ARC appearances in last 5 years - 15
Manufacturer's ranking - 1st
This is the first of four boats in the top ten from the world's largest production boat builder, Bénéteau. When you look at the total number of Bénéteaus in the ARC, the French giant wins hands down with 96 boats participating in the last five years.
First launched in 2002 the Group Finot-designed 473 has a cavernous interior, thanks largely to her ample beam throughout but particularly in the after sections. A large saloon with a spacious galley and a navigation station slotted just in front of the main heads occupies the central part of the boat, while the forward cabin is a standard double with ensuite heads. A pair of huge after cabins then make up the accommodation aft.
But it's not just volume below decks that makes this boat special. On deck she's spacious but practical at the same time. Nestling in each after quarter is one of two wheels separated by a walk-through passageway to the transom, making movement fore and aft through the cockpit easy and secure when under way, an important issue for a bluewater cruiser.
There's a stainless steel bracing bar mounted in the cockpit which also provides the mounting bracket for the cockpit table which is neatly stowed in one of the many cockpit lockers. Given that she's an aft cockpit boat, the on deck stowage is pretty good with several amply proportioned lockers, one of which could accommodate a generator if required, providing more ticks in the right boxes for a long-distance cruiser.
The primary winches are positioned just forward of the twin wheels and in such a place that both the helmsman and crew can operate them comfortably and while the old problem of the helmsman not being able to reach the mainsheet applies, you can at least move forwards through the cockpit easily to get there.
And then there's her performance. When I tested her for the May 2002 issue of Yachting World, I was amazed at her performance both under sail and under engine. Sure, she's not in the racer league, but this is a boat that will notch up high average speeds with little fuss, plenty of composure and at a fraction of the price you might pay for a semi-custom cruiser. So success for this boat comes as
no surprise at all. www.beneteau.com
ARC appearances in last 5 years - 15