Description:

This exceptionally clean 423 is a powerful sloop that is easy to see cutting through the water. The sheerline is a little softer than Beneteau's racy First Series boats, and there is a subtle curve to the hull that speaks to the cruiser. The bow is not plumb, there is a short but appealing rake and the reverse transom allows for easy-access swim steps. The cabintop gracefully flows into the hull giving her a stately profile when viewed from the side.
ConstructionThe robust, hand-laid solid fiberglass hull is built to CE Offshore A category standards. The hull is supported by Beneteau's proven grid system-a bonded fiberglass hull liner that stiffens the hull and spreads loads from the rig throughout the boat. The deck is a cored sandwich construction to keep weight down, although a solid laminate is used to support high-load areas. The bulkheads are bonded 360 degrees to hull and deck.
Below the water the forefoot is relatively narrow and somewhat flat. The 423's lack of wetted surface translates into good performance in most conditions with a hull shape not prone to heeling. The cast-iron bulb keel is externally fastened to the hull. The shoal-draft keel at 4' 9\" is ideal for coastal and Caribbean cruising. The prop is well protected in a small skeg as opposed to a more vulnerable strut. The balanced rudder is positioned well aft for good steering control, and the rudder is composite construction, including the stock.