Beneteau 311 Oceanis (Oceanis Clipper 311) Buyer's Guide

Beneteau 311, Oceanis 311 and Oceanis Clipper 311 explained

Brokers list this boat under at least three names, and buyers searching for the Beneteau 311 Oceanis end up seeing all of them. They are one Groupe Finot design introduced in 1998. In Europe it was the Oceanis 311, and the Oceanis Clipper 311 was the better-equipped version, part of the Clipper generation Beneteau developed with The Moorings and sold from 1995 to 2008. In the US the same boat was sold as the Beneteau 311 through Beneteau USA. Practical Sailor reported that more than a thousand had been built, and sailboatdata gives a figure of 1,042.

The 311 belongs to a busy family of Finot 31 footers. Sailboatdata links its hull lineage to the Oceanis 300, First 310, First 31.7 and the Stardust 311 charter version, which explains why the 311 sails more briskly than its cruising brief suggests. It was replaced by the Oceanis Clipper 323 in the mid-2000s, and Practical Sailor's later review of that boat described the 311 as only moderately successful in the US market, probably because American buyers wanted more beam and volume than this narrow, light boat offered.

A light hull and the numbers behind it

Beneteau's 2002 brochure lists an overall length of 9.85 m (32 ft 4 in), a hull length of 9.50 m, a waterline of 8.80 m and a beam of just 3.23 m (10 ft 7 in). Light displacement is 3,650 kg (8,047 lb) with the fixed keel and 3,950 kg for the lift keel, and sail area is about 50 m2 (538 sq ft) on a fractional rig with one set of spreaders. That gives a sail area to displacement ratio around 22 on sailboatdata's figures, high for a family cruiser of the period.

Practical Sailor's comparison of the Beneteau 311, Catalina 310 and Hunter 326 found the Beneteau about 30 percent lighter than the Catalina and, on paper, the fastest of the three. All three exceeded 6 knots on a reach in 12 to 15 knots of wind and motored easily at 5 to 6 knots. The light weight has a flip side: the 311 is livelier and less forgiving in a short steep sea than heavier American designs, and it needs reefing early.

The lift-keel, twin-rudder 311 that sits on the beach

The most interesting version never sold in large numbers in the US. Beneteau offered the Oceanis Clipper 311 with a lifting keel and twin rudders, drawing 0.80 m (2 ft 7 in) with the keel up and 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) down. The trick is that most of the ballast is a cast-iron shoe fixed permanently under the hull, so stability does not depend on the plate's position. The pivoting cast-iron keel itself, a NACA-profile foil drawn by Finot, weighs about 300 kg and is raised with a simple mechanical jack.

When the tide goes out, the boat settles on the winged forward part of the ballast shoe and its two reinforced rudders, forming a stable tripod. For owners in Brittany, the Channel Islands or the Bahamas banks, that opens up harbors and anchorages a fixed-keel boat cannot reach. If you find one in North America, check the jack, pivot pin and rudder stocks carefully.

Inside, the comfort of a Clipper

Beneteau's brochure promised the comfort of a Clipper, and the layout is a sensible two-cabin plan with 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) of headroom at the companionway. The galley is to port with a gimballed stove, a 12 V fridge and pressurized hot and cold water. Aft of it is the owner's cabin, whose 2.00 by 1.95 m berth can be slept on fore and aft or athwartships. To starboard is a large head with shower and a hanging locker. A symmetrical saloon has two long settees around a drop-leaf table, with the chart table just forward.

Practical Sailor liked the finish, which it rated the best of its three test boats, and the cabins, which it found more spacious than the Hunter's. It was less impressed by the galley's small counter, roughly 18 by 20 inches, and by a chart table that houses the refrigerator and leaves no legroom. The forward cabin's V-berth is about 80 inches long.

Deck, rig and cockpit

The cockpit has seat lockers on both sides, big enough for lines, fenders and a rolled inflatable, and a 32-inch wheel on a pedestal with a folding table. Shrouds land on deck, side decks are 16 to 18 inches wide, and mainsheet controls sit forward of the companionway so they stay out of the cockpit. A solid vang was standard, which helps sail shape. Many 311s have in-mast furling mains, which shorten the luff slightly and reduce sail area; Practical Sailor's test boats with furling mains lost 17 to 20 percent of their sail area against a full-cut main.

Buying a 25-year-old Beneteau 311

Every 311 is now well over 20 years old, so condition matters more than model year. The main wear items are the original 18 to 20 hp diesels (many have been replaced), standing rigging, furling gear, deck hardware bedding and the cored deck around stanchions. Check the keel bolts and the grid for signs of hard groundings, because the structure is bonded and lighter than older American boats. Original cherry-tone joinery holds up well, but soft cushions, headliners and portlights will likely need attention.

Running a 311 is inexpensive: about $7,000 to $14,000 a year in most US markets covers a 32 ft slip, insurance, haul-out and maintenance. The bigger risk is a deferred-maintenance bill on purchase, so price the boat with a survey in hand.