in a chop.
The rig and deck layout havebeen carefully conceived for easysail handling. The boats we sailedhad the standard in-mast mainsailfurling system and a 140-percentroller-furling genoa. When leavingthe harbor a single crew can rollout the main and trim it and thenroll out the genoa and trim it inunder three minutes and with verylittle effort.
The standard boat has two selftailingLewmar sheet winches andtwo self-tailing winches on eitherside of the companionway forhalyards, mainsail control linesand the main sheet. If you reallywant to cut the sweat from sailtrim then upgrading to electricsheet winches would do the trick.
The 423, like the rest of theBeneteau line, has a solid fiberglasshull that is reinforced with acomplex interior grid of floors andstringers. The interior bulkheadsand furniture fit neatly into thegrid and are then fiberglassed inplace. Once the internal systemsand furniture have been installedthe deck and headliner are attachedto the hull with mechanicalfastenings, high-strength adhesiveand fiberglass tabbing. The endproduct is extremely rigid andstrong while being relatively light.
Beneteau has worked hard tosimplify the installation of systemson board to make all necessaryitems as accessible and easy tomaintain as possible. Engineaccess is very good as is access tothe electrical panel, freshwatersystem and thru-hulls.
LIVING SPACES
The 423 comes in two accommodationplans, one with doubleaft sleeping cabins and one witha large single cabin aft. Both
models have a large master cabinforward with a centerline doubleberth and head.
The difference between thetwo versions lies in the positionof the galley. In the double-aftcabinsarrangement, a Euro-stylegalley runs along the saloon'sport side. In the two-cabin version,the galley is positioned aftand to starboard and forms a largeC-shape. Of the two galleys, theaft version will be better forlong hauls at sea, yet you haveto forego the second aft cabinto get it.
The saloon had a large, comfortabledinette, with a benchseat amidships, that will easilyseat five adults. In the two-cabinversion, a bench settee is built-into port.
The 423 has plenty of storagebelowdecks for all of the personalgear and galley supplies mostcouples will need for living aboardand extensive cruising. The twocabinversion has a large cockpitlocker to starboard that will beuseful for stowing docking gear, aspinnaker, spare parts and extrajerry jugs of diesel.
The finish of the 423 belowdecksis handsome and comfortable.Doors and drawers all fittightly, and the detail work aroundthe bulkheads and inside lockersis good.
For couples who commonlysail alone and invite guests fromtime to time, the two-cabin versionwith the extra cockpit lockerstowage may make sense. Forfamilies that need all three sleepingcabins, or for those who wantto put their boats into charterpart-time, the three-cabin versionwill work better.
BWS THOUGHTS
The Beneteau 423 follows inthe wake of the incredibly successfulBeneteau Oceanis 411, ofwhich morethan a thousandwere built. Thenewer boat hasmodernized thelook of the lineand offers auniquely simpleand fun boatto sail.
During thesail trial theBWS staff wasconstantlyimpressed withthe way theThe large dinette will seat sixboats handled and how easy theywere to sail. The hulls are slipperyand move even in light breezes.With the 55-horsepower Volvo atcruising revs, the boats cruisedalong at 6.5 knots and can reachseven at maximum revs.
Like other production boatsfrom Beneteau, Jeanneau, Catalinaand Hunter, the basic 423 out ofthe box is well enough equippedfor coastal cruising. But the boat isalso a well designed platform onwhich to assemble all the cruisinggear you might need or want formore extensive sailing.
The 423 is strong and stable.For normal cruising in temperateclimes and the tropics - wheremost of us sail - the 423 representsa good cruising option that is alsoa very fair value.
Sailing and cruising are meantto be fun, and by making thesail plan so easy to use and offeringaccommodations that arecommodious and attractive, Beneteauhas gone a long way tohelping owners find that fun.
