Beneteau Oceanis 41.1 Buyer's Guide, What the Lighter Hull Changed

Why Beneteau added a point one to the Oceanis 41

Beneteau introduced the Oceanis 41.1 at the Miami Boat Show in 2016. SAIL's Zuzana Prochazka summed up the brief as taking something that already worked and making it work better, using owner feedback on the Oceanis 41 of 2011 to 2015. The Finot-Conq hull, with its 13 ft 9 in beam carried aft and a hard chine in the stern sections, stayed essentially the same. What changed was the weight, the rig position and the forward end of the interior.

Searchers looking for the Beneteau 41.1 or the Oceanis 41.1 for sale will sometimes see it lumped together with the original Oceanis 41 or even the 1997 Oceanis 411. They are not interchangeable. The 41.1 is the boat to buy if you want the chined hull with the improved master cabin, and it was eventually succeeded by the Marc Lombard designed Oceanis 40.1, which SAIL reviewed as a new boat in 2021.

Where the missing pounds went

SAIL reported that the 41.1 was about 1,200 lb lighter than the 41, and Yachting Monthly quoted a reduction of 800 kg. Either way, it is a big cut for a boat of this size. Designer Pascal Conq told Yachting Monthly that the hull construction was unchanged and that the savings came from the interior modules: where two panels of cabinetry used to meet, one was simply removed. SAIL added that Beneteau also lightened the transom by dropping the full-width seat lip in favor of two small fold-up seats at the wheels.

Beneteau's North American spec sheet lists a light displacement of 17,271 lb, against 19,350 lb on the Oceanis 41 sheet. The figures are measured to different standards, so do not read the full difference as weight saved, but the direction is clear and the boat feels livelier in light air as a result.

• LOA 40 ft 9 in, waterline 37 ft 4 in, beam 13 ft 9 in
• Draft 7 ft 2 in deep or 5 ft 6 in shoal
• Fuel 53 gal, water 63 gal standard or 87 gal with the optional tank
• Air draft 61 ft 11 in, CE category A for 8 people

Mast aft, self-tacker forward

Beneteau moved the Z-Spars mast aft. That did two things. It opened up the foretriangle, and it freed space in the forward cabin, with the compression post now passing through the saloon table instead. The standard rig SAIL tested carried a 95 percent self-tacking jib on a Facnor furler sheeting to a track ahead of the mast, with tracks outboard of the cabin trunk for larger headsails. Beneteau's equipment list also shows a 106 percent furling genoa of 452 sq ft and a classic mainsail of 430 sq ft, or 355 sq ft for the in-mast furling main.

The mainsheet attaches to the integrated composite arch. Yachting Monthly's test boat had the performance package with a German mainsheet led to the helm winches, and the reviewer found few handholds around the wheels and in the broad cockpit apart from the arch and the fixed table. Options included a bowsprit with a small bobstay for an asymmetric or Code 0, a double bow roller and in-mast furling.

Biscayne Bay in 8 knots, Palma in a Force 5

SAIL's test on Biscayne Bay was in very light air, 6 to 8 knots, which is where a heavy production cruiser usually struggles. The 41.1 made 6.9 knots in 8 knots of true wind at 75 degrees apparent with upgraded Elvstrom laminate sails, accelerated to 7.5 knots on a beam reach in a 10 knot puff, and slowed to 3.7 knots running at 150 degrees, where a Code 0 would have helped. The crew rated it the most enjoyable test sail of the day.

Yachting Monthly sailed one off Palma in a Force 5 with a big swell. Pointing was disappointing above 34 degrees apparent, but the reviewer blamed a rig that could not be tensioned properly on the test boat, and noted that bearing away a few degrees added a knot and a half. Off the wind the boat was respectable, and it handled the sea well, slamming only occasionally off the bigger waves. The lesson for buyers is to check backstay and forestay adjustment on any boat you sail.

The master cabin is the reason to buy one

There are four layouts: two cabins with one or two heads, and three cabins with one or two heads. The saloon, galley and main head stay the same, and only the ends change. Forward, the owner's cabin gets double doors and a forward-facing island bed, either on the centerline or angled to starboard when an ensuite head is fitted. With the doors open the boat feels longer, and three overhead hatches ventilate it well. SAIL expected the centerline bed to be the favorite of US couples, and Beneteau itself called the master cabin the boat's most attractive feature.

A small forward-facing desk sits aft of the cabin bulkhead, opposite a U-shaped settee and a drop-leaf table. The L-shaped galley is to port with a two-burner stove and oven, top and side opening refrigeration that Yachting Monthly measured at 190 liters, and soft-close drawers, but limited counter space. The aft head has a separate shower stall. In the two-cabin version, the port side aft becomes a utility room with space for a dishwasher and access to a large cockpit locker.

Engine access and the systems layout

Yachting Monthly gave top marks for engine access. The engine sits well aft under the companionway steps, which makes the primary fuel filter, raw water strainer and fresh water pump easy to reach, and inverted L-shaped panels give access to both sides. The batteries live under the port aft berth and the fuel tank and calorifier under the starboard aft berth.

Engine controls are on the port side only, though B&G displays can be mounted at both wheels. The transom opens to a 9 ft 1 in swim platform, manually with gas strut assistance as standard, with an electric drive fitted to some boats. Check which you are buying.

What a 2017, 2018 or 2019 boat costs

In 2026 most Oceanis 41.1 listings in the US ask between about $215,000 and $310,000. Cruising World featured a 2018 boat from the Great Lakes, with 760 engine hours, Quantum sails from 2022 and 2023, solar panels, an inverter, a full cockpit enclosure and an electric swim platform, listed at $299,000 in 2024. That is close to the ceiling for this model.

Budget $13,000 to $25,000 a year for slip, insurance, haul-out, saildrive service and canvas. Fresh water boats like the Great Lakes example often show far less wear on machinery than Caribbean charter returns, and are worth seeking out.