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Thanks for flagging this 100% agree for anyone doing this. During the edit I also noticed this, and thought about going back and fixing it but figured the fins sorted themselves out once they got moving. They seem pretty flexible. Been a full season now and have not had any issues. Might open it up in the spring because I am curious to see.

I love this boat! It’s the perfect pocket cruiser.
 I did a lot of research before buying this boat. I wanted a walk through transom, standing head room, enclosed aft cabin, enclosed head, galley, v-birth. This boat has it all (although I wish the v-birth were enclosed it does make the interior feel spacious).

 It’s easy to single hand. The 4’ draft is great for poking around the Chesapeake. It’s fast for 28’ with the light displacement and fin keel it’s easy to maneuver and performs well upwind, even with old sails. Once the wind gets above 20 knots things can get squirrely, especially single handed, so I reef early and often, usually around 15 knots. I’ve tried to bury the rail several times and this boat always rounds up. I think the Oceanis series is very safe and seaworthy. I would like to do some blue water cruising in the future. This is probably not the boat for that, but like most boats it can probably handle a lot more than you think. Being under 30’ keeps the cost of ownership relatively low. The engine and other systems are easy to service so I save money there too. Some upgrades I'm considering are a mainsheet traveler for better trim upwind. Thinking about a dual mainsheet system I’ve seen on some newer production boats. Would also like to add an asymmetrical spinnaker for better downwind performance.

Thanks! Yeah mine was looking rusty on the top exterior so thought about replacing it based on aesthetics, but now will definitely replace it after this information.

@seachalet_281 it's the rubber seal under it that dries out, shrinks and cracks over time. Cheap to replace and keep the old one Just in case.

I wasn’t super scientific about it but I added approximately 1/2 cup of salt and filled the spray bottle with vinegar. Then shake till dissolved. Note, this killed my spray bottle after use.

I was worried about the depths too, my boat has 4’ draft. I entered from the west inlet that the big ferry takes and it was totally fine. The lowest depth I saw was maybe a 7? Mostly 8-9 ft though. Actually deeper than my home port I go in and out of all the time. If you look close you can monitor the depth sounder in the video while I’m in the channel. Hope you get to go back soon!

I bought it from Niemiec Marine. If I remember correctly I had to call and ask for the “maintenance kit” it was about $200 but came with all the parts you saw in the video. marinedieselparts.com/store/sparepartskits.htm

Thanks for the candid feedback, 😂 maybe I’ll try that method next time!

Thanks for watching! I replaced the floorboards two years ago with new 3/4 inch teak and holly marine grade plywood. I used the old floorboards as a pattern, cut them out then sealed with West Systems 207 clear epoxy, and finished with a few coats of Epifanes dull varnish.

I wish I had a dollar for every short term temporary repair that I have found on a boat. I did my training in 1981 in a temporary WW2 American hospital, due to be demolished in 1946. My last navy ship I was on was a 1943 emergency class destroyer, still being used in 1980.

Glad you liked it! Sailing out of Herring Bay, Beneteau Oceanis 281.

I removed my hot water heater because it had a leak so a permanent bypass for now.

@@seachalet_281 sweet Pink in a hot water heater turns water into seltzer for a season

Glad it helped, good luck on your project!

@@seachalet_281 We installed our new exhaust mixing elbow and it leaks. Do you need to put some sort of goop between the gasket and engine or elbow?

@@SoItGoesCAL34 I didn’t use anything other than a new gasket and making sure to clean everything thoroughly so the gasket had a clean surfaces as a base.

@@seachalet_281 With a razor blade we removed probably the remains of the old gasket and other crud. And, it doesn't leak! Afraid to poke into the crud in the exaust hole in the block. Will have to investigate that later. Thanks so much for your help. It is so nice to be able to watch someone else do it first :)

I was worried about this too, my oil wasn’t at max, but in between full and empty. No oil at all, and just a tiny bit of fuel when I unscrewed the fittings in the fuel line. I also closed the valve on the main fuel line before I started.

Thanks for watching, it’s a great boat. Best place for you would probably be diagonally in the rear quarter-birth. Seats in cabin fit me comfortably but I’m 5’6”.

It’s a great boat. Im 6’2” and sleep great in the aft cabin. Ive also slept in the main cabin with no problem.

Hahahah

Yes, very happy with my "new" Beneteau!

Yes! It's a beautiful marina.

Considering the size and having shoal keel w/ daggerboard I thought the boat sailed really well, and fast for a 24 ft. boat. On good days I could hold 5.5 - 6 knots. With its light displacement it sailed well in light to moderate winds. With a wide range of sails (Asymmetric, 170, 130, 110 jibs) I could go big or small according to the conditions. I normally could set the sails and lock the tiller and she would steer to the wind. Usually needed a mainsail reef at 12-15 knots, tippy at first it will hold up to a blow with the right sail arrangement. A lot of weather helm with a lot of wind and sail. It didn't sail great upwind when it was blowing heavy (i.e. a lot of leeway), and pounded pretty bad in chop, but most small light boats will do that. If there were anything I could change it would be to go for the fin keel version, which would probably perform better upwind?

Hi Jeff, apologies for the late reply, hopefully you are enjoying the boat! As for the centerboard lift... Mine had a fiberglass shaft that the centerboard slid up and down, with simple handle on the top, to push it up or down. A stainless quick release pin through the fiberglass shaft and centerboard post was used to lock it in place.

I sold it a few years ago, great boat. I had the daggerboard model with older sails so it wasn't great upwind, but still very responsive, fun to sail, and stable in a blow. Mine had a lot of water damage when I got it. I replaced the front cabin floor, bulkhead, and compression post although still had issues with deck compression from the mast. Currently boat less, but hoping to get another soon! Here's a link to a blog if you want to check it out it covers some of the repairs/updates, some sailing adventures and rambling thoughts. friendofthesea.tumblr.com/

@@irwinkrieger Thanks! All very helpful.

Chuck Bosworth Not really sure, the hatch could be to access an inboard engine but not a lot of these have inboards if any at all, and mine didn’t have any signs of previous motor. I always found it a pain to clean around.

@@irwinkrieger OK, inboard motor access makes sense. You're right though, just a pain. Yours has a cover at least, mine just collects an inch of water