Beneteau 321 Oceanis Review for Used Boat Shoppers

The Beneteau 321 Oceanis, Groupe Finot's second take on a 32

The beneteau 321 oceanis came out of a specific brief. According to Yachting Monthly, Beneteau commissioned Groupe Finot in 1994 to produce a Mk II of the Philippe Briand Oceanis 320, and the result had more beam, shallower draft, a broader transom, a longer waterline, higher topsides and a far bigger interior. Beneteau's heritage site files it with the Oceanis 300, 351 and 400 in its 1991 to 1994 generation, and sailboatdata dates the first hulls to 1995.

It was built in France, sold widely in Europe and the Caribbean, and earned its living in charter fleets as much as in private hands. Wikipedia and sailboatdata say it stayed in production until the Oceanis 331 replaced it, which happened in 1999. That makes every surviving 321 between about 27 and 31 years old, and a used buyer should read its history before its brochure.

Moorings, Stardust and Clipper: one hull, several badges

Sailboatdata lists four charter names for the same boat: Moorings 321 and 322, and Stardust 322 and 323. The Oceanis Clipper 321 was the better-equipped version, with what Beneteau sold as a ready-to-sail inventory. If you see any of these names on a listing, you are looking at the same Finot hull, usually in a three-cabin layout.

How many were built is less certain than it looks. Sailboatdata and Wikipedia both give 848 hulls, while Yachting Monthly's used boat profile says charter sales ensured 420 were built. The higher figure probably counts every badge, but either way this is a common boat, and that helps both prices and parts.

Wider, shallower, longer on the waterline

Beneteau's September 1997 Clipper sheet gives 9.95 m (32 ft 8 in) overall, a 9.74 m hull, an 8.95 m (29 ft 4 in) waterline, a 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) beam and 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) of draft. Displacement is about 4,400 kg (9,700 lb) with 1,400 kg of ballast. Sail area is 58 m2, split between a 23 m2 mainsail and a 35 m2 furling genoa, with a 77 m2 spinnaker on top.

Against the 320 that is 34 cm more length, 16 cm more beam and half a meter more waterline, all carried into a boat only 400 kg heavier. Sailboatdata's ratios put the sail area to displacement at about 17.7 and the displacement to length at about 171, so the 321 is less sprightly than the 320 but faster on its longer waterline, with a theoretical hull speed of about 7.3 knots. Yachting Monthly judged that despite all the extra volume she sails reasonably well.

One aft cabin or two, and why the galley shrinks

Two interiors were built. The single aft cabin plan puts a 1.45 by 2.10 m double on the starboard side, with a hanging locker and stowage beneath the berth. The two-cabin plan splits the aft end into a pair of 1.40 by 1.95 m doubles. Both share a forward cabin with a 2.00 by 1.70 m berth and a separation door, a saloon with a U-shaped settee to starboard and a straight settee to port, and a head with a marine toilet, shower and oilskin hooks. Headroom is 1.85 m in the saloon and galley and 1.90 m at the companionway.

Yachting Monthly's verdict is worth knowing before viewing. The saloon is enormously wide, but the chart table is rudimentary. The galley is very spacious in the single aft cabin version and on the small side in the twin. The forecabin is cramped and stowage is at a premium. In short, the layout suits a charter week better than a long private cruise, and a private owner should hunt for the single aft cabin boat.

Inside the September 1997 Clipper specification

The 1997 equipment list shows what a Clipper buyer received. On deck were two Lewmar 30 CSTO genoa winches and a Lewmar 16 CSTO halyard winch, a mechanical windlass in a self-bailing anchor well, an 815 mm wheel on a pedestal with compass, an opening transom with bathing platform and ladder, and a cockpit shower. The rig used a single set of spreaders, a double backstay and a baby stay, with a 140 percent furling genoa and a semi-full-battened main with lazy jacks.

Below, the joinery was cherry-treated mahogany, the galley had a two-burner stove with oven and a polyester icebox with an electric fridge, the 190 liter water tank fed a pressurized hot and cold system, and electrics ran on two 60 amp batteries with 220 volt shore power and a radio cassette player. The structure combined a solid laminated hull with a bonded structural liner and a balsa-sandwich deck, protected by Beneteau's BWS system.

• Two Lewmar 30 CSTO genoa winches, one Lewmar 16 CSTO halyard winch
• Opening transom, bathing platform and cockpit shower
• Electric fridge, pressurized hot and cold water
• 70 liter fuel tank and fixed three-blade propeller

Volvo or Yanmar: the engines you will meet

Beneteau specified a diesel with heat exchanger cooling but left the model to the price list, with a 70 liter (18 gallon) tank and a fixed three-blade propeller. Sailboatdata notes that boats sold in the USA had the Yanmar 3GM30F of 27 hp. European listings today show Volvo Penta MD2030 and MD2020 units, plus the odd Yanmar 3GM30, so the engine on any given boat depends on where and when it was sold.

After 30 years, many have been replaced. The questions to ask are the same for any of them: hours, the date of the last heat exchanger and exhaust elbow service, the condition of the engine mounts and the shaft seal. A boat with a recent repower deserves a real premium over one with a tired original.

Buying a 321 that worked for a living

Most 321s on the market have done at least some charter work, and that leaves a pattern of wear. Look at the rudder bearings and steering cables, which take a beating from inexperienced helmsmen, and at the keel to hull joint for evidence of groundings. Charter boats also accumulate holes in the deck from added gear, each one a possible path for water into the balsa core.

None of this is a reason to walk away. A well surveyed ex-charter 321 can be good value at $30,000 to $45,000, and the best privately kept boats with newer engines and sails reach the mid-$50,000s. Running costs for a 33 ft boat in a typical US market are about $6,500 to $12,500 a year before upgrades.

321 versus 311, 331 and 323

Beneteau's numbering confuses buyers. The 311 is a lighter, narrower Finot 31 from 1998 that sat beside the 321 for a year. The 331 replaced the 321 in 1999 and is about 40 cm longer. The 323 is a 2000s Finot design with more freeboard and beam carried aft. If you want the most interior per dollar from this era, the 321 is the one; if you want a better sailing boat of the same size, look at the 311 or the 323.