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The Beneteau First 235 "wing" is IRON
Ugen wrote:
So my brave little First 235 under my sloppy command hit a submerged stone while leaving Greenwich, CT harbor. It wasnt a very strong hit, more like scraping, so i fugured - a scratch on a keel - who cares. Wrong again! Apparently beneteau in a quest for cost effectivness glues the wings onto the keel with something closely resembling 3M 5200. So here we go - the boat just came out of the water and the wings are not to be found there. Lesson number 3 - buying imported (French) boats isn't much different from buying imported cars. The wings (fiberglass part, about 1' wide, 2' long) may cost me (as per Benetau USA parts guy) about $1000. First of all, the wing on the Beneteau First 235 is NOT fiberglass. In fact, it is made of IRON just like the keel, and covered with epoxy/resin to seal it. Secondly, the wing on the Beneteau F235 is NOT glued on with just 5200. The wing is attached with THREE large bolts and sealed. Some of the run of wing keels might be made differently; there is still debate here. On the earlier models of the US run started in 86/87, you can see the seam of the wing keel where the wing is added. Some of these leave the bolt heads exposed, recessed in bottom. Others have these anomolies completely covered with a seamless joint between wing and fin, the bolt heads invisible. Apparently, you hit the wing with enough force to shear the bolts off, something I have never seen or heard of before or since. IF anyone is interested, a view of the Beneteau F235 wing keel is seen below, this before and after a restoration. http://www.beneteau235.com/keel_pdf/...el_montage.jpg Here you see the separate wing, top and bottom, along with the bolts that are used to attach it. You notice the wing on and off the fin, and get an excellent shot of the wing keel faired and finished with barrier coat. The original keels are not available any more. However, more than a few owners have converted to the new Mars/Leif Beiley lead keel so one could find extras this way. Mars makes the Leif Beiley lead keel option right now, details to be found at http://beneteau235.com/ As an aside, it is far more likely your F235 was made in the Beneteau plant in South Carolina, and NOT imported from France. 451 F235 were made there. This post is left for information purposes, since the original poster has long since lived this malady down... kh Beneteau F235 ~ abstrait '89 WK | Hull #327 http://beneteau235.com |
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