beneteau 40 sailboat

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 – the spacious family cruiser

• Graham Snook
• January 1, 2021

The 40ft yacht market is fierce, so has the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 got what it takes to make an impact on the family cruiser market? Graham Snook heads to the Solent to find out

The optional bowsprit creates space to set a furling asymmetric. A tack outhaul would be helpful. Credit: Graham Snook

Product Overview

Beneteau oceanis 40.1.

• Voluminous interior
• Handling under sail
• Modern design
• High freeboard
• Stern gland access
• No galley bracing

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:.

The Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 – a spacious family cruiser

A 40ft family cruiser is the must-have in any production boat builder’s arsenal.

With a hull length of 11.99m they limbo neatly under the 12m pricing band found in many Mediterranean marinas – making them cheaper to moor.

For most, it’s a Goldilocks size of yacht, neither too big nor too small, just right for two adults and a few children.

While the hull length is limited, the beam is not.

Liferaft stowage is sensibly hidden in the fixed cockpit table, which also provides good bracing for crew. Credit: Graham Snook

If you’d parachuted onto Beneteau’s new mid-range cruiser , you could be fooled into thinking she’s 3ft longer than she physically is – not just the numbers on the hull.

The Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 replaces the Oceanis 41.1 which was shorter by 1cm of hull length.

Space is a great thing for family cruisers and charter, and the two areas where the 40.1 shows off her length-defying ability are the social areas of the boat: the cockpit and the saloon.

The cockpit is long and wide, and the helm has the high pushpit to prevent them from falling off the transom – it would be hard to stand further aft and remain on board without it.

What this does, though, is give the helm a commanding feel, with 39ft of yacht stretching  ahead of you.

A seat folds down from the pushpit for the helm right at the stern. Credit: Graham Snook

Down below, Beneteau has taken the beam to whopping 4.18m (13ft 9in); that’s 30cm (1ft) more than the 2010 incarnation, the Oceanis 40, and while the hull is 2cm narrower than previous 41.1 model, the interior is wider.

What sort of witchcraft is Beneteau using?

Big things are rarely known for their agility or speed, but what’s good about all this space is that  it hasn’t come at the expense of her performance or handling.

On the water, her twin rudders had grip in abundance.

Even when well-heeled she stayed in control and responsive to the helm; just what you want from a coastal cruiser.

A lift-up foot support provides bracing when heeled. Credit: Graham Snook

This boat had the standard in-mast furling mainsail and optional genoa and tracks; a self-tacking jib is standard.

With full sails and 20 knots over the deck she was impeccably well behaved, although if the wind was any stronger, we would have been reefing.

Twin stainless-steel wheels are standard; the helm was well balanced, quite light and felt good though the lighter composite wheels would just have improved the experience.

On the wind, she didn’t disgrace herself, considering her mainsail was batten-free with the standard Dacron in-mast furling sails.

If she’d been the sportier First Line edition with a taller rig, deeper keel, and performance slab-reefed sails she could have shone.

Exploring the helm of the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1

The high freeboard and full-length chine of the Marc Lombard designed hull keep her decks dry.

When she was pushed, without waves and water marching along the deck, it didn’t feel worrying or precarious.

Her beam has given her broad underwater forward sections, and these did get a few slaps from the wake of passing shipping.

Keep fingers away from the line on the coaming top when tacking. Credit: Graham Snook

The steering wheels are only 59 cm (1ft 11in) from the transom, there is a narrow flip-up seat attached to the pushpit, but I felt it was comfier to stand, or sit on the side deck.

Although the wheels are so far aft, with a high pushpit you feel neither penned in nor vulnerable, and only when sitting far outboard did the split backstay makes its presence felt.

There are good lift-up foot blocks with a stainless-steel support.

There is a deflector under the support, as soon as you lift the sole high enough the support hangs down and lowering it will either send the bar one way or another depending on the angle of heel; to either support or stow the footrest.

Under the foot blocks are the neatly hidden filler caps for fuel and water.

Between the wheels is a large lazarette locker (and gas locker) which, along with two sole-depth cockpit lockers, give a reasonable amount of deck stowage.

Going forward the deck narrows to 25cm (10in) while passing the sprayhood – a small price to pay given the feeling of space inside.

At the bow is the optional bowsprit that protrudes well forward.

Getting to the end fitting is a precarious 70cm (2ft 4in) stretch from the furling genoa, which is already 40cm (1ft 4in) forward of the pulpit.

The forestay is attached to the stem and there’s a single bow roller to port that feeds directly to the windlass.

There’s a decent drop for the chain into the good-sized anchor locker, a handy rail by the lid shows it’s intended for fender stowage too.

The standard self-tacking jib sheet is led to one of the two companionway winches.

The helm is as far aft as it’s possible to be, but this does give you a commanding view forward of the whole boat. Credit: Graham Snook

With the optional up-wind pack, we had a bigger furling genoa, tracks, additional clutches, and two Harken 46ST winches located forward of the helm, which are a generous size and work well.

For the crew, they are a little far back, but for the helm, they are easily within reach.

The mainsheet goes to the Harken 40ST companionway winch from a bridle forward of the sprayhood.

The cockpit is well laid out although the genoa sheets do run along the coaming top, so best keep this a finger-free area, especially for the younger members of the crew.

The optional large cockpit table has built-in stowage for a liferaft (accessible from aft).

The table is wide and has excellent handrails on either side.

One feature I missed were rope bins to keep the lines from the aft winches. At 1.4m (4ft 7in) her freeboard is very high.

This gives more room inside and over 1.86m (6ft 1in) headroom throughout.

The downside is that it’s around a 90cm (3ft) step up from a pontoon to the toe rail, so you may need to rely on a fender step.

The fold-down transom makes boarding a doddle from astern though.

What lies beneath

Below, you’re met by a huge saloon and C-shaped galley.

Not only is the beam carried aft, it also achieves its maximum further forward than normal.

The result is a living space that is 3.75m (12ft 4in) across.

This sets the 40.1 apart from her rivals.

An impressive beam gives the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 a truly vast saloon. More hatches and handholds would be nice, though the solid galley fiddles make good grab holds. Credit: Graham Snook

As wide as she is, Beneteau hasn’t been overly generous with the natural light.

She is light, and for warmer climes the fewer windows the better, but on a wintery day in the Solent I’d hoped for more.

The low coachroof makes narrow windows, the three overhead hatches are good for ventilation but small – where usually you’d expect a 60cm hatch there’s a 44cm – and those large hull windows on the outside are only half-length inside.

That said, the frugality with which LED lights consume power means that the living space feels more welcoming and stylish when the interior is illuminated.

The forward cabin is generous, though the grooves for different layouts in the moulded headlining are not covered over. Credit: Graham Snook

Moving forward, there are good, deep fiddles around the galley, but no handholds to port – except for the overhead handrail that would be out of reach to shorter crew and children.

The saloon table is fixed and large enough to seat the number of crew most will sail with.

If you were to increase the berth count to the maximum of 10 (of which more in a moment), it would be tight though.

There’s stowage beneath the C-shaped saloon seating too, and the bunk boards on hinges mean they don’t need to be moved to access kit.

Double sink, front and top opening fridge. A bum strap at the stove would provide some necessary bracing. Credit: Graham Snook

There is a large, deep and most importantly easy-to-access locker under the aft seat, at the chart table, at almost 1m (3ft 2in) long and 30cm (1ft) deep it provides excellent stowage.

There’s stowage behind the seatbacks, and you can also see how creative Beneteau has been with the construction and assembly of the seat carcasses.

These slot and screw together to form a rigid structure on the hull’s tray moulding which reaches up to the chine.

To elevate the seating and make the most of the width above the chine, the sole is raised, giving a whopping 40cm (1ft 4in) deep bilge.

Put some watertight plastic boxes in there and you could hide the sort of tools and spares that other boat owners will be puzzling where to stow such items, and you don’t lose the rest of the stowage space to rarely used items either.

The standard finish is walnut Alpi.

A solidly-built and good-sized aft facing chart table, but the support reduces stowage for charts and books. Credit: Graham Snook

This yacht had the stylish white oak Alpi which helped keep the interior light.

The use of light furniture and this wood finish could so easily have become a lesson in bland – with acres of beige blending into one another, but Beneteau has used contrasting dark inlay strips and painted corner posts and door frames to visually break it up.

The chart table follows this path and its painted surround forms nice high fiddles.

The table itself is 83cm (1ft 9in) wide (60cm x 83cm, 1ft 9in x 2ft 9in), although the inside is narrowed by the support for the lid’s gas strut and the internal structure to 60cm (1ft 9in) wide.

It was good to see an easy-to-read digital display for batteries and tankage.

Access behind the switch panel is simple, and the wiring neat and the fuses are well labelled.

This was the three-cabin, one-head version.

A two-cabin, single head layout is standard.

You also have the option of one or two double cabins aft, while forward is the choice of a double cabin, a double with an en suite heads, or two cabins (one with bunk beds, the other with an offset double and an en suite).

Galley options for the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1

This version had the forward cabin without the heads, the area aft of the berth was almost too big, it seems a waste not to add a heads compartment, but not everyone wants to sleep in a cabin adjoined to a toilet.

If that aligns with your thinking, consider adding the vanity unit with a sink and more stowage.

Beneteau has made the forward cabin bright and stylish, with sliding blinds for the hull windows, fabric-covered panels at the head of the berth and deep full-length shelves along the hull sides, but lying on the owner’s berth it was disappointing to see the plastic fittings which secure the shelf and the gaps around the finish of the forward bulkhead.

There is a GRP pelmet moulded in the headlining to hide this finish, but this only covers the area when you’re standing.

Likewise, the channels for the different layouts remain visible in the headlining.

The performance package would make this boat sparkle, but even as standard she was enjoyable and engaging to sail. Credit: Graham Snook

Beneteau is not unique in leaving these visible, but a fabric panel over them would have been more in keeping.

Under the large 5ft 6in-wide forward berth was a wide slatted base.

This was fixed over the forward water tank, so there was no stowage; unless you accessed it through the slats.

Outboard of the berth are shelves; while these might lack fiddles, they do have USB charging points.

The galley is large, C-shaped and set forward, and had nice details like soft closures on the drawers.

The galley stops short of the central compression post inboard; this is to allow access into the forward cabin if you opt for the four-cabin layout.

If you don’t select this layout the area is left open and unused.

While it adds to the great feeling of airiness and gives bracing to use the sink while sailing, if Beneteau was to add a unit in this space and extend it aft, past the existing galley locker, it would increase the galley’s already good stowage and give the galley what it lacks the most: bracing when on a starboard tack.

If you have no ambitions to cook at sea and let’s face it, many who coastal cruise don’t, then a lack of solid bracing isn’t an issue.

The stove area did have a crash bar, to which a bum strap could be attached.

The galley has a good amount of stowage, or excellent if you include some of the saloon stowage too.

Below-deck details

There’s a twin sink and outboard is the top opening bin.

Lift the lid in the work surface and you can shuffle peelings into the deep bin with ease.

The joys don’t end there: because the bin isn’t under the sink there’s space in abundance there.

Aft, there’s one of the biggest fridges I’ve seen in a 40 ft yacht.

It’s 190L, well arranged and, when you select either of the trim level packs, a front opening is added.

Unless you have the arms of a gibbon, you’ll need the door to get any contents from the bottom – it’s 73cm (2ft 5in) deep.

The heads compartment is good, and it’s nice to see a separate shower compartment that can be used without getting the floor by the toilet and door wet.

The solid baffle in front of the engine was a clever idea to prevent noise dissipating under the sole boards. Credit: Graham Snook

The aft cabins mirror each other. If you opt for the layout with only one aft cabin, the starboard cabin remains the same.

The one to port becomes a tech space accessible from the cockpit or saloon.

The only differences are in the port cabin where there are the circuit breakers for the shore power system, and the starboard aft cabin can access the heads directly.

Both berths are 1.36m x 2.04m (4ft 6in x 6ft 8in) with good space above them.

The cabins are separated by individual stowage space for each cabin and forward of this (aft of the engine) is the calorifier.

There is an access panel for the stern gland/propeller shaft but it’s not the easiest to access.

There’s tankage under both berths (water to starboard, and fuel to port) and access to either side on the engine.

The engine access is a bit tight as companionway steps only lift to horizontal, they’re well supported by gas struts, and once you’re under it you can access all you need to.

The engine compartment is well soundproofed – a removable panel has been added to the front end to stop the sound dissipating under the floor.

Just forward of the engine, under the floor, is the water pump and in front of that is the bank of four 100Ah house batteries.

The test verdict

There are some areas of the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 where she shone with clever ideas and attention to detail.

There were, however, other areas that frustratingly let her down.

With a little bit of fine-tuning she could be a cracking yacht, but when you’re paying a few hundred thousand pounds for a yacht, should the last thing you see at night be the plastic fittings under the shelves or structural adhesive glinting from the gaps overhead?

It’s a shame when so much thought has gone into areas like the saloon and galley to have it undermined by other parts of the boat.

I hope that the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 becomes a better yacht.

2020 was a strange year, and with many boat shows having been cancelled, production facilities slowed or closed throughout the industry, it can’t have been easy.

Hopefully, some of the finish wasn’t representative of a yacht that will arrive in six months.

This was only hull nine and this might have been a wholly different report had it not been an early boat, built during a global pandemic.

Would she suit you and your crew?

As family cruisers go, the Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 has a lot to offer.

A comfortable and good-sized cockpit, a vast and spacious saloon, and a large practical galley for use in port.

She ticks the good-to-sail box too, she has a nice reassuring feel on the water and is impeccably behaved; all that we’ve come to expect from Beneteau.

She may not appeal to the older traditionalist, and indeed with her high freeboard, it’s quite a distance to the pontoon.

You’ll win no friends if you’re the first boat in a raft alongside a pontoon, but in areas like the Med, the height from the deck to the water is not an issue.

She’s vying for a piece of the hotly contested sub 12m pie.

The Hanse 418 and Bavaria C42 are her closest rivals, both have a 40ft hull and a beam over 4.15m (13ft 7in).

All three of these boats have their strengths and weaknesses.

The Beneteau Oceanis 40.1 has the most spacious layout of the three boats and if that’s what you want from your family cruiser, no other yacht in her class can compete.

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• Sailboat Reviews

Beneteau 40.7

This bruce farrdesigned speedster perf arms well in round-the-buoy races, yet its three-cabin interior also makes it a comfortable, seasonal cruiser..

Beneteau began building boats in France in 1884 when Beneteau opened shop for the purpose of constructing trawlers at Croix-de-Vie. Eighty years later, under the direction of his granddaughter Annette Roux, Beneteau built its first fiberglass sailboat. It is the largest builder of production sailboats in the world, producing twice as many boats as its nearest competitor.

Beneteau also manufacturers Jeanneau and Wauquiez boats and Lagoon catamarans.

Beneteau builds two distinct lines-the First and Oceanis. Introduced in 1976, the First line is targeted to performance cruisers; the Oceanis line, first marketed in 1986, is targeted more to all-out cruisers, or as a company brochure says, to those “enjoying the pleasure of the sea.” The company ranks third in sales in the US, behind Catalina and Hunter.

Among corporate objectives is the sale of boats in sufficient volume to compete with American builders such as Catalina and Hunter. It accomplishes this goal by taking, advantage of several factors: a) consistent ownership and cash flow; b) a work management process that has designers and production personnel working together for more efficiency on the floor; c) the economies of scale and purchasing power of a monolith; d) automation that reduces the cost of labor; and e) in-house capabilities such as milling its own logs, rather than buying planks from a lumber yard.

A factory was opened in Marion, South Carolina, in 1984; it has since produced more than 1,000 boats, and also houses a customer service center.

Beneteau boasts that its products have logged more than five million miles during more than 1,000 ocean crossings.

Bruce Farr has developed a reputation as one of the world’s best designers of fast racing boats. His designs have competed in the America’s Cup and Admiral’s Cup. Prior to the 40.7, he designed a Beneteau 50-footer and the Fast 42s7.

Mike Thoney of Beneteau distinguishes the First line as having more contemporary styling than the Oceanis, greater emphasis on performance (without compromising on cruising accommodations), fractional rigs, optional deep keels, and high aspect ratio rudders.

Russ Bowler of the Farr office said it took three years to get the 40. 7 from the drawing board to the production line. Beneteau’s charge was to develop a cruiser that could be raced at the club level, and that would sell hundreds each year.

“The challenge was to match performance while producing a cruising boat with suitable accommodations,” he said.

Bruce Farr said the 40.7 hull is “developed from our IMS pedigree which gives it good all around performance. The bow is relatively fine for-ward for upwind work with straight runs aft for high speed off the wind. These virtues have been retained in a hull with greater volume to provide space for cruising accommodations, and added displacement that comes with a cruising interior.”

The 40.7 was “originally developed to be a good all round performer under CHS (a British handicapping system), which favors heavy boats, compared to length, and full interiors,” Farr said. “It has been gratifying to see this design do well in top level IMS competition.”

Both the keel and rudder reflect the designer’s current approach to producing performance-oriented appendages.

The boat’s numbers certainly suggest it will have better-than-average performance compared to its peers in the cruising world. The sail area/displacement (SAID) ratio is 21.01, the displacement/length (D/L) ratio is 160.6, the ballast/displacement ratio is 36.23, and its length/beam ratio is 3.20. Then again, this isn’t exactly the sort of boat one would take on a circumnavigation or perhaps even a trans-oceanic passage where most serious cruisers would prefer more keel and heavier displacement for sea kindliness and necessary stowage.

Polar diagrams indicate the potential for speeds of 6-plus knots sailing in 20 knots of breeze within 32 of true wind. Predicted boat speed exceeds 12 knots when sailing in 30 knots of wind at 140.

The boats target PHRF rating is 54, which means shell be competing against 38-44 footers; however, a one-design class has been formed in Chicago and others are forming on both coasts.

Construction

The 40.7 is built in France.

Among the challenges facing the designer and Eric Ingouf, the Beneteau employee who works on advanced production techniques, was a requirement that weight-per-foot be reduced as much as possible without compromising strength.

To that end, the team employed techniques first introduced with the Beneteau 25 to eliminate surplus weight in the laminations, keel and cabinetry.

While Beneteau will not divulge the specifics of the lamination schedule, Thoney provided general information on the process.

Hulls are hand laid-up using pre­cut sections of glass wetted out with vinylester and polyester resins.

“Pre-cutting assures proper sizes and reduces waste,” Thoney said. “Vinylester resins are employed to protect against blistering.” The latter, Thoney said, is a recent change; earlier models used the Beneteau Water­Shield process, which was intended to accomplish the same objective at lower cost. Though the company experienced its share of blistering problems with earlier models, our surveys of owners and surveyors report few incidents in newer boats.

The hull is solid fiberglass into which a fiberglass pan is bonded while still in the mold to assure that hull shape is retained. Thoney estimates the hull to be 5/8″ thick. The pan incorporates solid fiberglass longitudinal stringers running from bow to stern, and six athwartships floors. The pan is bonded to the hull with a polyester compound. Solid fiberglass supports for fuel tanks, the engine, chainplate tie downs, and the keel frame and mast step also are molded into the pan, as well as the foundation for bulkheads and cabinetry, which are fiberglassed to the hull and bonded to the deck with a strong adhesive.

Wiring and plumbing runs are protected inside PVC and flex tubes.

The hull-deck joint is an internal hull flange bonded to an external deck flange with polyurethane glue and stainless steel bolts and nuts, over which are laid the teak toerail, which is secured with stainless steel screws. The modern adhesives used for hull­deck joints are incredibly strong, making through-bolting less important.

The deck is fiberglass cored with balsa; however, areas in which deck hardware are mounted are solid fiberglass. Hardware is fastened with stainless steel fasteners and backing plates.

Standard equipment on the boat is a 7′ 9″ deep lead keel; an optional 6′ 2″ keel is iron. A new coating system developed in France that is compatible with International Paints is now employed to prevent peeling problems that occurred with other models. Joe Foss, manager of customer service, said there have been no instances of peeling on the first 250 boats. Still, lead is better than iron.

Tides Marine now builds the rudders, which have carbon fiber rudder stocks, rather than the stainless steel previously employed. In factory tests, carbon was determined to have four times the breaking strength of stainless steel, and also has a greater elasticity, which prevents breakage caused by side loading while underway. It is also significantly lighter. Most importantly, it can be bonded to the rudder, which avoids the common problem with steel stocks of water migrating into the rudder. Upper and lower rudder bearings are self-aligning.

It’s always a pleasant surprise to find something new on a boat, and the 40. 7 has one of the most interesting cockpit features we’ve seen: removable cockpit lockers located aft of permanent slatted teak cockpit seats.

When secured in place, the lockers provide seating and are large enough for storing the typical assort­ment of dock gear, cleaning supplies and spare headsails. When racing, the lockers may be removed to provide standing, straight-on access to the primary winches and sidedeck – very clever.

There is a 60 leather covered destroyer-style steering wheel with the bottom recessed below the sole; it is easy to reach from either rail.

Seats for crew and guests are contoured and comfortable.

A well for the propane tank is located in the port corner of the cockpit and is vented overboard. A locker large enough for an inflatable dinghy is to starboard.

A requirement in France is dedicated cockpit space for a life raft canister. In the Beneteau 40.7 it is situated below the helmsmans seat. Joe Darby, owner of Darfin Yachts in Chicago, who provided our test boat, said the area is the perfect size for a garbage bin, or a container of chilled beverages.

A teak slatted swim platform equipped with a stainless steel ladder is accessed by unlatching the twin lifelines connecting the stern pulpits and stepping over the transom; a swinging door would make for easier access.

Farr designed wide, nearly level decks with diamond nonskid that allow easy movement forward when underway. Stainless steel handrails on the coachroof coupled with double lifelines on 26″ stanchions provide additional safety. We like the fact that the stanchion bases are par­tially recessed and unlikely to be toe stubbers.

Mast, standing rigging and deck hardware are all high quality, though one owner thinks serious racers will opt for larger diameter, non-stretch halyards to replace standard equip­ment. Foss, however, told us that boats after #156 have upgraded rope.

The mast is a Sparcraft 9/10 fractional rig with triple spreaders; Sparcraft also manufactures the boom. Standard equipment is rod standing rigging and a Sparcraft vang. An optional Navtec hydraulic backstay adjuster will improve sail trim and performance on the race course, but is an unnecessary expense for most cruisers. The test boat performed well without tweaking the backstay.

Running rigging is led aft to Spin­lock XT rope clutches for mainsail, genoa and spinnaker halyards, one reef line, and outhaul and topping lifts. The installation of two turning blocks with space for six lines is a plus, compared to the typical arrangement with four, three-part blocks.

An interesting departure from typical setups is the mainsheet tackle. A double-ended sheet runs forward under the boom to the mast and then aft through turning blocks on both sides of the deck to a stopper. This placement allows trimming of the mainsail from either side of the boat, or by crew sitting on the rail.

Primary winches are Lewmar 50 self-tailers. Lewmar 44 self-tailers are mounted on the coachroof. Spinnaker winches, also Lewmar 44s, are an option.

The mainsheet traveler has Lewmar ball-bearing cars. The genoa sheet cars are adjustable under load.

The interior was fashioned by Beneteau’s in-house designers and has a more traditional, nautical feel than the Park Avenue styling of the Philippe Starck Interiors.

The companionway ladder has three solid fiberglass stairs covered with a teak veneer; the steps are contoured to prevent falls while the boat is heeled. We particularly liked the brushed aluminum handrails running from the cabin sole to the top step.

Removing the stairway provides access to the engine. Batteries housed below the bottom step are easily serviced. An interesting addition to the stairway is a 1″ diameter hole on the engine cover into which a fire extin­guisher can be inserted in the event of a fire in the engine compartment, a requirement of the French Bureau Veritas.

Light and ventilation belowdecks are provided by four Lewmar hatches on the bow and coachroof, three opening ports on each side of the saloon, and two fixed ports in the hull below deck level.

The centerpiece of the saloon is a 44″ long, double-leafed table situated amidships with seating on 3″ thick cushions on each side of the boat. With leafs down, there is unimpeded room to move forward, though racers complain it occupies space that could be used for sausage bags.

Stowage behind each settee is in two compartments enclosed by wood panels measuring 10″ deep and 30″ long; the French touch is evidenced by a dedicated wine locker. There is precious little stowage below the settees, which house polyurethane water tanks.

The galley is a rather ordinary L­shaped area with 6′ 5″ of headroom. It is furnished with a double stainless steel sink equipped with pressurized hot and cold water, a 12-volt refriger­ator and gimbaled Force 10 two-burner stove. However, though there’s adequate room for pots, pans, and utensils, the working surface is so small that galley mates will find preparing big meals a challenge unless covers are provided for the stove and sinks. That solution, however, creates its own obvious set of problems.

Conversely, we’re impressed with the size of the nav station, especially compared to boats on which they appear to be an afterthought.

The chart table measures 41″ x 24 “, and has a hinged 32″ x20″ top. There’s room in the cabinetry for necessary electronic equipment, as well as a hinged instrument panel. All of the wires are color coded. And there is a self-diagnostic function that alerts you to electrical failures. For example, if a cabin light burns out, a light on the panel appears.

Storage in a cabinet on the bulk­head aft of the seat provides a home for binoculars, charts, and gear; a second, 22″ X 22″ locker is beneath the seat. We were pleased to see a design that reflects the importance of work done at the nav station.

The interior layout reflects the French penchant for multiple double-berth staterooms-two mirror image cabins in the stern, a third in the bow.

Headroom aft is 6′ 3”. Each state­room has a 78″ x 60″ wide berth surrounded by varnished wood veneers and a foam-backed hull liner that provides both thermal and acoustic insulation. Ventilation is provided by a port in the cockpit footwell.

The hanging locker has room for six full sets of foul weather gear. Storage space below the starboard berth is shared with an aluminum fuel tank.

Aft of the port stateroom, a removable panel provides access to electrical and plumbing equipment, the steering system, and through-hulls.

Forward of the saloon is the third stateroom and the head. Our first impression of the stateroom was that it would be adequate for one adult or two munchkins but our tape measure proved otherwise; headroom is 6′ 2″, and the V-berth is 7′ 3″ long and 5′ 9″wide at the head, so will be large enough for average-size crew.

Similarly, the head seemed smallish. Accessible from the in cabin or forward stateroom, it has 6′ 2″ head­room. One owner, who described himself as being 6′ 3″ tall and weighing 230 lbs., said the size of the head was a selling point for him. Despite his comments, we think showering in a 40″ x 24″ space will be tight.

Wiring runs and plumbing are easily accessible. Amidships is a centralized manifold or sea chest to which a number of hoses are routed and empty through a single through-hull.

The interior will be suitable for casual cruisers and can be adapted to the needs of racers, though making sea berths out of the double berths aft isn’t the most desirable solution for sleeping securely and comfortably at sea. The wood surfaces are as smooth and well-fitted.

Performance

We sailed the 40.7 on a humid day on Lake Michigan, and talked with two owners who cruise and race their boats. Both gave their boats top marks for both windward and off-wind performance. One commented that “She likes some wind.” Another said, “She loves high wind.” Both described their boats as being very stable.

Under power, they reported that a 30-hp. Volvo diesel equipped with a low-drag Saildrive and two-bladed propeller powered the boat at 5-7 knots; they described her as being easily maneuverable, as we learned on our test sail.

We sailed in 8-12 knots of true wind with a 150% genoa and main­sail. Our first impression was that the boat is easily balanced. Sailing in 12 knots of apparent wind, we practiced ‘no hands’ sailing within minutes of departing the marina. In these light conditions we had little tension on the backstay, the vang was off, and the jib halyard was soft. The knotmeter displayed speeds of 5.8-6.2 knots

Beneteau advertises that sheeting angles are 10, so in the same wind we hardened the sheets and sailed to within 36 of apparent wind at 6.75 knots.

In lighter winds of 9 knots we footed off 10 and saw speed increase by 1/2 knot.

Winds died completely before we were able to hoist a spinnaker and test her downwind performance. Both owners reported speeds of 8-10 knots in 12-15 knot winds sailing high jibe angles.

The Farr and Beneteau design teams appear to have produced a versatile boat that will satisfy club racers and cruisers with a penchant for speed. She’s spacious and nicely finished. Longer-term cruisers may have to con­vert one stateroom to stowage.

Priced at $154,900, fob East Coast port of entry, the boat’s list of standard equipment includes a suit of sails, ProFurl furler, and Volvo engine. Spinnaker gear, racing sails, and a complete electronic package will add $10,000-$30,000 to the purchase price.

The Beneteau 40.7 incorporates a number of clever and sensible design features that we like, such as the plumbing manifold and removable cockpit seat modules.

Contact- Beneteau, 24 N. Market St., Suite 201, Charleston, SC 29401; 843/805-5000.

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Beneteau Oceanis 40

Beneteau Oceanis 40 is a 39 ′ 10 ″ / 12.2 m monohull sailboat designed by Berret-Racoupeau and built by Beneteau starting in 2008.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Shallow draft: 5.09’/ 1.55 m Asymmetric spinnaker: 960 sq. ft./89.20 m²

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Beneteau 40

• By Mark Pillsbury
• Updated: December 17, 2007

Comfortable and stylish belowdecks and well organized topsides, the Beneteau 40 showed light-air performance on the waters off Annapolis last fall that hinted at good handling in a stiffer breeze and convinced the BOTY judges that this boat was a standout among the Midsize Cruisers.

The 40 is the latest in a line of new production cruisers from Beneteau. Its hull is straight from the drawing boards of Berret Racoupeau and features a fine entry, what BOTY judge Steve Callahan described as broad shoulders, and a fairly beamy transom under a wide cockpit and twin wheels.

Below, the straight-lined, modern interior comes from Nauta, the interior designer for the Beneteau range, which currently starts at 37 feet and includes a 43-footer, a 46-footer, and the 49-foot model that was a BOTY winner in 2007.

The boat the judges sailed in Annapolis was a two-cabin model with roomy aft and V-berth queen bunks, a head with separate shower to starboard at the foot of the companionway, and a compact, functional galley to port. Several opening ports and hatches provide ample ventilation and light, and the luster of the moabi mahogany woodwork is accented by off-white upholstery and panels throughout the saloon, making for airy and cheery surroundings throughout.

A roller-furling headsail and standard in-mast furling main make setting and dousing sails a simple task. Twin wheels provide good visibility of the rig on either tack.

The judges also took note of the positives found in the boat’s all-glass hull and Plexus-bonded bulkheads while agreeing that such construction details as the iron keel and stainless-steel keel bolts helped the builder to reach the boat’s value-oriented price tag of $180,000-all in all, lots of boat for the buck.

Beneteau 40 Specs

LOA: 39′ 10″ LWL: 34′ 0″ Beam: 12′ 10″ Draft: 6′ 3″/ 5′ 1″ Sail Area 680 Displacement: 18,210 Water: 95 gal Fuel: 53 gal Engine: Yanmar 40 hp Designer: Berret/Racoupeau Beneteau 843-629-5307 www.beneteauusa.com

To read more Cruising World reviews of Beneteau sailboats, click here . To visit Beneteau America’s website, click here .

• More: 2001 - 2010 , 31 - 40 ft , beneteau , blue water , Bluewater Cruising , Coastal Cruising , keelboat , monohull , Sailboat Reviews , Sailboats
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New to the Fleet: Pegasus Yachts 50

Balance 442 “lasai” set to debut, sailboat review: tartan 455, meet the bali 5.8, route planning in the face of climate change, how to rig everything in your favor, imtra named employee-owned company of the year.

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40 years of iconic  brand heritage. The signature features of the FIRST range have not changed since its conception in 1977 – these boats have always been designed for  sailors  who enjoy club racing as much as cruising, joining them into one cohesive product line, the proverbial  best  of both worlds. Today, BENETEAU takes another step in this direction with the launch of the new FIRST range.  These boats offer simplicity, performances, and comfortable interiors and cockpits geared towards daysailing and coastal cruising. Renewing the competition spirit of the brand, they represent a true adaptation to the  needs and expectations  of the widest variety of sailors.

Iconic Line

• Performance

Easy to Handle

A gold standard.

• Sailing Programmes

With beautifully slender hulls and a style second to none, First yachts have always caught the eye of seasoned sailors. From the outset, they were designed to thrill keen regatta racers and demanding performance sailors and they epitomize the joy of sailing like no other boat. Boasting the most advanced engineering, their performance under sail is a gauge for winning races whatever the sailing grounds. But they are also ideal for cruising with family or friends and will make the thrill of travelling the seas a new passion. This mixed use and the sailing community’s satisfaction has led to the success of the line.

Roll on Performance

As soon as you cast off, you feel the thrill of sailing a First. All it takes is to hoist the sails and these fast cruisers give their best performance. Thanks to a taut hull that is specially designed to be light weight, the boat flies along in the slightest breeze. Look out for the puff that propels the First forward and enjoy its surfing potential at any speed. 

The First sailing yachts are designed to make sailing easy and exciting, so that everyone can enjoy the sailing experience. They are reassuringly stable, even in a good breeze, and they are always safe and a pleasure to sail, no matter how big or small your crew is. Sail hoisting manoeuvres are fluid. Sailing is safe and effortless. 

A remarkable team

Similar to the IMOCA or Class40, the new First 36 and First 44 have their own legacy, built on considerable technical expertise. The FIRST yachts are designed and developed by a design team of architects, designers, engineers, our partner sailmakers, and mast and deck fitting manufacturers to optimise every detail and ensure that they all have the latest technology and expertise.

The first model in the line – the First 30 – was the boat used for three years by the Tour de France à la Voile, and many racers also chose it for the Course de l’Aurore (former Solitaire du Figaro) including Michel Malinosky, Eugène Riguidel and Bruno Peyron.

Outstanding Performance and Open to a Variety of Sailing Programmes

First sailing yachts are highly versatile and can be used for all sorts of programmes. They are ideal for a trip to sea to fine tune your boat and get out your code zero or asymmetric spinnaker with a crew that loves sailing whatever the weather. They are perfect for a weekend, making the most of the First’s speed and setting sail for a distant anchorage. They are great for a holiday, to enjoy the pleasure of coastal or ocean cruising in a well-equipped boat.  

All First news

SV Lenny takes a spot on the 2023 Transpac podium!

After 11 days at sea, the SV Lenny and her crew placed second in their class. The crew gave their feedback on the boat pre and post race.

2023 Transpac - Meet the Crew of SV Lenny

In June 2023, a few days before SV Lenny started the 2023 Transpac, we spoke to the crew about the race, the boat and their connection to the legendary BENETEAU First boats. 

New First 44 “Lenny” will race in the 2023 Transpac

Two legendary races, one Ocean, a new boat from a long successful line of great boats, and a remarkable crew who have sailed on major boat races around the world … BENETEAU’s First 44 is starting a Pacific adventure like no other before.

Models of the range

Length Overall

4.3 m / 14’1’’

Beam overall

1.7 m / 5’7’’

7.29 m / 23’ 11’’

2.5 m / 8’ 2’’

7.99 m / 26’ 3’’

2.54 m / 8’ 4’’

10.97 m / 36'0"

3.8 m / 12'6''

14.65 m / 48’1’’

4.25 m / 13'11''

17.12 m / 56’2’’

5 m / 16’5’’

Former First

We would redesign the sail plan, keel, interior layout, and shape of the coachroof with André Mauric, and it would be called the First. Nobody was expecting this. We showed the First at the Paris Boat Show and it was a revelation. It would become a legendary class. This was the boat that would really open the way for export.

Annette Roux - 130 years of commitment to the sea  (1980)

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