Beneteau Oceanis 36 CC, a Center Cockpit Buyer's Review

Beneteau Oceanis 36 CC: a First 36s7 hull under a center cockpit

The beneteau oceanis 36 cc is an unusual mix: a race-bred hull wearing a family cruiser's deck. Practical Sailor explains that the hull began as the First 36s7 performance cruiser, with a narrow entry, fairly straight-sided forebody and a long, gradual exit, all of which most tubby center cockpit hulls lack. Sailboatdata confirms the shared hull. Beneteau's brochure, dated May 1997, presented it as the latest addition to its center cockpit range.

Yachting Monthly says Beneteau first stepped, almost reluctantly, into center cockpit yachts in 1993, that the move was immediately successful, and that this 1997 boat became the biggest seller of its four center cockpit designs to that point. It became the Oceanis 36CC Clipper in 2000. Sailboatdata dates production to 2002, while Practical Sailor says it ended in 2003. There is no plain Oceanis 36; searches for beneteau oceanis 36 and beneteau 36cc lead here.

Berret, Racoupeau and Armel Briand's styling

Jean Berret, who made his name with Ton Cup winners and the Beneteau One Ton that dominated the 1987 Admiral's Cup, drew the boat with Olivier Racoupeau, and Armel Briand styled it. Practical Sailor credits Briand with a faceted transom, a subdued blister coachroof and an elongated hull port, a more traditional look than Philippe Starck's Firsts of the late 1980s.

Beneteau's figures are 11.10 m (36 ft 5 in) overall, a 10.80 m hull, a 9.48 m (31 ft 1 in) waterline, a 3.80 m (12 ft 6 in) beam and 1.53 m (5 ft) of draft, with about 5,500 kg of light displacement and a 24 m2 main plus a 34.7 m2 genoa. Practical Sailor works from a heavier 13,382 lb and gives a displacement to length ratio of 197 and a sail area to displacement ratio of 15.65, numbers that confirm a boat built for comfort first.

Upwind in a chop, then a chunky rocket off the wind

Practical Sailor did not flatter the 36 CC upwind. In light to moderate air and a seaway it found her worse than most: almost all the power comes from the genoa, the rail-mounted tracks do not allow tight sheeting, the winged keel adds drag at low speed and the furling main is too small and shapeless to help. Compared with the First 36s7, the Oceanis carries a 258 sq ft main against 315 and a 5 ft 2 in wing keel against a 6 ft fin, and weighs far more.

Beam gives fine initial stability, but with ballast at only 31 percent of displacement the righting moment falls off once she heels, and reefing with a standard genoa that sets too full when partly rolled is not a complete answer. Off the wind the picture changes. Practical Sailor called her a chunky rocket on a reach or run, quick to click off passage miles, and able to answer her deep 4 ft 8 in rudder rather than spin out when a puff buries the quarter.

Teak bulwarks, deck lockers and a high cockpit

The cockpit sits high, giving the helm excellent visibility for anchoring, and it seats about three in real comfort; Yachting Monthly found it larger than some center cockpits of similar length. A fixed windscreen or Beneteau's hard spray hood was optional, and the coaming was shaped forward to take one. Teak-slatted seats, a teak grating under the helm and a solid teak bulwark around the deck finish it.

Stowage is better than on most center cockpit boats: a cockpit locker to starboard, two side lockers on the side decks and three aft deck lockers for lines, fenders and gas bottles. Beneteau's September 2000 list includes an 800 W electric windlass, a teak-slatted swim platform with a folding ladder, two Lewmar 44 self-tailing genoa winches and a Lewmar 30 maneuvering winch. Practical Sailor notes that backing to starboard is hard until she gathers way, while she walks to port in reverse with a three-blade prop.

Two double cabins and a passage galley

This is an owner's boat, not a charter layout, with just two double cabins. The aft master cabin has its double offset to starboard so you can walk and stand beside it, plus a settee, dressing table, hanging locker and stowage; the 2000 list gives the berth as 1.95 by 1.50 m. The forward cabin has a 2.00 by 1.40 m double and two hanging lockers. Practical Sailor measured the berths as wide but short, 6 ft 2 in aft and a tapered 6 ft 4 in forward.

The galley runs along the port passage to the aft cabin with about six feet of counter, double stainless sinks, a two-burner oven, a 130 liter icebox and a 12 volt fridge. The saloon is forward with a centerline table whose leaves give access to the forward cabin, and the head with shower is forward to starboard; its door swings into the navigation area, where a sliding seat tucks under the large chart table. Headroom is about 6 ft 1 in in most places and 6 ft in the head and galley passage. Locker fronts are caned, and the joinery is cherry-stained mahogany with teak as an option.

An engine room with space for a generator

The engine sits under the companionway in a compartment Practical Sailor called much bigger than most, with superior access to filters, injectors and oil fill and realistic room for a generator or air conditioning, which Beneteau's list mentions. The 2000 list offers three engines to be specified on order: a Volvo Penta 2030 of 28 hp, a Yanmar 3GM30F of 27 hp, or a Volvo Penta 2040 of 40 hp, the most powerful Beneteau allowed. Practical Sailor's test boat had the 27 hp Yanmar and reached hull speed easily with throttle to spare.

Tankage is generous for a 36: about 420 liters of water in two tanks and a fuel tank Beneteau listed at about 150 liters in 1997 and 130 liters in 2000. The 30 mm stainless shaft is protected by a skeg, with a fixed three-blade propeller.

Composite rudder stock, a bonded grid and the Isofurl recall

Practical Sailor describes hulls hand-laid in a female mold with vinylester in the skin against osmosis and polyester behind, reinforced with a full-length grid that runs to about a foot above the waterline and includes chainplate tie-downs, engine bed, water tanks and sump. The rudder stock is a composite of unidirectional glass, nearly three times stronger than the stainless it replaced and immune to internal corrosion, though some owners reported steering play that Beneteau fixed with a new bearing plate. The deck is end-grain balsa with solid glass under hardware, joined to an inward-turning hull flange with polyurethane adhesive and screws through the teak toerail.

Furling main and genoa were standard. Beneteau originally used Isofurl, but after some headsail furler failures in Europe a recall replaced them with Facnor units. Any boat still carrying an original Isofurl headsail furler deserves a hard look.

The 2000 Clipper and the Beneteau 36cc for sale today

From 2000 the boat was sold as the Oceanis 36CC Clipper, with Beneteau's ready-to-sail equipment. Today's US asks run about $45,000 to $80,000, with 40 hp boats, good canvas and recent standing rigging at the top. Annual running costs are about $8,000 to $15,500. Practical Sailor's conclusion still holds: for people under six feet it offers more living space than almost anything of comparable size, goes to weather better than most center cockpit boats though not well, and reaches and runs with real quickness.