I saw a picture recently in a magazine and thought it looked cool.
Only 21 feet and not much gadgets inside is ok w/me and my wife, we
like camping. Definately need cb as our boat will have to be stored on
a trailer.
Used prices would fit our budget.

Otherwise, I'm looking for your opinion concerning value/cost, problem
issues, good points, bad points, retrofits, etc...

Can you help? Thanks. MA

Only down side I can see is that it is a Beneteau. Other than
that, go for it!

Doug
s/v Callista

"Minty Alpinist" wrote in message
om...
I saw a picture recently in a magazine and thought it looked cool.
Only 21 feet and not much gadgets inside is ok w/me and my wife, we
like camping. Definately need cb as our boat will have to be stored on
a trailer.
Used prices would fit our budget.

Otherwise, I'm looking for your opinion concerning value/cost, problem
issues, good points, bad points, retrofits, etc...

Can you help? Thanks. MA

I saw a picture recently in a magazine and thought it looked cool.

Yep, they are cool looking boats. Although if you like that style and
want a little more performance you might check out the Etap and Jeanneau
models in that size range, they sort of straddle the line between being
a sport boat and a trailerable pocket cruiser.


Only 21 feet and not much gadgets inside is ok w/me and my wife, we
like camping. Definately need cb as our boat will have to be stored on
a trailer.
Used prices would fit our budget.

Otherwise, I'm looking for your opinion concerning value/cost, problem
issues, good points, bad points, retrofits, etc...


Some years ago my wife & I shopped extensively for a trailerable
cruiser. Our goals were less in line with looks & performance and more
leaning toward comfort & practicality, especially trailerability. We
looked at the Ben F210 and really liked it. It made our short list, it
has a good practical cabin and sails great... a bit more cumbersome to
trailer than we liked though.


Doug Dotson wrote:
Only down side I can see is that it is a Beneteau. Other than
that, go for it!


yeah but compared to a Catalina 22 it's a sweetheart in every respect!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Not from my experience. Dealing with 3 B's, all had hollows in the
decks, stantion bases poorly bedded, and the first time a friend
with MS boarded her new boat she grabbed for a lifeline for
support and a stantion pulled out in her hand. Another had fuel
problems that the dealer gave them the runaround for two years before
it was discovered that it was a defect in the pickup tube in the fuel
tank from the time the boat was built. Sorry Doug, I'd buy a 20 year
old Catalina before I'd buy a new B. But then again, I'd be hard
pressed to buy any brand new boat these days. Many are cheap junk
or way overpriced. Give me a proven older boat any day.

Doug
s/v Callista

yeah but compared to a Catalina 22 it's a sweetheart in every respect!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Have a look at one of these.
I just recently sold mine and loved it (moving up to a 30')
Sailed it in the ocean most of the time, have been out in 35/45 knot
winds with no problems at all. Just reef at about 20 and your ok.
I had the mk3 and loved it,nice solid boat better than the mk4 for
family use,
tho if your going to race go for the mk4.
Shaun Perth Western Australia
http://www.runge.com.au/rl28/index24.asp

Doug Dotson wrote:
Not from my experience. Dealing with 3 B's, all had hollows in the
decks, stantion bases poorly bedded, and the first time a friend
with MS boarded her new boat she grabbed for a lifeline for
support and a stantion pulled out in her hand. Another had fuel
problems that the dealer gave them the runaround for two years before
it was discovered that it was a defect in the pickup tube in the fuel
tank from the time the boat was built. Sorry Doug, I'd buy a 20 year
old Catalina before I'd buy a new B. But then again, I'd be hard
pressed to buy any brand new boat these days. Many are cheap junk
or way overpriced. Give me a proven older boat any day.

Doug
s/v Callista


yeah but compared to a Catalina 22 it's a sweetheart in every respect!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Doug Dotson wrote:
Not from my experience. Dealing with 3 B's, all had hollows in the
decks, stantion bases poorly bedded, and the first time a friend
with MS boarded her new boat she grabbed for a lifeline for
support and a stantion pulled out in her hand. Another had fuel
problems that the dealer gave them the runaround for two years before
it was discovered that it was a defect in the pickup tube in the fuel
tank from the time the boat was built. Sorry Doug, I'd buy a 20 year
old Catalina before I'd buy a new B.

Sounds like you had the bad luck of getting 3 in row that were either
Friday afternoon or Monday morning boats. But IMHO the Huntalinas are
just as bad, and that's across the whole range. Beneteau builds some
pretty good boats. I sailed a First Class 10 earlier this year and had a
good chance to inspect many of it's hidden details. Well done, properly
spec'ed & built... not an Oyster, mind you, but it darn sure ain't gonna
come apart on you.

OTOH my wife and I spent much of this weekend on a 4 year old boat of a
type *very* highly regarded... and priced... for passagemaking... and it
impressed me not in the least. More Huntalina type sloppy crap.


.... But then again, I'd be hard
pressed to buy any brand new boat these days. Many are cheap junk
or way overpriced. Give me a proven older boat any day.

You mean like a 1970s Irwin or Coronado?

There are good boats, bad boats, and a huge range in between. The test
is to be able to figure out which is which *before* writing the check!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Doug Dotson wrote:
From what I understand from a broker and long time boat person,
Catalinas and Beneteaus are pretty much of the same class in terms
of quality. Hunters are a big step down. No one I know in the
business puts Catalina and Hunter in the same class.

You should talk to a few surveyors. I've bilge crawled a lot of both and
seen a low average and some incredible oversights.

Neither are really an "all-time worst" but both have rather poor QA.
Another make-or-break is the work the dealers do- and neither have any
consistent prgram of getting info on how set up boats or systems to
their reps.

IMHO Hunter goes a bit furher with engineering & design but falls short
on QA and dealer support. Catalina design is "same-o same-o" and they
seem a bit more consistent from the plant. Both plants occasionally turn
out boats where they forgot some basic & critical step... makes me think
they're handing out vials of crack to their line workers. Maybe it's the
fumes.

DSK

OK, So Doug can't stand Beneteaus but Doug thinks that Hunter &
Catalina can be just a bad. Problem is the Benuntina is the brand I
can generally afford, even used, so I'll be tapping decks and hulls on
any boat I look at. The Jeaneau Sun 2000 is a pretty boat too, but is
generally too expensive for me, and shipping from europe to Texas
isn't so pretty.

So how about details pertinent to the 210?
DSK said that the B210 is "a bit more cumbersome to trailer than we
liked." I've also heard that it can be a little bit of a struggle to
rig, even with factory rigging system.

DSK: What is cumbesome? Heavy (2500 lb) and tall (2-foot draft plus
big freboard)? I've got a truck to pull with so weight and drag won't
be much of an issue. I can guess that working on the boat while it
sits on a trailer can be a pain.

What about that "unique" CB mechanism, especially vs. winch and cable?
Is that CB "housing" padded or what?

What about the double rudder mechanism, does this need
reinforcement/rebuilding?

How is the hardware outfit? looks like two pretty small winches, are
these sufficient? (My last 2 boats were too small to need winches so
Iduhknow)

Boat has a B4/C6 CE Certification (up to 45 miles offshore in B-force
4, inshore to B-force 6). What's the reality?

Anyone have personal experience with the B-210?

Ever see the Far Side cartoon: "Beware of Doug"?

Thanks guys. MA.

"Minty Alpinist" wrote in message
om...
I saw a picture recently in a magazine and thought it looked cool.
Only 21 feet and not much gadgets inside is ok w/me and my wife, we
like camping. Definately need cb as our boat will have to be stored on
a trailer.

Used prices would fit our budget.

Otherwise, I'm looking for your opinion concerning value/cost, problem
issues, good points, bad points, retrofits, etc...

Can you help? Thanks. MA

Minty Alpinist wrote:
So how about details pertinent to the 210?

My wife didn't like the situation of the head.

DSK said that the B210 is "a bit more cumbersome to trailer than we
liked." I've also heard that it can be a little bit of a struggle to
rig, even with factory rigging system.

Well, it's a matter of personal opinion. How often are you going to
trailer the boat, launch it from a ramp, etc etc? We kept our boat in
the driveway and did the rig/launch thing every time we sailed it, so
this was a high priority for us. If you plan on keeping it even part
time in a slip or on a mooring, then it becomes much less so.





DSK: What is cumbesome? Heavy (2500 lb) and tall (2-foot draft plus
big freboard)? I've got a truck to pull with so weight and drag won't
be much of an issue. I can guess that working on the boat while it
sits on a trailer can be a pain.

"Cumbersome" is relative, but there are several absolute quantifiers.
For example, how deep does the trailer need to be immersed to float
on/off? Can this be achieved at average boat ramps in the areas you want
to sail? Do you need to rig a tongue extension (a major PITA to me, but
many people claim to not mind)? Do you need to tote a ladder and tie it
to the gunwhale to get on board when the boat is on the trailer? Setting
up the mast... how many discrete steps are there? What is the minimum
amount of time it would take to get the boat from roadworthy to
seaworthy, and what are the chances of a potentially dangerous error?



What about that "unique" CB mechanism, especially vs. winch and cable?

I liked the Beneteau mechanism much better than any winch & cable I've
seen... however, note that I have not personally owned one...

Is that CB "housing" padded or what?

Don't know


What about the double rudder mechanism, does this need
reinforcement/rebuilding?

I really don't think so. A friend of mine sailed one these boats pretty
hard for several season (in Charleston SC) and never mentioned a problem.


How is the hardware outfit? looks like two pretty small winches, are
these sufficient? (My last 2 boats were too small to need winches so
Iduhknow)

For normal sailing, they're fine. The jib is small. If you were to run a
spinnaker and do a lot of tight reaching, you might want some bigger
winches.


Boat has a B4/C6 CE Certification (up to 45 miles offshore in B-force
4, inshore to B-force 6). What's the reality?

Don't know. It's got good stability under sail and also has positive
flotation.


Anyone have personal experience with the B-210?

I've sailed on two different ones several times and sailed in company
with them dozens of times... includes racing. I liked them, but not
enough to buy one

They're great looking boats IMHO and they sail quite well, although not
a sport boat.


Ever see the Far Side cartoon: "Beware of Doug"?

Yep. That means the other Doug, though. He's the bad twin.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Thanks Doug (good twin). Usefull information can be hard to come by
on the net. I appreciate your help.