The Beneteau 423, also called the Oceanis 423, is a French

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by

Groupe Finot Group Finot is a French Naval architecture, boat design company based in Jouy-en-Josas. Founded by Jean-Marie Finot, the company specializes in the design of fiberglass sailboats. The company also collaborates with designer Pascal Conq as ''Gr ...

as a

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

and first built in 2002. With a list of optional equipment as standard it is called the Oceanis Clipper 423. The design replaced the Oceanis 411 in production.

Production

The design was built by

Beneteau Beneteau or Bénéteau () is a French sail and motorboat manufacturer, with production facilities in France and in the United States. The company is a large and recognized boat builder, with its holding company (Groupe Beneteau) now also holdin ...

in France and in

Marion, South Carolina Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, South Carolina, Marion County, South Carolina, United States. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War. The population was 6 ...

, United States, starting in 2002, but it is now out of production.

Design

The Beneteau 423 is a recreational

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

, built predominantly of

glassfibre Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, with wood trim. The hull is hand-laid solid fibreglass and the deck is

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is fa ...

-cored. It has a

masthead sloop A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast. The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, a ...

rig, with a deck-stepped mast, two sets of swept spreaders and

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

spars. The hull has a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a walk-through

reverse transom In some boats and ships, a transom is the aft transverse surface of the hull that forms the stern of a vessel. Historically, they are a development from the canoe stern (or "double-ender") wherein which both bow and stern are pointed. Transom ...

with a swimming platform, an internally mounted spade-type

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

controlled by a

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...

and a fixed fin

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

or optional shoal draft or deep draft keel. It displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel, with the optional shoal draft keel and with the optional deep draft keel. The boat is fitted with a Swedish

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

of for docking and manoeuvring. The fuel tank holds and the

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...

tank has a capacity of . The design has sleeping accommodation for four to six people with two and three cabin interiors. The two cabin arrangement has a double

"V"-berth A sleeping berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, ...

in the bow cabin, a U-shaped settee and a straight settee in the main salon and an aft cabin with a transverse double berth on the port side. The

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

is located on the starboard side at the

companionway In the architecture of a ship, a companion or companionway is a raised and windowed hatchway in the ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins. A companionway may be secured by doors or, commonly i ...

ladder. The galley is U-shaped and is equipped with a three-burner stove, a refrigerator, freezer and a double sink. A navigation station is opposite the galley, on the port side. There are two

heads A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...

, one in the bow cabin on the starboard side and one on the port side aft. The three cabin interior adds a second aft cabin to starboard and moves the galley into the main salon for access. Cabin headroom is . The design has a

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to- ...

of and a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

handicap of 93 to 132 for the standard keel model and 114 to 138 for the shoal draft model.

Operational history

In a 2009 review, ''Yachting Monthly'' reported, "under sail, her performance is an improvement on the rather sedate 411, but still steady as opposed to remarkable. Nonetheless, she is easy on the helm, well-balanced and stiff, and her sails are easily handled by large winches. Under power she handles easily, although poor soundproofing means high noise levels, especially down below." In a 2003 ''Cruising World'' review, Jeremy McGeary wrote, "disguising the outside appearance of copious volume is an art in itself, and here Groupe Finot, the designer of the Beneteau 423, demonstrates its finesse by masking the boat's generous freeboard. The long waterline and boot top painted high on the hull help, and so too does a well-placed cove line, especially when it's broken by hull ports. But it’s the cabin trunk that’s the saving grace. It has a line that’s interesting enough that it draws the eye away from the topsides. All in all, Finot has tackled the looks of this model in style." In a 2003 ''Sail Magazine'' review noted, "the 423's considerable beam is carried well aft and allows for a wide cockpit; seats are teak trimmed, the coamings are tall enough and angled outboard for comfort, and the walk-through transom makes it easy to board the boat from a dinghy. The deck layout is efficient. Under sail the boat settled into a comfortable groove, was light and responsive to steer, and cut a smooth wake in the light winds of our test. With its smooth helm, surprisingly nimble hull, and attractive features, the 423 successfully offers more for less."

References

External links

* {{Beneteau Keelboats 2000s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Groupe Finot Sailboat types built by Beneteau

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References

External links