Beneteau 350 Oceanis, the Original Oceanis on Today's Market

The Beneteau 350 Oceanis that started a line

The beneteau 350 oceanis is where the Oceanis name begins. Sailboatdata notes that along with the 430 it was the very first boat of the range, and Yachting Monthly calls it the forerunner of the Oceanis marque, designed by Philippe Briand in 1985 and setting new parameters for mainstream cruising design and pricing. Practical Sailor dates production from 1986 to 1993 and reports that about 144 were built at Beneteau's plant in Marion, South Carolina, with more in France. In the US it was first introduced as the Oceanis 35.

The concept was sharply focused on the charter market, Yachting Monthly says, but family owners noticed it too. Practical Sailor saw it as a good example of Beneteau's influence on sailboat styling: smoked wraparound windows, a scooped transom with molded steps and curvy interior shapes that American builders were slow to adopt. Today it is one of the cheapest ways into a 34 ft cruiser with standing headroom and two private cabins.

Long waterline, shallow forefoot, wide stern

Beneteau's brochure gives 10.30 m overall, a 10.10 m hull, a 9.13 m (29 ft 11 in) waterline and a 3.43 m (11 ft 3 in) beam. Displacement is about 4,800 kg (10,582 lb) with roughly 1,800 kg of ballast, and the sail plan pairs a 21 m2 main with a 35.4 m2 furling genoa. Practical Sailor calculated a displacement to length ratio of 178 and a sail area to displacement ratio of 16.2, generous but not excessive, while noting that the 350 name oversells a boat that is 33 ft 10 in long.

The hull is fairly light with little below the waterline, including bilge. Yachting Monthly says the very shallow forefoot makes handling poor in a seaway, while the boat is quick and responsive in light to medium winds. Owners quoted by Practical Sailor split on pounding, but agreed on the rest: not enough sail for winds under 6 knots, a need to reef the main in 20 knots or on a beam reach to keep the boat balanced, and genuine pace once the wind passes 13 knots, with one owner seeing 8 to 9 knots in 20 to 25. The wide stern tends to wander in a big following sea.

Fin or wing keel, depending on who you ask

Two keels exist, about 1.56 m (5 ft 1 in) for the fin and about 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) for the wing keel, but the sources disagree on which was standard. Practical Sailor says the 4 ft 2 in wing keel was standard and the 5 ft 2 in fin optional; Yachting Monthly says a low-aspect fin was standard and the wing an option. That probably reflects US and European spec lists, so ask the seller and check the boat out of the water.

Both are external cast iron, with keel bolts screwed into steel inserts cast into the keel, and on the wing version the winglets are bolted on. One owner told Practical Sailor the wings can foul a second anchor rode, so he used chain or a weight on the second line. The rudder is a balanced spade behind what designer Bob Perry calls a skeglet, and the prop shaft exits through a short supporting skeg.

Owner's aft cabin or two doubles

Beneteau's drawings show two layouts: an owner's version with one aft cabin and a large head, and a two aft cabin version. Practical Sailor says the twin aft cabin charter boat was built only in France, yet also describes the three-cabin plan as the one found on most 350s, so expect to see both. Yachting Monthly warns that the head is rather cramped in the twin version and that stowage, never generous, gets worse. One owner put it plainly: by cramming three cabins in, the boat is for small people. The forecabin is little more than a sleeping platform.

The galley opposite the head has a two-burner stove with oven, double round sinks that owners like because they hold bottles and pots securely, Frigoboat 12 volt refrigeration and an icebox that holds ice for four days in the tropics. The navigation seat faces aft so the navigator can talk to the helm. Light ash veneer makes the cabins airy but dents easily and darkens with moisture. Ventilation is the near-unanimous complaint: one deck vent in the head and a forward hatch too small to pass a sailbag.

Smoked skylight and a boardable transom

The low coachroof with its smoked skylight and the wide, boardable transom were striking in 1986, and Practical Sailor credits the 350 with popularizing the scoop that became standard on cruisers. The aft cabin raises the cockpit slightly, and one owner found the backrests comfortably angled but short. The same owner praised the cockpit drains and the propane locker, which also takes outboard fuel and spare diesel. The bridgedeck sits level with the cockpit seats, a good safety feature at the cost of a steep ladder.

The rig is a masthead sloop with double spreaders swept back enough to do without fore and aft lowers, plus a baby stay. Narrow sheeting angles help it point. Beneteau's November 1990 list specifies Lewmar 43 genoa winches, a Goiot windlass, teak-covered cockpit benches and an 800 mm wheel.

The circuit board panel and other owner complaints

Several owners told Practical Sailor about the electrical system. The panel used electronic circuit breakers mounted on a printed circuit board, with heavy wires soldered to a terminal strip; movement gradually fractured the small leads and one owner rebuilt the board. Another reported wire that was undersized and untinned, with voltage drops bad enough that cycling the freshwater pump switched the stereo on and off. Any 350 you buy should either have been rewired or be priced for it.

Other reports include leaks and adhesive outgassing at the wraparound skylight, a flimsy anchor locker lid, a bow roller too short for an articulated plow, and French hardware that is good but hard to source: one 1988 owner struggled to find parts for his Goiot furler, Optimus stove and Plastimo bilge pump. The hull to deck joint is a shoebox riveted on 6 inch centers and through-bolted only at the stanchion bases, where one owner had his only leaks.

Volvo 2003 power and 21 gallons of diesel

Practical Sailor lists a 28 hp Volvo Penta 2003 that is easily serviced and cruises the boat at 7 knots at 2,000 to 2,200 rpm, with 21 gallons of fuel, while warning that Volvo parts are expensive. Beneteau's brochure gives 80 liters of fuel and about 300 liters of water; Practical Sailor says 82 gallons. A French 1987 example on the market still runs a Volvo 2003, but many US boats will have been repowered by now. Ask for the date and the installer, and check the engine mounts and shaft alignment either way.

A sub-$50,000 cruiser, with conditions

Practical Sailor added the Oceanis 350 to its list of affordable cruising sailboats under $50,000, alongside the Bristol 35.5C, Niagara 35 and Tartan 37, praising its modern underbody and upwind ability while preferring lead to its iron keel. It found late 1980s boats around $45,000. A realistic 2026 range is about $22,000 to $48,000, and annual running costs about $6,500 to $13,000. Yachting Monthly's advice still stands: check the history of any 350 and get a thorough survey.