Without wishing to tempt fate it appears that summer may well be finally on its way. Not only are the fields starting to green up but the boat yards are rather buzzing with activity as everyone rushes to get out on the water. With my office conveniently located at the entrance to Baltic Wharf in Totnes I can quite easily conduct a poll of activity just be counting the number of cars going in and out. I can almost smell the anti-fouling from here…

And so its time for those owners looking to upgrade or anyone wishing to get a new boat to start looking around in earnest right away otherwise they’ll not be on the water this year! The yards are all behind with their work so it’s nice to have some boats on my books that are basically ‘ready to go’. Such boats will have been well looked after and serviced by the current owners with all the paperwork in place. One such example is a beautiful Beneteau Oceanis 423 currently for sale that I had the pleasure of listing recently. I went onboard on a lovely Spring day, just the perfect sort of day to take all those photographs that Boatshed are famous for. We can now manage up to an impressive 80 photographs of every boat for sale!

Only on her second owner from new in 2005 this Beneteau for me epitomises some of the best in current yacht design. Some reviews I have read describe the Beneteau Oceanis 423 as ‘the big cruiser with deceptively svelte exterior styling’ and I must agree, especially with the blue hull and teak decks that she is indeed very good looking.

I have actually had the pleasure of sailing this Beneteau and it was clear to me that she handles almost as well as she looks, all commanded from a spacious and comfortable cockpit. Down below the three cabin layout suits larger families or those who have a long list of friends asking to come along and crew. Plenty of headroom and ample light, mainly from the three large overhead windows at the forward end of the saloon, make this yacht spacious and with all the wood as well, warm and solid. A good feature as well is the proper navigation station to starboard where it’s really comfortable to sit and contemplate and plan the day’s sail ahead. Everything is easily to hand with the electrics panel and the multitude of today’s navigation gizmos nicely set out.

And is she ready to go? She's recently lifted and anti-fouled so you could be out on the water sooner than you think.

At Boatshed we accompany all viewings so you’ll be well looked after if you’d like to take a closer look, and don't forget we have been onboard each boat for sale with us. A quick check on the search feature on Boatshed Dartmouth revealed her to be keenly priced with the added advantage that this yacht is in the UK. The nearest comparison was a Bavaria 49 for almost the same price but a whole two years older and unrecorded engine hours. On the Beneteau’s Yanmar 75 are just 221 recorded hours.

Useful links
View more info on the Beneteau Oceanis 423 we have for sale
An easy guide on how to buy a boat from Boatshed Dartmouth and what to expect
Click here to speak to Paul Singer, Boatshed Dartmouth