About South Coast Yachts
Welcome! South Coast Yachts is the Award-winning Beneteau Authorized Dealer for Power in all of Southern California and Arizona, and Sailboats in Orange County, San Diego & Arizona, with offices and show docks in San Diego & Newport Beach. South Coast Yachts provides the top customer satisfaction in the industry for a true on-the-water boating experience. We offer new and previously-owned yachts, commissioning, repair, warranty, preventative maintenance, and instructional and social events. We work hard to find you the best boat for your money and offer the purest integrity while representing you. Throughout the year, we plan fun boating events for our customers, from raft-ups in San Diego Bay to weekend Rendezvous Events at Two Harbors, Catalina Island.
Our Service Department has everything you could possibly need for your Beneteau – if we don’t have it, we’ll get it for you! Greg Coleman, our Service Dept. Manager, is a master technician and can handle any project.
Barrett Canfield
President
Barrett Canfield is the President and co-owner/ founder of South Coast Yachts and has represented the Beneteau brand for 20 years. His passion in business is team building with the common focus of working with people who embrace the core value of caring for others.
Barrett Canfield, President
Direct: 619-517-4736
business accomplishment that he is most proud of is the consistent Top Customer Satisfaction scores from Beneteau America for all of North America.
Barrett and his wife Liz have four children who all enjoy life on the water and live and sail in San Diego.
Rick Day
CFO & Director
Rick joined South Coast Yachts as a Corporate Director & CFO in September 2009 to assist Barrett Canfield in starting and growing the dealership. He and Barrett first became acquainted in early 2007 when Rick was in the market for a new 40’ racer-cruiser and ultimately chose his current ’08 Beneteau First 40.7 “Audacious”. They became good friends during the commissioning process.
Rick Day, CFO & Director
Rick’s business experience is helpful to South Coast Yachts. Rick founded, managed, and sold Daycom Systems, a $22 million telecommunications hardware, software, and maintenance VAR and Avaya-authorized dealer based in San Diego. As CEO, he oversaw all aspects of the business, built a top-level management team, assembled an outside Board of Directors, and strategically re-engineered the business through many market changes and challenges from 1992-2009. Daycom Systems was strategically acquired by Carousel Industries in April, 2009.
Rick’s professional network includes C-level contacts at large-scale retailers and Fortune 1000 companies, national and global hardware and software VARs, industry research firms, and others. He served the North-American Association of Telecommunications Dealers from 1998 – 2005 in various capacities including President. From 2003-2005 Rick was the Dealer Spokesperson of Avaya’s Business Partner Council. Rick has also been a member of Bente Hansen & Associates’ Board of Advisors since 2000. He is a veteran of the US Navy and holds a BS in Finance from San Diego State University.
Paul Briant
Sales
Paul Briant was born on the Caribbean island Grenada and cruised many oceans on his family’s chinese junk as a child. Once you meet him, you will realize that he is one of the friendliest and most knowledgeable sailors alive. “When we have a boat question that we can’t answer, we ask Paul Briant”, said Barrett Canfield, president of South Coast.
Phone: 619-823-6186
Email: paul@scyachts.com
Dea Allen
Sales
Dea has enjoyed being in the recreational marine industry in San Diego since 1987. She brings diverse experience including sales of Island Packet, Tartan and C&C, as well as powerboat experience with Hatteras, Grand Banks and Eastbay.
Phone: 619-708-3287
Email: dea@scyachts.com
When not working with clients looking for boats, she enjoys spending time with her grown children and grand children. We are pleased to have her on board here at South Coast Yachts.
Member of the California Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA)
Scott Young
Sales
Scott Young grew up in Manahattan Beach CA, and has been involved in Sailing and Surfing since the 5th grade. His father had a power boat at King Harbor Marina and that is where Scott’s passion for boats began.
Phone: 760-585-6068
Email: scott@scyachts.com
Scott had the bug and enrolled himself in youth sailing classes at the Palos Verdes Yacht Club. After completing his first course he was asked to run the youth sailing program for the next 2 summers. Scott says, “Teaching and organizing races with the kids was the best job ever! It was great to see them progress and have so much fun sailing”.
After that Scott was hired at King Harbor Marine Center working on the yachts and working in the marine supply store. Scott was working, sailing, and racing everyday of the week. He then moved to Maui to explore more sailing adventures and to surf his favorite break, Honolua Bay.
Scott fell in love with his wife Jennifer and loves to share his passion of the sailing lifestyle with his children Ryan, Sarah, and little Ian. Scott’s oldest son Ryan in now a US Marine serving our country and Scott could not be more proud.
I asked Scott what he thinks about Beneteau yachts. “I race aboard the Beneteau First 40 Vitesse with great friends and I love the boat. You can feel the boat accelerate in little puffs and it really flies when the breeze freshens. Beneteau excites me with the constant innovation, the functionality, and they are extremely safe yachts. I am truly impressed with the performance not only on the First series but also the Oceanis and Sense Yachts. I am proud to represent these Yachts and love finding a yacht for a customer that tugs on their heart strings as they do mine.”
Sean Smith
Sales
Sean grew up boating with his family in Southern California and has always maintained a passion for being on the water. After graduating from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, a school practically on the water, he joined Ullman Sails to learn the business of sail-making.
Phone: (909) 556-4272
Email: sean@scyachts.com
Experienced in racing sailboats from 20-50 feet, Sean continues to actively race and cruise in Southern California and Mexico. He enjoys helping all clients get the most out of their boats, especially downwind sailing with the addition of Asymmetric Spinnakers.
When he is not on the water Sean enjoys spending time with his wildly energetic nephew and family, traveling and going to ski resorts in the winter.
Sean is known for his ability to listen and follow thorough with the needs of his clientele and is pleased to be contacted day or night to assist with questions or concerns. Whether you prefer sailing, power boating, racing or cruising, with Sean you will be able to share your passion for being on the water.
Tamara Krimstock
Sales
The sea called this Midwestern girl to Southern California 30 years ago. Learning to sail, sailing the coastal waters of the Pacific, Caribbean and Mexico, and owning a couple of Beneteau sailboats over the past 26 years have prepared Tamara well for her sales role at South Coast Yachts.
Phone: (760) 550.1518
Email: tamara@scyachts.com
John Bohne
Sales
In 1998, John started his sales career with J/Boats representing buyers and sellers in hundreds of transactions both power and sail (performance and cruising, new and used). John prefers to go fast in sparton sailing craft, but he has a great appreciation for creature comforts and powerboats.
Phone:
Email: john@scyachts.com
memories. After high school, he traveled for 11 years up anddown the East Coast and Puerto Rico racing, fishing, or hanging out aboard boats any chance he got.
In 1997, John made his final stop in San Diego. There he bought a Schock 35 and jumped into the local racing scene. He has since logged hundreds of ocean miles racing and cruising throughout California and Mexico on many different boats, as well as multi- hull racing in Sweden.
John met his wife, Laureen, shortly after arriving in San Diego, and they have two children: a daughter, Jayden, and a son, Rico. They now live in Carlsbad and enjoy time at the beach, and they are spending more time aboard boats now that the kids are growing older.
John’s nearly 20 years of boating and sales has allowed him to become very familiar with many types of boats. He offers his wealth of knowledge to help clients find the right fit when
purchasing. He strives for fair valuations for sellers and buyers which make deals come together quickly.
Stop by our Newport Beach office to meet John.
Leanne McNally
Sales
After college “Boating Happened!!!” Leanne fell into a job at Harbor Sailboats where she spent 12 years managing a charter fleet of mostly Beneteau sailboats ranging in size from 22- 50’. Leanne obtained her ASA Bareboat certification and founded the W.O.W. “Women On the Water” program, designed to train in boat handling and instilling confidence in female boaters.
Phone: (619) 972-5153
Email: leanne@scyachts.com
Leanne was born and raised in the Los Angles Area and moved to San Diego to attend Point Loma Nazarene College. After college “Boating Happened!!!” Leanne fell into a job at Harbor Sailboats where she spent 12 years managing a charter fleet of mostly Beneteau sailboats ranging in size from 22- 50’. Leanne obtained her ASA Bareboat certification and founded the W.O.W. “Women On the Water” program, designed to train in boat handling and instilling confidence in female boaters.
Leanne has been in the marine industry since 1994 and has experience in yacht sales, maintenance and management. She has been boating for over 22 years, raced extensively, cruised up and down the West coast as well as the BVI’s, La Paz, Tahitian Islands, St Maartin and the Bahamas. She joined the CUBAR rally in 2009 and logged over 1100 miles on a Selene Trawler with her husband and crew. She is enjoying all aspects of yacht sales, especially the life-long friendships she has made along the way. The Beneteau brand has been in her life since the day she stepped aboard her first boat. She is knowledgeable regarding Beneteau, Catalina, Hunter as well as Grand Banks, Navigator, Offshore, Nordhavn and notably Selene Ocean Trawlers where she was the brand manager for nine years.
In her free time you can find her on the water aboard her new Beneteau Gran Turismo 40′, Law & Disorder, spending time with her husband (and Captain) Steve or walking Sunset Cliffs with their crazy dog Daisy. Besides boating she loves golfing, cooking, reading and traveling.
Leanne is best known for her prompt and timely communication, follow up and, most of all, after sale relationships. She is never more then a phone call away from helping clients and friends alike. She loves details and enjoys working hard to resolve issues. This is one reason she has a high percentage of repeat clientele. Leanne believes that buying or selling a boat should be fun and she is always finding ways to laugh.
Leanne is active in the maritime community, a member of CYBA and helps lead the San Diego Yachting Professionals organization. Leanne & Steve are active members of the San Diego Yacht Club.
Chelsea Acker
Office Manager
An Oregon native, Chelsea grew up spending summers boating on Lake Shasta and at the Oregon coast. After getting a degree in hospitality and event management, she decided to live closer to the beach and moved to San Diego where you can find her spending time at the beach or on a yoga mat.
Having experience boating industry it only seemed natural that she join the South Coast Yachts team.
Bio to comeCaleb McGuinness
New Boat Commissioning Mngr.
Caleb grew up in San Diego, and began living aboard with his family in 1993. As a young kid, he he got the experience to cruise the Southern California coast and Mexico with them. That experience paved the path for a career in
the marine industry. As the son of a boat builder and shipwright, he was immersed in a variety of projects from an early age, as well as doing deliveries up and down the coast and to Hawaii.
A passion for sailboats led him to become a rigger at the age of 19, where he spent the next ten years gaining an in depth knowledge of sailing systems.
As of July 2016, he is happy to be a new father. He and his wife, Christina, look forward to raising their daughter in the marine community
that they both grew up in.
Cindy Wright
Service Writer / Customer Service
Bio to come.
Testimonials
Testimonial – 04 Beneteau 423
Hi Barrett, We arrived in Ensenada after a brief panic with the chart plotter (which worked fine the rest of the way there!). Saturday was a perfect day to motor down--warm sun and cool breeze--not [...]
Testimonial from Island Packet Owner
We were very pleased to have Dea Allen represent us in the marketing and sale of our Island Packet 40. As a Yacht Sales Professional with South Coast Yachts she displayed a broad knowledge of [...]
Beneteau Oceanis 41 Owner letter
Dear friends, I cannot begin to thank you enough for your kind gift. It was a wonderful, personal, and extremely generous gift. The bed sleeps perfectly and for the first time, I was not in [...]
Meet Members of the Beneteau Family
The Strebe Family recently purchased their new Oceanis 38 Luna Sea from Beneteau dealer South Coast Yachts, California. Matthew shares his great experience with us: “I had been following the Beneteau Oceanis 38 since it [...]
Testimonial from Happy Multi-boat Owner
“Dea Allen at South Coast Yachts is the best! Dea has helped me buy and sell three boats over the last 12 years, and I have referred her to at least two friends who have [...]
Happy Owners of Gran Turismo 38 “Pied a Mer”
Dear Dea, Patricia and I wanted to make sure that you and everyone at South Coast were aware of the great experience we had in realizing our nautical dream. From our first contact, to taking [...]
Outstanding Service!
South Coast Yachts is incredible! They assisted us in the sale of our Beneteau 473 several months ago and have been assisting us in the purchase of a new boat. The ongoing service that we [...]
Longtime customer of Barrett Canfield
Exceptional and premier customer service is the only way to describe South Coast Yachts. The entire team is honest, caring and sincere in every regard. We have been aquatinted with SCY for 9 years. We [...]
Simply put, Dea Allen – Delivers!
Simply put, Dea Allen – Delivers! I had talked with and met several different brokers over a long period of time. I had frankly lost hope that anyone was interested in working hard enough to [...]
Special Thanks to John Bohne
I have both bought and sold boats through South Coast Yachts, as recently as last week, and find working with them a pleasure. The whole team is as friendly as can be, yet completely professional. [...]
Testimonial – Kudos to Dea
This past August we made the emotional decision to put our 36 foot Sailboat on the market. Our professional mechanic and good friend recommended we contact Dea Allen, a broker with Southern California Yachts. He [...]
Thank you South Coast Yachts and Dea!
My experience with South Coast Yachts over the past four years has been amazing! From the first class sales effort by Dea (when I purchased my Grand Turismo 38’ boat), to the welcome by Barrett [...]
Beneteau Love Club
Mike Verdu gushes about his new love — the Oceanis 37 Limited Edition “I love my Beneteau Oceanis 37! The boat sails beautifully in both light and heavy winds and is wonderfully balanced, needing only [...]
Unparalleled support and guidance every step of the way
After looking at several boats through numerous brokers in the greater Los Angeles area I finally opened up my search to San Diego-based boats. Fortunately for me, one boat of interest to me was represented [...]
Thank you South Coast Yachts Team.
The South Coast Yachts entire staff is amazing. We bought our boat from them 3 years ago and still continue to get superb customer service. Whenever my husband and I enter the office with hellos [...]
Another Happy Beneteau Owner!
Barrett: As you know, I picked up Thalassa last Thursday, late in order to make it up to the Isthmus by mid-Friday afternoon. She was ready to go with so much of my “list” being [...]
Big Kudos to Bob!
Barrett, Just wanted to drop you a note to tell you how impressed I am with Bob! He is an amazing guy and a true professional. His service and customer orientation is second to none [...]
Testimonial – Moondance is great!
Sean Moondance is so perfect for what we want to do! We have enjoyed it immensely these past four days!! Three grandkids even spent the night on Saturday and Will and Tracy had a date night. [...]
Beneteau Oceanis 38 Delivery
I’d been following the Beneteau Oceanis 38 since it was announced because I knew when I saw the innovative design that it was the next boat for our family of five, as our faithful 26′ [...]
Testimonial – Welcome to the Beneteau Family
I recently purchased a Beneteau through South Coast Yachts. I had been looking for a sailboat for the last year and spoken to and visited several brokers throughout area. Dea Allen, Paul Briant, and the [...]
Thank You Sean Smith
I first met Sean Smith while he was working for Ullman Sails in San Diego. I was immediately impressed with his engaging nature and his attention to detail. Fast forward seven years when I was [...]
Happy Swift Trawler 44 owner speaks out!
To really get an idea of the service and sales support from South Coast Yachts I have to give you a little of my background first and then tell you my recommendations. I am 55 [...]
Note from another happy Beneteau owner
Paul, Now that we are back home and settled in from our journey up the coast, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your extraordinary help and guidance with the recent purchase [...]
Testimonial – Beneteau Motor Yacht Owner Letter
Dear Dea, You are such a sweetheart. You made the experience of buying our first powerboat special. I am so happy that it worked out so you could show us Primo. Some things are just [...]
Testimonial – New Beneteau Sense 50 Owner
Barrett I wanted to take the time to thank you, Paul Briant and the entire staff at South Coast Yachts for the delightful experience in the purchase, commissioning and delivery of my new Sense 50. [...]
Thanks John Bohne!
I have worked with John Bohne over the past several years and found him to be professional, personable and trustworthy. I have recommended him to friends without hesitation. - Patrick Meegan
Thanks Sean!
After several months of "boat shopping" we found Sean Smith at South Coast Yachts. I was pleasantly surprised by his professionalism and knowledge. He catered to our busy schedule and even took my family out [...]
Another Happy Boat Owner!
This is to the South Coast staff and all prospective customers: If you want to buy a boat in Southern California, look no further than South Coast Yachts! Dea Allen was the broker for my [...]
Testimonial from a Beneteau 37 Owner
“After we sold our previous boat, we immediately set out to find another. Carolyn and I looked at several boats and were deciding between power and sail. After meeting Tamara and Jody Krimstock of South [...]
Testimonial – Aloha and Mahalo from Hawaii
I first developed a strong interest in Beneteau sailboats when I began looking for a 35-45 foot cruiser that was family friendly but well-designed for sailing efficiently and safely in the challenging seas off the [...]
Testimonial – Beneteau 34 Yacht Owner
Dea, I recently bought my first boat from South Coast Yachts. I was not sure what to expect, but I have to say it was one of the best buying experiences I have ever had. [...]
Testimonial – Beneteau First 40 Yacht Owner
Hello Paul, We are loving sailing and cruising on Vitesse in Catalina!!! We have also enjoyed all the complements from sailors, Harbor Patrol & others from O'Side to Twin Harbors @ Cherry Cove, Whites Landing [...]
Testimonial – Beneteau 373 Yacht Owner
Just a note to thank you. I am aware that you have gone way beyond the call of duty on this one and I am so thankful for all you have done. This love of [...]
Thank you from a repeat customer.
My wife and I have purchased two Beneteau Oceanis series sail boats from South Coast Yachts in the past 5 years. The entire staff is experienced from sales to service and are willing to go [...]
A Positive Experience
Our experience with Dea Allen was a very positive one. We entrusted her to sell our boat and sell it she did. Although it took some time she showed continued professionalism and expertise thru the [...]
Testimonial from Happy Catalina Owners – Thanks Jody!
Dear Jody, Jordan and I want to thank you so much for the quick transaction in selling our Catalina 36. We’re sure the advice you gave us about how to prepare our boat was instrumental in [...]
A Note from the owner of a new Beneteau 34
I recently bought my first boat from South Coast Yachts. I was not sure what to expect, but I have to say it was one of the best buying experiences I have ever had. From [...]
Testimonial from a customer who is not a boat owner…
To the team at South Coast Yachts, I am always so appreciative of being around such a wonderful group of people. Barrett, you, and the others at South Coast yachts have created more than customers [...]
Testimonial – Beneteau 34 Yacht Owner
Dear Barrett, I’d like to commend you and the entire South Coast Yachts Staff on the positive experience my wife and I received during the purchase process of our 2009 Beneteau 34 “Ralph”. Being a [...]
Hunter sailboat owner testimonial!
Our family recently had the pleasure of working with Dea Allen on the purchase of our new boat. From the first phone contact our son had with her all the way through the delivery she [...]
Testimonial: When we finally found “the boat”, she was there every step of the way to help things proceed smoothly.
I had been looking for a sailboat for 5 or 6 months and had the opportunity to work with Dea to help us find one. She was very knowledgeable and worked hard to find the [...]
I really enjoyed the help and expertise from South Coast Yachts to purchase my cruising sailboat.
“I really enjoyed the help and expertise from South Coast Yachts to purchase my cruising sailboat. Dea knew exactly what I needed and helped me with all the details from viewing to purchase, to post [...]
Testimonial – Dea Allen, an exemplary yacht sales professional
Dea Allen is an exemplary yacht sales professional. Her attention to detail and outstanding work ethic combined with her understanding of the needs of buyers and sellers is a winning combination. Dea crafted my listing for Maison de [...]
Thank you (from a happy seller)!
Dea,I am so grateful for all your help in selling my boat. You have been the perfect balance of a compassionate yet aggressive broker on my behalf. You brought a wonderful offer to me from [...]