Opinions needed on two sailboats

[psk125]

Many contributors to this thread have suggested that what you want to do with the boat is what will determine the best one for you. You have not said anything about that. The Beneteau is designed to race. It seems to have IOR features like a huge Genoa and a small mainsail. Looking at the floor plan (https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/first-42-beneteau/) seems to show very little stowage space and lots of bunks. This means your crew on a long-haul race may be motivated to sail faster because, since there was nowhere to put it, you're running out of food. Carrying fewer crew (so you have enough to feed them) will create issues for handling the large sails. Another feature of IOR-influenced designs is a flat fore section (to fool the rule). Others have mentioned how many Beneteaux pound going upwind. This may be why. If you want to race, maybe even overnight, the Beneteau is the one to get.

The Koopmans is a totally different animal. At 38' it is two feet shorter than the Beneteau. It is also about 2 tonnes heavier. It is not designed to move fast; there is too much wetted surface. The bulky hull will provide much more stowage, however. No crew need go hungry, even if it takes longer to get where you're going. Carrying all the gear, supplies, spares - everything you need for passagemaking will not impact sailing performance the way it would on the lighter Beneteau. If you want to head out and not come back, the Koopmans could be the boat for you. It depends what you want to do with the boat.
After that, the condition of the boat comes into play. We can't tell you much about that.

[Silvrav]

Originally Posted by psk125

Many contributors to this thread have suggested that what you want to do with the boat is what will determine the best one for you. You have not said anything about that. The Beneteau is designed to race. It seems to have IOR features like a huge Genoa and a small mainsail. Looking at the floor plan (https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/first-42-beneteau/) seems to show very little stowage space and lots of bunks. This means your crew on a long-haul race may be motivated to sail faster because, since there was nowhere to put it, you're running out of food. Carrying fewer crew (so you have enough to feed them) will create issues for handling the large sails. Another feature of IOR-influenced designs is a flat fore section (to fool the rule). Others have mentioned how many Beneteaux pound going upwind. This may be why. If you want to race, maybe even overnight, the Beneteau is the one to get.

The Koopmans is a totally different animal. At 38' it is two feet shorter than the Beneteau. It is also about 2 tonnes heavier. It is not designed to move fast; there is too much wetted surface. The bulky hull will provide much more stowage, however. No crew need go hungry, even if it takes longer to get where you're going. Carrying all the gear, supplies, spares - everything you need for passagemaking will not impact sailing performance the way it would on the lighter Beneteau. If you want to head out and not come back, the Koopmans could be the boat for you. It depends what you want to do with the boat.
After that, the condition of the boat comes into play. We can't tell you much about that.

Thank you - yes to answer that, I am not in for the racing, and the first 3-4 years will be living aboard and coastal cruising (we have the Milford sounds, bay of plenty etc here) so lots to see and do in 4 years. Once comfortable I will attempt a trip to FIJI and from there who knows where.

My primarily focus though is getting there and staying aboard.

[Bowdrie]

The above post by "psk125" pretty much nails it.
You mentioned in your original post that the Benny has "more room".
Much of that "more room" is just eye space.
Go aboard both of them, you'll find that the Benny has little room for much of anything.
And 40 gal of fuel for a 42' boat for cruising?
That in itself is a joke.

[donradcliffe]

The Bennie is a sailing boat. That is why putting 1000's of pounds of fuel on it is not necessary. You can put 10,000's of pounds of provisions on it in the 4 bunks you won't need, and it will still sail rings around the the other crab crusher boat.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

The Bennie is a sailing boat. That is why putting 1000's of pounds of fuel on it is not necessary.

That's always the stock answer from those who have boats that don't weigh anything.
Truth told; another 40 gal of fuel is hardly more than a hefty crewmember with his seabag.
You want to cruise at a latitude where you want some heat? Maybe you want a gen set? You need fuel.
Ten K more weight? that's over 50% of the Bennies disp., good luck with that.
I'll stand with what I say, they're cheaply built and poorly arranged/set-up for long term sea duty.
Performance? The attainment of that is dependent upon the expertise/abilities of the crew, and how long they can "perform".

[Renegde_Sailor]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

The Bennie is a sailing boat. That is why putting 1000's of pounds of fuel on it is not necessary. You can put 10,000's of pounds of provisions on it in the 4 bunks you won't need, and it will still sail rings around the the other crab crusher boat.

I have 130 gallons of fuel and 120 gallons of water in my S42, she sails beautifully whether the tanks are full or empty.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

That's always the stock answer from those who have boats that don't weigh anything.
Truth told; another 40 gal of fuel is hardly more than a hefty crewmember with his seabag.
You want to cruise at a latitude where you want some heat? Maybe you want a gen set? You need fuel.
Ten K more weight? that's over 50% of the Bennies disp., good luck with that.
I'll stand with what I say, they're cheaply built and poorly arranged/set-up for long term sea duty.
Performance? The attainment of that is dependent upon the expertise/abilities of the crew, and how long they can "perform".

AU Contraie!! I have had 11 sailboats in the past 52 years. My current 1990 B42S5 is by far the best built and best engineered and the best sailing boat . Better than my island Packet 44, better than my brewer 44, and much better than my Gulfstar 37. Fuel tankage is a little shy at 35 gallons but water tankage is lots at 180 gallons. Plenty of storage space . Looks good too. I just put a Maxprop on her and am anxious to see the help in light air sailing.

[Bluechart]

I owned and raced a Beneteau First 42 for 15 years, raced around SF , California Coast, and twice to Hawaii, and sailed back to SF.

Mine was 1985.

Great sailing boat, especially fast and beautiful sailing upwind, although we achieved speeds of 15-19 in bursts downwind with spinnaker up, but it’s a handful downwind in winds over 25 (although we did carry the spinnaker in low 30’s K of wind.)

Built when Beneteau overbuilt, the boat is strong! Through hull fittings are original silicon bronze fittings, not like the crap Beneteau see today.

It’s a great boat, mine is now owned in Santa Cruz California, by a guy who was specifically looking for a First 42.


If you have more questions, send me a message.

[TXProud]

I am not familiar with the latter bit have single handed a beneteau (specifically rigged for such) several times. It’s a great boat and handles very well.

[sandy stone]

No doubt there are "cheaply built" Beneteau models; after all, many were cheaply sold. However, the First 42 is not one of them, and to suggest otherwise is a disservice to the OP. It may or may not not suit the OP's purpose, but if it does it is an excellent choice for the open ocean. My boat has a similar type of hull form, and the only time it has slammed is when launching off a wave going upwind. Probably a crab-crusher doesn't have to worry about that.

Regarding tankage and storage space, the OP never did state how many would be on the boat. I'm pretty sure three people would find plenty of room for their stuff on a First 42. More than four might be a squeeze for long periods of time.

[boatman61]

Personally I would opt for the Koopmans over the Beneteau as a long term liveaboard and distance cruising vessel.