Austin Boat Show

[Rick Johnson]

I made it to the Austin Boat show yesterday.  I didn't expect much but the only thing worth looking at was a 2010 Beneteau 34.  Not much headroom and seems really small inside.  It made me very happy I have a Catalina 34.

My 2 cents,

Rick

[David Urscheler]

Not to mention the fit and finish! At last years Miami boat show I checked out the 2009 version. I could push the thin veneer on the V-berth walls 1/2 " in with my index finger. I second your emotion!

Dave

[canuck]

There was a 34 Benetoy at the Vancouver Boat Show last year. After 3 days the the hinge on the fiberglass door to access the area under the head sink was already broken!

Seem to remember the  batteries were placed directly in front of the engine with no covers on them. Just imagine dropping a metal tool and having to stretch another extra foot.

IMO a POS!

[Stu Jackson]

... and seems really small inside.  It made me very happy I have a Catalina 34.

I agree.  I've noticed over the years that B has the layout down below absolutely backwards.  They swapped the galley and the head from "our" layouts, which makes the same space "appear to" and "feel" much smaller because the wall of wood for the head becomes more visually apparent when it's "detached" from the nav station.  "Architecturally" it is a far inferior solution to the use of space, and our boats have a much more "open" feel.  

BTW, we've bareboated on a few B 35s.  We also apply our initial impression question:  "Where is the engine oil dipstick?" test.  B doesn't make the grade, since on both of the B 35s we had to rip apart the aft cabin to access the dipstick and even after getting to it we had to do other gyrations to pull it out and test the oil level.  A surely rotten design for such a basic requirement.

Finally, you'll note that just about everything is cleverly "hidden" behind useless and meaningless white paneling.  This makes finding and tracing anything a very difficult task.  Compare that to the very good access to everything on my boat, and I'd never consider buying one.

That said, a new friend on our dock just moved his B321 to our marina all the way from Texas.  It's a nice boat, but I wouldn't want to have to work on it.

Plus, I like teak better than mahogany.