Beneteau Oceanis 35.1 Owner's Review and Buying Guide

Oceanis 35.1: what Beneteau changed from the 35

The oceanis 35.1 is not a new hull. Sailboatdata and Wikipedia both describe it as a development of the 2014 Oceanis 35, first built in 2017, and Yachting Monthly confirms the two share the same 9.97 m hull with its beamy, chined shape and twin rudders. What changed was the way the boat was sold and lived in. The removable forward bulkhead and the Day Sailer, Week Ender and Cruiser trim levels gave way to four fixed layouts, the forecabin got double doors, an L-shaped galley became an option, and a line on the topsides now picks out the hull chine.

Beneteau's 2021 equipment list also shows a heavier, deeper boat on paper: 5,966 kg (13,149 lb) light against 5,533 kg for the Oceanis 35 Cruiser, a deep keel drawing 1.94 m instead of 1.85 m, and the 30 hp Yanmar fitted as standard instead of the 20 hp. Beneteau's brochure sums up the pitch as practical features, performance and elegance on a boat size where function usually outweighs personalization.

Four layouts, and the one an owner would pick

The brochure lists two or three cabins, each with either an L-shaped galley to port of the 45-degree companionway or a long galley, always with one head. The L-galley lets the saloon become a facing-seat arrangement that Beneteau says seats eight. Yachting Monthly's Graham Snook, who tested the original 35 in 2015, sailed an owner's 2018 lifting keel 35.1 with one aft cabin and the L-galley and called it the best layout.

That plan gives a vast aft cabin whose berth measures at least 1.73 by 2.02 m and widens to 1.98 m outboard, bigger than a super king, plus a shower compartment entirely separate from the head and a cockpit locker big enough for fenders, dinghy, warps and offwind sails. The forward cabin has large hull windows and a 2 m vee berth 1.75 m wide at its widest. Saloon headroom is 1.90 m. The aft-facing chart table folds away, and with the opposite seat back as an infill it becomes a 2.13 m (7 ft) berth. The three-cabin boats have two 1.45 by 2.00 m aft doubles and much less cockpit stowage.

Deeper keels, more weight, and a 100-turn lifting keel

Three keels are listed. The deep cast iron keel draws 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) with 1,559 kg of ballast; the shoal keel draws 1.56 m (5 ft 1 in) with 1,825 kg; and the lifting keel runs from 1.23 m to 2.39 m (4 ft to 7 ft 10 in) with 2,151 kg. The lifting version is raised and lowered with a winch handle in a fitting that protrudes through the saloon table, and it takes about 100 turns to go from one end to the other.

The trade-off is pointing. Yachting Monthly found the lifting keel boat made 35 to 38 degrees apparent, against the 32 to 35 degrees the deep keel Oceanis 35 managed. For most US coastal sailors the shoal keel is a sensible middle ground; the lifter suits the Bahamas, the Gulf Coast and anyone who wants to poke into thin water.

An owner's boat on the Solent

Yachting Monthly's sail on the owner's boat, Dreamtime, was a late October day with 18 knots easing to 10, a season's growth on the hull and the lifting keel down. With one reef and the full genoa she made over 5 knots at 60 and 90 degrees apparent in 13 to 15 knots apparent, dropped below 5 knots only at 120 degrees in 11 to 13 knots, and made 4.3 knots dead downwind in under 9 knots apparent. Under power the 30 hp Yanmar gave 4.4 knots at 2,200 rpm.

Those are modest numbers, but the tester pointed to the fouled bottom and keel type, and praised the helm as free, light and responsive, the opposite of the stiff steering he had found on a new Oceanis 35. The owner, a first-time skipper, said the twin rudders need flow before they bite in close quarters but that she is easy to handle once moving; he had wanted a bow thruster but found he rarely needed one.

Twin wheels, Harken 40s and a clear cockpit

The twin wheels are set aft and well outboard with raised side-deck seats, which improves visibility forward and keeps the helmsman dry. Harken 40 self-tailing genoa winches sit outboard of the wheel consoles, and the engine controls are to port. The mainsheet goes to the coachroof winch, and the composite arch with LED lighting was an option from new; with it, rope bags keep the coachroof lines tidy. Single-line reefing is standard and, on the test boat, could bind even with free-running blocks.

The comfort trim adds a fully opening transom that becomes a 2.60 by 0.70 m swim platform with an integrated telescopic ladder. A liferaft locker sits in the aft cockpit, and the cockpit benches are 1.50 m long. A bowsprit option takes overall length to 10.75 m and carries a code 0 of 47.8 m2 or an asymmetric of 78.8 m2; a 20.8 m2 self-tacking jib was offered in place of the 28.65 m2 genoa.

Injected deck, plastic screw covers and one lifted chainplate

The hull is monolithic fiberglass with a structural inner molding bonded in, and the deck is injection molded with a Saerfoam core, screwed and bonded to the hull. The finish is neat overall but leaves the moldings for different layouts visible, and access panels are held with plastic-covered screws that some owners dislike. Light Alpi oak or mahogany was offered below; later boats list Alpi walnut.

The owner's boat in Yachting Monthly's report had one surprise worth copying into any survey: a D-shaped deck chainplate had lifted about 3 mm from the deck and was missed by the initial survey, found only when a surveyor friend went aloft after noticing a loose VHF antenna and wind indicator. Check every chainplate for movement and sealant cracks. Beneteau's brochure of the period quotes a seven-year structural warranty; on the newest boats, ask whether any of it remains and whether it transfers.

From 35 to 35.1 to 34.1

The family tree is easy once laid out. The Oceanis 35 ran from 2014 to 2016 with the modular interior; the 35.1 followed from 2017 with fixed layouts and double doors forward; Yachting Monthly notes it has since been superseded by the Oceanis 34.1, a Marc Lombard design introduced in 2021. Wikipedia records the 35.1 as out of production by 2021. If a listing calls a boat a 2017 Oceanis 35, check for the double forecabin doors before assuming which model it is.

What a Beneteau 35.1 for sale costs in 2026

Realistic US asking prices run about $115,000 to $170,000, from early three-cabin boats to late two-cabin L-galley boats with the arch, electronics and comfort pack. European asks sit around 109,000 to 149,000 euros. Running costs for a 34 ft boat in most US markets are about $9,500 to $18,000 a year. Budget for a saildrive diaphragm and seal service if the records do not show one, and for a bow thruster only if you will dock stern-to often.