The Beneteau 423 Sailboat
Specs & Key Performance Indicators

The Beneteau 423, a masthead sloop, was designed by Groupe Finot and built in France by Beneteau.

A Beneteau 423 sailboat at anchor in Deep Bay, Antigua

'Worry No More', a Beneteau 423 anchored in Deep Bay, Antigua

Published Specification for the Beneteau 423

Underwater Profile: Bulb fin keel and spade rudder

Hull Material: GRP (Fiberglass)

Length Overall: 43'2" (13.1m)

Waterline Length: 38'6" (11.8m)

Beam: 12'11" (3.9m)

Draft: 5'7" (1.7m)

Rig Type: Masthead Sloop

Displacement: 19,500lb (8,845kg)

Designer: Groupe Finot

Builder: Beneteau (France)

Year First Built: 2002

Owners Association: Beneteau Owners Club

Published Design Ratios for the Beneteau 423

Sail Area/Displacement Ratio: 19.1

Ballast/Displacement Ratio: 29.9

Displacement/Length Ratio: 152

Comfort Ratio: 25.0

Capsize Screening Formula: 1.9

Summary Analysis of the Design Ratios for the Beneteau 423

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1. A Sail Area/Displacement Ratio of 19.1 suggests that the Beneteau 423 will, in the right conditions, approach her maximum hull speed readily and satisfy the sailing performance expectations of most cruising sailors.

2. A Ballast/Displacement Ratio of 29.9 would usually mean that the Beneteau 423 would have a tendency to heel excessively in a gust, and need to be reefed early to keep her sailing upright in a moderate breeze.

However, as she has much of her ballast concentrated in a bulb at the foot of the keel, she's likely to be considerably stiffer than her Ballast/Displacement Ratio might suggest.

3. A Displacement/Length Ratio of 152, tells us the Beneteau 423 is clearly a light displacement sailboat. If she's loaded with too much heavy cruising gear her performance will suffer dramatically.

4. Ted Brewer's Comfort Ratio of 25.0 suggests that crew comfort of a Beneteau 423 in a seaway is similar to what you would associate with the motion of a coastal cruiser with moderate stability, which is not encouraging news for anyone prone to seasickness.

5. The Capsize Screening Formula (CSF) of 1.9 tells us that a Beneteau 423 would be a safer choice of sailboat for an ocean passage than one with a CSF of more than 2.0.

Beneteau 423 Sailboat: A Spacious and Comfortable Cruiser

The Beneteau 423 sailboat is a 43-foot cruiser designed by Groupe Finot, a renowned naval architecture firm that has created many successful models for Beneteau. The boat was launched in 2002 and produced until 2007, with more than 300 units sold worldwide.

The Beneteau 423 has a sleek hull with a moderate beam and a long waterline that gives it good speed and stability. The boat also has a spacious cockpit with twin wheels, a large swim platform, and plenty of storage space. The deck is easy to walk around, with wide side decks, flush hatches, and well-placed handrails.

The Beneteau 423 yacht has a fractional rig with a deck-stepped mast and swept-back spreaders. The sail plan is generous but easy to handle, with in-mast furling for the mainsail and a roller-furling genoa. The boat also has an optional spinnaker or gennaker for downwind sailing.

The Beneteau 423 sailboat has a fin keel with a bulb that provides good lift and reduces draft. The boat also has a spade rudder that gives it good maneuverability and responsiveness. The boat is available in two versions: deep draft (6'11") or shoal draft (5'7").

Accommodation
One of the main attractions of the Beneteau 423 sailing boat is its spacious and comfortable interior. The boat has a bright and airy saloon with large windows, hatches, and ports that let in plenty of natural light and ventilation. The saloon also has a U-shaped dinette to starboard that can seat six to eight people, a settee to port that can double as a sea berth, and a large chart table aft of it.

The Beneteau 423 yacht has a well-equipped galley aft to starboard that has ample counter space, storage, and appliances. The galley features a double sink, a three-burner stove with oven, a top-loading fridge, and an optional front-loading freezer.

The Beneteau 423 sailboat has two or three cabins depending on the layout chosen by the owner. The two-cabin version has a large owner's cabin forward with an island bed, hanging lockers, shelves, and an en-suite head with shower. The aft cabin is also spacious and has a double bed, storage space, and access to the second head with shower. The three-cabin version has two identical aft cabins and a slightly smaller forward cabin with a V-berth. The forward head is shared by all cabins.

The Beneteau 423 yacht has plenty of storage space throughout the boat, including under the seats, beds, and floorboards. The boat also has a hot water heater, air conditioning, heating, stereo system, TV/DVD player, and other amenities that make life on board comfortable and enjoyable.

Hull and Deck
The Beneteau 423 sailboat has a solid fiberglass hull with vinylester resin to prevent osmosis. The hull is reinforced with an inner grid structure that distributes the loads from the rigging, keel, and rudder. The deck is made of balsa-cored fiberglass with an anti-skid surface.

The Beneteau 423 yacht has a wide transom with an integrated swim platform that can be lowered or raised by an electric winch. The platform has a ladder for easy access to the water and a shower for rinsing off. The cockpit is large and comfortable, with twin wheels that provide good visibility and steering from either side. The cockpit also has two long benches with cushions, a folding table with cup holders, and a bimini top for shade.

The Beneteau 423 sailboat has plenty of deck space for sunbathing or relaxing. The foredeck has an anchor locker with an electric windlass and a bow roller for easy anchoring. The side decks are wide and clear of obstructions, making it easy to move around the boat. The coachroof has four flush hatches that open to the saloon and the forward cabin. The boat also has six opening ports and four fixed windows that provide light and ventilation to the interior.

The Beneteau 423 yacht has a well-organized deck layout that makes sailing easy and safe. The boat has all the lines led aft to the cockpit through clutches and organizers. The boat also has two primary winches and two secondary winches on the coaming, and two more winches on the coachroof for the halyards and reefing lines. The boat also has a traveler for the mainsheet on the arch above the companionway, and a genoa track with adjustable cars on the side decks.

Mast and Rigging
The Beneteau 423 sailboat has a fractional rig with a deck-stepped mast and swept-back spreaders. The mast is made of anodized aluminum and has two sets of spreaders and internal halyards.

The Beneteau 423 yacht has a boom that is also made of anodized aluminum and has an outhaul, a topping lift, and two reefing lines. The boom also has an in-boom furling system as an option for the mainsail. The boat also has a rigid boom vang that helps control the mainsail shape and reduces the load on the mast.

The Beneteau 423 sailboat has a stainless steel wire standing rigging that includes a forestay, a backstay, upper and lower shrouds, and intermediates. The boat also has a split backstay that can be adjusted with a hydraulic cylinder to tension the forestay and improve the genoa shape. The boat also has an optional inner forestay that can be used to hoist a staysail or a storm jib.

Keel and Rudder
The Beneteau 423 sailboat has a fin keel with a bulb that provides good lift and reduces draft. The keel is made of cast iron and is bolted to the hull with stainless steel bolts. The keel is available in two versions: deep draft (6'11") or shoal draft (5'7"). The deep draft version offers better performance and stability, while the shoal draft version allows access to shallow waters.

The Beneteau 423 yacht has a spade rudder that gives it good maneuverability and responsiveness. The rudder is made of fiberglass with a stainless steel stock and bearings. The rudder is connected to the twin wheels by cables and pulleys. The boat also has an emergency tiller that can be fitted to the rudder head in case of steering failure.

The above text was drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; we believe it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.