Yacht charter in Bormes-les-Mimosas · Beneteau — 27 (1980)

Dangerous boat... No one to welcome you, defective and dangerous engine. The only solution offered was to have it towed... like the previous renter... Crafted engine, which wouldn't hold, with 3 liters of gasoline... We had to take shelter and access the anchorage under sail!!! I had read two previous comments warning me about the boat's danger, but the owner assured me that everything was working... which is false...

Despite Fred's friendliness and responsiveness, we weren't able to fully enjoy our rental day due to the faulty engine. We had to be towed out of the harbor and back. Note that the boat doesn't have a home port, and if you don't book an overnight stay at the harbor, expect to paddle back to dry land. So, bring a waterproof bag for your electronics.

After a 3-day (2-night) cruise in August 2025, it's rare for me to leave a negative review, but given this experience, it seems important to me. Boat in poor condition. Everything is held together by "bits of string." Boat dirty and untidy. The reasonable rental price may have something to do with this, but nothing is mentioned as such. Despite everything, some points are not compliant or do not provide sufficient safety. No anchor light. No stern navigation light. No instruments, except a compass. No door for the anchor chain storage hatch, anchor "guide" completely worn, so the chain doesn't slide and is extremely difficult to raise. A broken genoa traveler. Oil spill to bail out under the saloon floor while cruising... Worn outboard motor (the starter handle stayed in my hand after 3 starts). No reverse gear (impossible to shift). For the starter, Frédéric came to help us out the first time as soon as we left the port, kindly, but for a basic repair (spring not reassembled correctly) it barely lasted 24 hours... We ended up with the entire starter outside the engine, so the engine was impossible to start and we had to use the emergency start mode as a last resort.... as a result, we had to cut our cruise short and returned to the base port 12 hours earlier than planned. Frédéric offered us a berth in the port that evening, but without additional compensation. This boat deserves an additional overhaul and a complete overhaul to allow for better sailing conditions. Despite all this, we were able to enjoy a few pleasant and exotic hours at sea...