Beneteau Oceanis 40 (Beneteau 40), the 2008 Boat of the Year Cruiser

How the Beneteau 40 won a Boat of the Year title

Beneteau showed three new cruisers at the Annapolis show in October 2006 for the 2007 season, a 37, a 40 and a 43. The 40 was drawn by Berret-Racoupeau with interiors by Nauta Design, and in the US it was sold as the Beneteau 40; in Europe it was the Oceanis 40. Wikipedia notes that boats were built both in France and at Beneteau's plant in Marion, South Carolina.

A year later the 40 was named Best Midsize Cruiser in Cruising World's 2008 Boat of the Year contest. The judges sailed it in light air off Annapolis and found its performance hinted at good handling in a stiffer breeze. They liked the all-glass hull and Plexus-bonded bulkheads, noted that the iron keel and stainless keel bolts helped hold the price to a value-oriented $180,000, and called it lots of boat for the buck.

The Moorings took a charter version, the Moorings 41.3, first built in August 2007 for the 2008 model year. The 40 replaced the Oceanis 393 and gave way to the Oceanis 41, which sailboatdata dates to 2011.

Which 40 foot Beneteau is this?

Searches for a 40 foot Beneteau sailboat turn up several different boats. This page is about the 2007 Berret-Racoupeau Beneteau 40, also called the Oceanis 40. It should not be confused with the Oceanis 400 of 1991 to 1997, a Groupe Finot aft cockpit boat; the Oceanis 40 CC, a center cockpit version of that hull; the racing First 40.7 and First 40; or the Marc Lombard Oceanis 40.1 built from 2020.

The quickest tells for the 2007 boat are twin wheels, a fractional rig, light Moabi joinery inside and a waterline of about 34 ft. The Oceanis 40.1 is much beamier at 13 ft 9 in, with a hard chine and twin rudders.

• Oceanis 400 (1991 to 1997): Groupe Finot aft cockpit, masthead rig
• Oceanis 40 CC: center cockpit boat on the Oceanis 400 hull
• Beneteau 40 / Oceanis 40 (2007 on): Berret-Racoupeau, twin wheels, fractional rig
• Oceanis 40.1 (2020 on): Marc Lombard, chined hull, twin rudders

Fine bow, broad shoulders and a beamy transom

The hull has a fine entry, what Boat of the Year judge Steve Callahan described as broad shoulders, and a fairly beamy transom under a wide cockpit. Cruising World lists it at 39 ft 10 in overall, 34 ft on the waterline and 12 ft 10 in in beam, with 18,210 lb of displacement. Beneteau USA's brochure gave a lighter 16,934 lb and a hull length of 38 ft 11 in; the gap is most likely light versus loaded weight.

Sailboatdata lists 5,198 lb of ballast for the deep keel, a ratio of about 29 percent, and a displacement to length ratio of about 208. That is a moderate, comfortable cruiser rather than a light flyer, and the comfort ratio of about 26 is higher than the smaller Oceanis models of the period. Theoretical hull speed is about 7.8 knots.

Fractional rig, twin wheels and the furling main

Beneteau USA delivered the 40 with a 9/10 fractional, deck-stepped mast with twin aft-swept spreaders, an in-mast furling main and a 140 percent furling genoa with the drum on deck. Reported sail area is 843 sq ft, made up of a 414 sq ft main and a 429 sq ft genoa, and an asymmetric spinnaker of about 960 sq ft was offered. The mast stands about 58 ft above the water.

Two Lewmar 46 self-tailing primaries sit on the coamings and two Lewmar 40s on the coachroof, and all running rigging leads aft. Twin 36 in wheels give good sight of the sails on either tack and a clear path to the swim platform, reached by a pivoting seat. Each helm has its own compass, and the cockpit table has room for a plotter on its aft face.

As with most furling-main cruisers, a conventional battened main is the best upgrade for anyone who wants to point higher or race under PHRF.

Two cabins with a shower stall, or three with two heads

The two cabin boat the judges sailed has queen-size berths fore and aft, a head with a separate shower to starboard at the foot of the companionway and a compact galley to port. Beneteau USA's brochure lists 6 ft 3 in of headroom and a 6 ft 6 in by 5 ft 3 in berth in the forward owner's cabin, an aft-facing chart table, a U-shaped dinette and an aft cabin with a 6 ft 10 in by 4 ft 11 in double. The galley has a double sink, a gimbaled two burner stove with oven, a 4.55 cu ft front-opening fridge, a 2 cu ft top-loading freezer and a microwave that runs on shore power.

Wikipedia describes the three cabin version as adding a second aft cabin to port, moving the galley into the saloon and adding a second head with the forward cabin. It suits families and charter fleets, while the two cabin version is the better boat for a couple who value the big galley and storage.

Systems from the US brochure

Power is a 40 hp Yanmar, a 3JH4E according to sailboatdata, on a shaft with a fixed three-blade propeller and GRP protection for the shaft. Access is under the companionway steps on gas struts. Fuel is 52 to 53 gallons in a rotomolded tank. Water is 95 gallons in two tanks, about 52 gallons under the port aft berth and 42 under the forward berth, and the holding tank is 21 gallons.

Electrics were a 200 amp hour service battery and a 95 amp hour start battery, charged by an 80 amp alternator and a 40 amp shore charger, with low battery and low fuel alarms. A 1,000 watt vertical windlass was standard. Many boats have since added solar, larger house banks and lithium batteries; ask what has changed.

Deep or shoal, and what PHRF says

The deep keel draws about 6 ft 3 in and the shoal keel about 5 ft 1 in, carrying 4,643 lb of cast iron according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia's PHRF range shows how much the choice matters: about 69 to 135 seconds a mile for deep keel boats against 108 to 162 for shoal boats, the spread also reflecting sails and local fleets.

For Chesapeake and Florida cruising the shoal keel is a reasonable trade; for anywhere with open water and deep harbors, the deep keel is the one to own and the one that sells more easily.

Buying a 2007 to 2010 Beneteau 40

In Europe Beneteau advertised the Oceanis 40 from 116,900 euros in July 2009, with two or three cabins and Advantage or Elegance trim at no extra cost. Today we expect a Beneteau Oceanis 40 for sale in the US to ask about $100,000 to $150,000, with deep keel two cabin boats and those with documented rigging, sail and electronics upgrades at the top.

Ownership runs about $11,000 to $20,000 a year in the US. On a boat now 15 to 19 years old, budget for standing rigging, furling gear and possibly an engine overhaul if the hours are high.