Beneteau Cyclades 43

 

Issue: October/November 2005

Not so long ago, when the world was a far simpler place, Beneteau had two distinct styles of production yacht.

The 'Oceanis' range were cruisers, favoured by cruising sailors and charter alike. The 'First' range were the cruiser/ racers, well-fitted yachts designed to rate and race. The First.7 range helped define the modern cruiser/racer.

But the world is no longer a simple place, says Beneteau Vicsail Marketing Manager John Cowpe.

"Oceanis had developed into a sort of ultimate owner's vessel. They now carry as standard all the equipment that used to be optional extras and as a result the price has been rising," he explains.

The advent of cheaper brands like Bavaria have also had an effect on boat sales. Beneteau decided to react and they did not mess about, introducing an entirely new line, a third range.

And so, kind ladies and gentlemen, raise your glasses to Beneteau's latest Cyclades range (the French say 'see-clard', the Greeks say 'kee-klar-dees' and everyone else says 'sye-clad-ease').

However you pronounce it, the name for Beneteau's new range is derived from a group of Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea.

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DESIGN
If you have any interest in yacht design it's fascinating to see what develops when a designer has a new brief and clean sheet of paper. Or these days, should I say a clean computer screen?

The design for the Cyclades 43 is credited to Berret /Racoupeau. Their response to the Beneteau brief was to draw a hull with a lot of volume, the effect of a lot of freeboard and plenty of fl are in the hull sides. On top of this big hull is perched a rig which, although not big, adopts the more desirable characteristics of current racing rigs.

The mast is deck-stepped, with its loads taken by a compression post below. The sail area/displacement ratio is on the money for a cruising boat.

The hull is fibreglass with a balsa-core, the deck is fibreglass and balsa. An internal
moulding is dropped into the hull to provide the interior structure.

The keel is of cast iron and quite shallow at 1.90m. The engine drives the fixed three-blade propeller by a shaft , which is supported by a sturdy skeg.

ON DECK
The rig is distinctive and quite racy. It's also simple and easy to use. Th e chainplates are set on the hull sides, which means the two sets of spreaders have to be long and well raked.

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