The 423 Beneteau, a Value Cruiser That Steers Itself

The 423 Beneteau and the $190,000 starting point

Cruising World opened its review of the 423 Beneteau with the price: for anyone shopping in the 40 ft range, a starting point of $190,000 was mighty attractive, and its test boat came in at $195,000 sailaway. SAIL put the boat on its list for the same reason, quoting $164,300 as tested, FOB Charleston, and concluding that the 423 successfully offers more for less. Both magazines went looking for corner-cutting and came back impressed.

The boat has three names. Beneteau USA sold it as the Beneteau 423, the European range called it the Oceanis Clipper 423, and many brokers list it as the Beneteau Oceanis 423. Sailboatdata records the first boats in 2002, and Yachting Monthly describes it as introduced in 2003 as the replacement for the Oceanis 411 Clipper, which fits a 2002 launch and a 2003 model year. Beneteau USA's site listed the 411 and 423 side by side in mid-2003.

A 38 ft 7 in waterline and what it does to the bilge

Groupe Finot drew a hull with a very long waterline for its length. Cruising World lists an LOA of 41 ft 8 in (Beneteau USA quoted 43 ft 2 in), a 38 ft 7 in waterline, a 12 ft 11 in beam and 19,000 lb of displacement, for a displacement to length ratio of 148. Its reviewer, Jeremy McGeary, explained the side effect: stretching the volume over a longer waterline produces a shallower canoe body, so the bilge is shallow and the cabin sole and freeboard sit higher. Finot disguised the freeboard with a high boot top, a well-placed cove line and an interesting cabin trunk.

Three keels were available. The standard medium-draft cast iron bulb draws 5 ft 7 in with 5,836 lb of ballast, a deep option draws 6 ft 11 in, and a shoal option draws 4 ft 9 in. Yachting Monthly found the 423 an improvement on the rather sedate 411, easy on the helm, well balanced and stiff, though steady rather than remarkable.

• Waterline 38 ft 7 in, beam 12 ft 11 in
• Displacement 19,000 lb (Cruising World)
• Draft 5 ft 7 in standard, 6 ft 11 in deep, 4 ft 9 in shoal
• Fuel 53 gal, water about 153 gal

Hands off the wheel on the Chesapeake

The most memorable moment in Cruising World's test came while the reviewer was trimming the jib on the Chesapeake in 10 to 12 knots of true wind and flat water. He realized nobody was steering. The boat kept going happily, and the crew found it would steer itself on pretty much every point of sail with neither a hand on the wheel nor the brake on. That kind of balance is rare in a beamy production cruiser and is a good sign for autopilot loads.

SAIL's light air test found the same character, with a boat that settled into a comfortable groove, was light and responsive to steer and cut a smooth wake. Mainsail controls sit at the aft end of the coachroof and run through a row of clutches to two winches, which Cruising World found demanded some dexterity to operate.

A diesel that cruises at 2,000 rpm

The standard engine is a Volvo Penta D2-55 of 55 hp on a conventional shaft, with an integral fiberglass stern tube and strut that looks like a small skeg. Cruising World praised its old-fashioned virtue of a 2,000 rpm cruising speed, at which the boat made a steady 7.2 knots without rattling the crockery, and it reached its 8.5 knot hull speed at the 2,800 rpm limit. The person showing the reviewer around backed the boat all the way around a marina pier and straight into a slip to demonstrate its handling under power.

Engine access is by hinging up the whole companionway ladder on a gas strut, with side openings for other components. Cruising World suggested covering the batteries in front of the engine against a dropped wrench, and Yachting Monthly noted poor soundproofing and high noise levels below at speed.

Two layouts that share the ends

Both layouts share the forward cabin with an island double, a forward head with a separate shower stall, the dining area, the aft head and the engine compartment. The two-cabin version has a short settee to port with a navigation desk aft of it, a large galley aft to starboard almost enclosed by the companionway partition, and a single big cabin to port. The three-cabin version moves the galley along the port side of the saloon, puts the nav desk to starboard and splits the stern into two near-identical double cabins.

Cruising World saw the three-cabin boat heading for charter fleets and the two-cabin version as the one for couples. Saloon headroom is 6 ft 5 in, the fridge and freezer open from both front and top, and the stove is a Force 10 three-burner unit. Yachting Monthly liked the bright forecabin and large chart table but warned that liveaboard cruisers may find stowage short. SAIL thought the forward berth could be bigger. The interior is douka, a mahogany-family wood finished with a cherry-tinted varnish.

Bulwarks, a twin-roller bow and a scooped transom

On deck, a low bulwark adds security and stiffens the hull-to-deck joint, and a substantial twin-roller stemhead projects the anchor clear of the near-plumb stem. Mooring cleats are paired forward, midships and aft. The cockpit is wide, with a permanent table that serves as a brace, teak-trimmed seats and tall coamings angled for comfort. Aft, a scooped walk-through transom makes boarding from a dinghy easy. Cruising World's only real reservation was the ventilation cowls overhanging the swim platform, which it would consider before a fall passage offshore.

Beneteau 423 for sale, and what to pay

In 2026, most Beneteau 423 for sale listings in the US ask $105,000 to $160,000. A 2005 or 2006 Beneteau 423 in good order sits in the upper half of the range, and a 2004 Beneteau 423 with a charter history toward the lower end. The deep keel and a classic or full-batten mainsail are worth paying for if you sail where depth allows. Budget $10,000 to $20,000 a year for running costs.

Beneteau's next boat at this size was the Berret-Racoupeau designed Oceanis 43, announced at the 2006 US Sailboat Show, which brought twin wheels and a new interior style. The 423 remains the better value if you prefer a single wheel and a traditional layout.