Beneteau Oceanis 370, a 1990 Briand Cruiser for the Budget Buyer

Where the Oceanis 370 sits in the first Oceanis family

The Beneteau Oceanis 370 belongs to the very first generation of the Oceanis line. That range began in 1986 with the Oceanis 350 and 430, both drawn by Philippe Briand, and Beneteau's own heritage archive now groups six boats under the 1986 to 1991 Oceanis banner: the 320, 350, 370, 390, 430 and 500. Sailboatdata dates the 370 to 1990, which makes it one of the last models added before Beneteau moved on to the second generation of Oceanis boats in 1991.

Beneteau marketed it as the sailing boat of the 90s and pitched it on comfort at anchor rather than speed, describing a boat where, sails rolled and anchor down, comfort is the only master on board. Like its sisters it was designed by Philippe Briand, better known to racers for his offshore and maxi designs, working here in a deliberately easy, cruising register.

Beneteau USA still kept a page for the 370 in its earlier models archive in 1999, so the boat was sold in the American market, but it was never common. Most of the fleet is in Europe, and US buyers searching for a Beneteau 370 often turn up a different boat.

Beneteau 370 is not the 373, the 37 or the 37.1

Model numbers in the Oceanis line overlap enough to cause expensive mistakes. The Oceanis 370 is the 1990 Briand boat described here. The Beneteau 373, or Oceanis Clipper 373, is a Berret-Racoupeau design from 2004. The Oceanis 37, sold in the US as the Beneteau 37, is a 2006 Finot-Conq design. The Oceanis 37.1 is a 2023 Marc Lombard boat with twin rudders. All four are listed online as Beneteau 37-something.

The easiest way to confirm a true 370 is the hull identification number and the boat's age: an Oceanis 370 dates from around 1990, carries a masthead rig and a single wheel, and has the softer, rounded coachroof styling of the first Oceanis generation.

• Oceanis 370: Philippe Briand, about 1990, 35 ft 8 in
• Beneteau 373: Berret-Racoupeau, 2004 onward
• Oceanis 37 / Beneteau 37: Finot-Conq, 2006 onward
• Oceanis 37.1: Marc Lombard, 2023 onward

Philippe Briand's numbers, line by line

Sailboatdata gives the 370 an overall length of 35 ft 8 in, a waterline of 31 ft 7 in, a beam of 12 ft 5 in and a displacement of 12,787 lb with 4,078 lb of ballast. That ballast ratio, just under 32 percent, is respectable for a production cruiser, and a displacement to length ratio of about 181 puts the boat in the light to moderate band.

Reported sail area is a modest 548 sq ft, giving a sail area to displacement ratio of about 16. That points to a boat that needs a decent breeze to get going and will appreciate a good genoa in light air. Ted Brewer's comfort ratio of about 21 and a capsize screening value of about 2.1 mark it as a coastal cruiser, which is exactly how Beneteau sold it. Theoretical hull speed is about 7.5 knots.

Those figures are sailboatdata's. We could not find an original Beneteau specification sheet for tankage, engine power or accommodation, so treat any listing that quotes them as something to verify on the boat.

A masthead rig with a short base

The rig is a masthead sloop, and its measurements are a little unusual. The foretriangle base, J, is only about 11 ft, so the 100 percent foretriangle works out to about 243 sq ft while the mainsail triangle is about 288 sq ft. In other words the main is the larger of the two working sails, and the boat depends on an overlapping genoa to reach its reported area.

That has two practical consequences. First, the genoa's condition matters a great deal: a baggy, stretched headsail on a boat like this kills pointing and adds heel. Second, a well-cut main pays dividends, so check what the owner has. Original furling gear of this age should be inspected closely or budgeted for replacement.

Fin or wing, two keels for two kinds of water

Two keels were listed. The standard fin draws 5 ft 1 in, and a wing keel version draws only 4 ft 2 in, according to sailboatdata. The wing keel makes the 370 a genuine thin-water cruiser for the Chesapeake, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, at some cost in windward ability.

Both keels are external fins bolted to the hull. On a boat that is now more than 35 years old, the keel bolts, the keel-to-hull joint and the internal structure around them are the first items a surveyor should look at, especially on a wing keel boat that has spent its life touching bottom.

The first-generation Oceanis and heavy weather

It is worth knowing the reputation of the family. Writing about the later Oceanis 393, PBO noted that the earliest Oceanis models were lightly ballasted, had relatively shallow draft and lacked low center of gravity bulb keels, and that sailing performance and ultimate stability took a back seat to accommodation. It cited the 1997 Bay of Biscay knockdown of a 1989 Oceanis 390, after which the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch called that model safe and comfortable for pleasure sailing and charter but not designed for crossing oceans in bad weather.

That finding was about the 390, not the 370, and the 370's ballast ratio is better than many cruisers of its day. The sensible reading is the same for both boats: this is a coastal and island-hopping cruiser. Choose your weather, reef early and leave ocean crossings to boats designed for them.

Buying a 1990 Oceanis 370 today

At this age, the hull number and the survey matter far more than the brochure. The engine was a Volvo diesel according to sailboatdata, but after three and a half decades many boats will have been repowered, and a recent engine with receipts is the single biggest value item on the boat. Standing rigging, chainplates, deck hardware bedding and the electrical system are the next priorities.

Interiors of this era used light wood veneers and generous opening hatches. Look for water staining on bulkheads and veneer delamination near ports and hatches, which tells you how well the deck has been kept sealed. Soft deck areas around stanchions and the mast step deserve a moisture meter.

Expect to spend about $6,500 to $12,000 a year to keep a 370 in the US, plus a refit reserve if the boat has not been updated. A clean, sorted boat is worth paying more for, because a cheap one can easily absorb its own purchase price in rigging, sails and machinery.

Beneteau 370 prices in 2026

We found no current Oceanis 370 listings to quote, which itself tells you how rare the boat is. Using its bigger sister the Oceanis 390 as a guide, we estimate that a Beneteau Oceanis 370 in the US should ask about $28,000 to $50,000 in 2026, with tired boats below that range and freshly refitted examples possibly above it.

If you are open to similar money, compare the 370 with an Oceanis 350 from the same family or with second-generation boats such as the Oceanis 351. Pick the best maintained boat rather than the model number.