Beneteau Swift Trawler 34

[Chuck Gould]

As much as the Beneteau name has been associated with sailboats, it's somewhat surprising to learn that the company was once maligned for producing "stink pots".

Back about 1912, Benjamin Beneteau incorporated an internal combustion engine in a fishing trawler. When the rest of the fleet was becalmed, Beneteau's boat could motor out to the fishing grounds and get to work. Likewise, the motorized boat could make a bee-line for the market to sell off the catch. Competitors tried to get the boat banned by circulating a rumor that the "oil boat" was scaring away the fish.

Beneteau may have had one of the first model names in boat building history. The French name for the fishing trawler with the gas engine was "Vanquisher of the Jealous".

These days, Beneteau is again beginning to concentrate on powerboats, including the Swift Trawler series. We got some details about the 34-footer, and took a lot of photos- all available at Pacific Nor

 

[Joebad]

I studied boats for 4 years and after thorough investigation I pick up my 2016 34 in late August at Viage Group who were awesome to deal with

 

[Alberstadt]

Head Sink

I am interested to know if anyone has figured how to get the head sink to drain well

 

[Joebad]

Now having lived on the boat for 2 months we are acquainted with most of its quirks. Every boat has some quircks and the ST34 has a few, nothing major. The problem with the sink drain is that it drains out the bottom of the boat below the waterline. It is close to the waterline so it drains slowly unless you fill the sink up all the way then it drains rapidly )sometimes). The reason they go out underwater is to keep toothpaste stains etc from running down the side of the boat. The only solution would be a pump. We decided to just live with it. It causes is to conserve water!!

 

[Alberstadt]

Regarding the head sink. I have discovered that if, while the sink has some water in it, you close the through hull and open it that the sink drains very quickly.

 

[Joebad]

Thats funny!! What a pain though eh??

 

[Alberstadt]

Head sink drain

The fact that it works per my last post, makes me think that there is air trapped in the line and that some sort of relief valve may get the water to flow.

Incidentally, I bought my 34 from Viage in September.

 

[Joebad]

I just came to the same conclusion. If it had a tee with a smaller line going up higher than the sink the air would go out. The line would have to be in the vertical part to purge the air. I am thinking near the valve. The water could push the air out there and it should drain rapidly. We picked ours up in last week of August. My email is jhwilson96@aol.com if you send a email ill return with my cell no. We can maybe help each other with things we discover. One thing i did was to space out the engine strainer, the wall interferes with getting the lid in right. I burned up an engine impeller when I didnt get it in right. I replaced that myself. Also if you are in a weedy area like pelican bay dint run the generator. The intake can plug with weeds and destroy the generator impeller. Anyway a couple other things i can share too. We love the boat!!

 

[rwidman]

I am interested to know if anyone has figured how to get the head sink to drain well

Follow the plumbing from the sink drain to the thru hull. If there is a P trap, remove it. If there is a loop in the hose, remove it. Neither is needed on a boat. The plumbing should go "down" all the way.

 

[Joebad]

Bathroom sink slow draining

There is no trap. It goes out to the side then straight down and out the hull. Air gets into the line after the sink drains, and then is trapped between fresh and salt water when you next use the sink. It is very slow to push the salt water out which is denser than fresh and resists pushing out. The trick would be to get the air out before you drain it, which is what happens if you close the cock (the air comes up through the drain) but with the cock open it simply runs out slowly as it works around the air trapped in the hose.

It doesn't bother me that much, but it would be nice if it drained rapidly. I am not sure of a good fix other than some vent line to allow the air to push out when you go to drain, but that vent would have to terminate higher than the level of the sink. There is room in the pump closet where this is located to do that, and I may take that on sometime and report back if it worked.

By the way, Viage Group in S. Sarasota have been an awesome dealer before, during, and after the acquisition of my boat.

 

[fkrefetz]

Had the same problem on a new 2015 ST34. The dealer installed an air vent in the line and that fixed the problem.

 

[Joebad]

Slow draining bathroom sink in Swift 34

Finally fkrefetz has the solution in his boat. So the drain line coming out of the sink, can be accessed in the pump closet, it is tight but he said his dealer installed an airline. I am thinking to do the same and I am thinking of using a water thief to make the penetration and put a piece of airline going up maybe 6" higher to allow the air out. I am not sure if they make a water thief that size but it would only take a few minutes to do it, so off to the plumbing store I will go to see if one is made that size. The line is plastic so the thief should penetrate it very nicely. I won't be back to my boat until October, but when I do it I will report back. Joebad