Beneteau Swift 30
Overall, very happy with my Swift 30. Every boat has its pluses and minuses. This is a great boat for a couple. I have the European version which has bunk beds in place of a separate shower, which is fine with me. I love all the glass. It feel like you’re out in the open all the time. It can be pouring rain or gusting to 50 mph and you never know it. So quiet inside. But with all the windows, storage space needs to be planned carefully. We added a small dock box on the bridge. I love the open transom. Makes the boat fee so big when playing at anchor or at the dock. We often move the dining table to the back and use the fold down seats. Dual helm is great. Flybridge is also very large. All the mechanicals are very accessible! Dual refrigerators come in very handy too. The sun deck on the bow has a pad that is as comfortable as the bed. We like the quietness of the generator. Plenty of wattage to run both a/c units and more. Gas cooktop and oven are nice. We often cook while under way.
The minuses.....
We have had difficulty getting information from Beneteau. We bought our Swift 30 1000 miles away from a broker. Beneteau says to contact your local dealer. The local dealers in our area are not very concerned about boats they didn’t sell. Although Beneteau builds the Swift 30 in South Carolina, they do not provide even basic support. So if you buy a used Swift from a non- dealer, you may feel its is difficult getting support. The Swift 30 uses some laminates in the cabin. I suppose it’s easier to maintain, but does not have the rich feel of real wood. We had a real wood tabletop made for $500 and it really looks nice. My boat was 3 years old when I took ownership. The previous owner did not take good care of her. Many of the chrome knobs and fixtures have permanent pitting. I know ocean environments can be tough, but 3 years and pitting is not acceptable.
As far as a 30 or 35, in my opinion, both would get tossed around equally in rough water.
Everywhere we go, people going by say how much they like the looks of our 30. We had a sailboat nearly crash into us yesterday as we were underway because they wanted a closer look. Nice compliment, but don’t wreck me.
I’ll bet the 35 will be equally as good as my 30. Good luck finding your Swift! Keep me posted.
