New Beneteau Swift Ep

[amxr39]

Hi. Getting my new used 2017 Swift 30 next week. This is my third boat in 4 years. This should be my last.
I’m hoping to find other Swift 30 owners on this site. I’m trying to find a service manual for this boat with no luck. I do have the owners manual. Can anyone help me?
Thanks.
Mike

[wreck111]

Congrats. Looking to buy a 30 or 34 two or three years young. what can you tell me about the 30 how do you like it Love the design of that book better than the 34 but the 34 gives me a little bit more room. Any issues in my water

[amxr39]

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.

[sunchaser]

Amxr
What do you see as differences between the B30 and Ranger Tug.

[Dan3281]

We looked at both. As you’d expect the added beam of Beneteau let’s the cabin feel more open. The down side it’s not readily trailerable. The Ranger 31 has the engine aft of the cabin so should be a little quieter. Generator access on the 31 is tight but acceptable. They are both nice boats. Fore deck access is much better on the Beneteau. In the end we went with a used ST34.

[wreck111]

Thank you very much. You pretty much hit everything that I was thinking. The only thing is that Beneteau in South Carolina is closing mid September they don't build any of the Swifts at that location. Before the virus I stopped by took a tour incredible. They no longer allow it because of what's going on. From what they told me all the swifts are built overseas and will continue. You're right about the laminate but what are you going to do in that price point. My only concern is Volvo versus Cummings. In Hilton Head Cummings are easier to get parts for. If I was still in Maryland on the Eastern shore it wouldn't be a problem with either there are tons of places around that work on both engines and on the boat. Down here in Hilton Head you're by yourself
I'm glad you are enjoying it looking forward to finding either a clean late model 30 or as you said I love the design of the 30 but like the Cummings engine and the space of the 34. My budget is 300k so I know I'll be able to find one No rush

[Dan3281]

Wreck, we are just down the road from you and you’re welcome to look around on our 34 if you want to see how Beneteau does things. We used St Barts in Charleston as our buys broker and were very happy.

[wreck111]

Great. I'd like that. My guess Windmill Harbor?