Beneteau 43 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The 43's hull form is unapologetically contemporary cruiser: a shallow canoe body and flat bilges that reviewers read as dinghy-like, with a very flat and shallow bilge below and a sump just large enough to accommodate a Rule-Mate bilge pump rated at 1,100 gallons per hour. That shape, paired with 19,566 pounds of displacement on a 38-foot 1-inch waterline and a 13-foot 6-inch beam, gives the boat volume and initial stability rather than a slender entry. The internal pan molding is the structural answer to those loads, and the balsa-cored deck keeps weight high but insulated. Standard draft is 5 feet 5 inches, with a 6-foot 7-inch option for those who prefer the windward bite of a deeper keel; the shallow canoe body and flat sections explain why the boat doesn't heel much when the breeze climbs into the upper teens.

Rig and Handling

The 43 carries a 19/20ths rig with a split, non-adjustable backstay and aft-raked spreaders that help provide both forestay tension and a narrow sheeting angle for the genoa, with a standard 140-percent genoa as the working headsail. All lines are led aft to the cockpit, and careful placement of the primary winches makes trimming the jib from the helm possible so one person can tack the boat, while the mainsail controls sit on the cabin wings two strides away. Twin wheels are all the rage now; not only do they ease access to the swim platform but they let the helmsman keep an eye on headsail luff and traffic, and test sailors found the refinement of these systems evident in the lightness of the steering. Under sail, the boat sailed itself to windward at over 6 knots in under 10 knots of true wind, nudged up to 7 knots with sheets cracked off, and broad-reached at 7.8 knots in 17 knots true and 5.8 knots in less than 12 knots. Under a 54 horsepower Yanmar, it achieved 8.5 knots at full throttle and a quiet 6.2 knots at 2,000 rpm.

Accommodations

Nauta's rectilinear interior yields practical and comfortable layouts in two-, three-, and four-cabin formats. The two-cabin version gives two large cabins with generous ensuite head compartments, the starboard aft cabin holding a huge athwartships berth with standing room and ample stowage plus its own door to the main head and shower stall; the three-cabin, three-head layout extends that privacy. In the four-cabin guise—known as the Moorings 43.4 and the hot ticket for charter fleets—the spacious stateroom and heads of the two- and three-cabin versions are replaced with a smaller V-berth and a two-bunk cabin. Forward in the standard arrangement, the V-berth cabin has walk-about room, a dressing seat, varied stowage, and a private head and shower. The saloon is roomy and inviting, with a large table seated on three sides, both settees long enough to lie on as sea berths with lee cloths, and a small aft-facing chart desk at the foot of the port settee. A continuous line of lockers under the side decks visually ties the space together and feeds the tucked-aft, port-side linear galley, which a reviewer would not choose for seagoing duty but which braces the cook with stove, front-opening fridge, top-loading freezer, drawers, and fiddled surfaces. Headroom was found generous, and the flush floorboards match the bulkheads in color and texture.

Known Issues

The boat is not without ergonomic gaps. The handrails on the cabin trunk could be improved—you can't close a hand or tie a line around them, and they terminate at the shrouds—so further handholds to facilitate passage forward from the galley would be useful. Beneteau does fit padeyes as harness points in the cockpit and on the forward corners of the cabin trunk so jacklines can be run inboard, but the trunk rails themselves fall short of a secure grip. The flat, shallow bilge and modest sump size are worth noting for any owner weighing drainage capacity against the realities of a dinghy-shaped hull.

Refits and Ownership

Ownership centers on a 54 horsepower Yanmar diesel, 53 gallons of fuel, and 95 gallons of water, with a broad cockpit whose robust table provides a footrest and brace, subtly angled sole planes for helmsman traction, and a huge port-seat locker shelved and floored against becoming a black hole. A starboard helm-seat locker gives steering access, the propane locker sits under the port helm seat, and a European Union-approved life-raft locker opens onto the transom platform. The 140-percent genoa on a 19/20ths rig with all lines aft makes short-handed sailing plausible, though the non-adjustable split backstay limits rig tuning.

The Verdict

The Beneteau 43 is a thoroughly modern cruising boat whose flat-bilged hull, Nauta interior, and all-lines-aft rig deliver volume, light steering, and credible performance without pretense. It rewards the buyer who wants a practical three-cabin coastal and offshore platform more than one chasing a tunable racer-cruiser.

Pros

Rectilinear Nauta interior in two-, three-, or four-cabin layouts with generous heads
Light twin-wheel steering and single-handed tacking from the helm
Strong light- to mid-air performance (7.8 knots broad reach in 17 knots true)
Quiet 6.2-knot motoring at 2,000 rpm from the 54 hp Yanmar

Cons