Beneteau Oceanis 440, a Farr Cruiser From the Early 1990s

Beneteau 440 or Oceanis 440, and why the launch dates disagree

The Beneteau Oceanis 440 is the boat behind nearly every listing that says Beneteau 440 or Oceanis 440. It is a Bruce Farr design, number 202 in the Farr office list according to sailboatdata, measuring 44 ft 10 in overall with a 14 ft beam and a shoal bulb keel. In the US it was sold through Beneteau USA, whose equipment list quoted the boat FOB Marion, South Carolina.

Start dates vary by source. Sailboatdata records the first hull in 1990. Beneteau USA's own sales copy, archived from its earlier models section, says the 440 arrived seven years after the Oceanis range was introduced in 1985, which points to 1992, and Yachting Monthly describes the center cockpit 44CC of 1993 as a rework of the Oceanis 440 of the previous year. We use 1992 as the launch year, and treat any listing that claims an earlier hull with a little caution until the hull identification number confirms it.

Bruce Farr's brief, performance without the effort

Beneteau's pitch for the 440 was blunt: sailing performance does not have to mean physical effort. Farr answered with a moderate hull carrying 20,500 lb on a 36 ft 5 in waterline and a keel that did most of the clever work. The cast keel ends in a torpedo shaped bulb with small winglets, a shape intended to give the lift and stability of a deeper fin while drawing only 5 ft 9 in. For owners in the Chesapeake, Florida or the Bahamas that draft is the real selling point.

The rig is a masthead sloop with an I of 53.15 ft and a J of 15.09 ft, about 815 sq ft of working sail. The mast is a double spreader furling section with forward and aft lowers, and the standard sails were a furling mainsail and a 140 percent furling genoa on a Profurl unit. That was a bold specification for 1992, when many owners still distrusted in-mast furling. It also means the 440 is not a light air flyer: a furling main without vertical battens gives away roach and power, and the sail area to displacement ratio of about 17.5 marks it as a solid cruiser rather than a performer.

A deck with nothing underfoot

Walk forward on a 440 and you notice what is missing. Farr and Beneteau moved the mainsheet traveller and the genoa tracks onto the coachroof, so the side decks are free of tracks, cars and winches. Halyards and furling lines run aft under a molded cowling to seven stoppers and a pair of size 43 self-tailing winches beside the companionway, while two size 52 winches handle the genoa sheets.

The cockpit is built around a pedestal console that carries the wheel, compass, engine panel, single lever control, a light for the table and space for instrument repeaters. Teak covers the seats and the helm gratings, and a gate in the transom opens onto a swim platform with a ladder and a fresh water shower. Forward, the anchor locker houses an electric windlass and the below deck drum of the genoa furler, and the stemhead casting carries two rollers, one of which tilts to let the anchor drop cleanly.

Owner forward, guests aft: the two interiors

Unlike later Beneteaus that put the owner aft, the 440 puts the best cabin in the bow. The forward stateroom has a centerline double more than 7 ft long with drawers beneath, a hanging locker, a settee, two deck hatches and a private head to starboard. The standard plan has one aft cabin with a double berth and its own hanging locker; a double aft cabin version, giving three cabins, was also offered.

The saloon has an L-shaped settee, or a U-shaped one in the alternative version, with adjustable easy chairs forward and aft of the navigation table. The galley carries a three burner propane stove and oven, double stainless sinks, a pantry and a top loading freezer plus a front opening refrigerator with 7.3 cubic feet of combined storage. Both heads are one-piece moldings with hot and cold hand-held showers and dedicated sump pumps, and the aft head opens to both the saloon and the aft cabin, which makes it the day head.

Beneteau finished the woodwork with three coats of varnish and fitted molded companionway steps with non-skid inserts. After three decades, expect the varnish, headliners and upholstery to be the first things a new owner changes.

The 78 hp diesel, the tanks and the electrics

The Beneteau USA equipment list specifies a 78 hp diesel driving a three blade propeller, with insulating foam around the engine and engine access through the aft cabin. Sailboatdata lists the original make as Perkins or Yanmar, so check the engine plate rather than the listing text. Many boats of this age have been repowered, and a recent, documented repower is worth real money at survey time.

Tankage is 53 gallons of diesel and, according to the builder, 145 gallons of fresh water plus a 10.5 gallon water heater. Sailboatdata quotes 120 gallons of water, so measure or trace the tanks rather than trusting either figure. The original electrical system ran two 200 amp hour batteries, an 80 amp alternator, a 40 amp charger and eight 110 volt outlets. On a boat of this age the wiring, panels and charging gear have usually been modified by several owners, which is a common source of survey findings.

Moorings 444, Moorings 445 and the center cockpit sister

Like most big Beneteaus of its era, the 440 had a charter career. Sailboatdata notes versions sold as the Moorings 444 and 445 and as the Stardust 443 and 444, the suffixes reflecting different interiors. These boats share the hull but were fitted for heavy use, often with more cabins and simpler joinery, and many were sold into private hands after their charter terms.

The other relative is the Oceanis 44 CC. Yachting Monthly describes it as Beneteau's 1993 rework of the 440 for the center cockpit market, with a large aft owner's suite and a heavier displacement. Sailboatdata puts it at 23,369 lb against 20,500 lb for the 440, and Yachting Monthly notes it takes a fair breeze to get going. If you want the aft owner's cabin, look at the 44 CC; if you want the lighter, more direct sailing boat, the aft cockpit 440 is the one.

Sailboatdata also claims the 440 shares its hull with the Farr designed First 45f5. Its own figures do not support that: the First 45f5 is listed at 46 ft 7 in overall on a 39 ft waterline, the same dimensions as the later Oceanis 461. Treat the 440 as its own design.

Buying a thirty-something Oceanis 440

A Beneteau 440 for sale today is a coastal cruiser that can make the occasional offshore hop, priced well below anything newer of similar size. Realistic US asking prices run from about $70,000 for a tired ex-charter boat to $125,000 for a well-kept private boat with recent rigging, sails and engine work. The spread is wide because the expensive items on a boat of this age are binary: either the furling mast, standing rigging and engine have been done, or they are coming due.

The Water Shield barrier and structural grid were sound ideas, but a 1990s production hull still needs a moisture survey and a careful look at the grid bond under the keel. Budget for a haul-out survey, a rig survey and an engine survey before you settle on price.

• Pull the furled main and inspect the mast slot, foil and furling line leads
• Ask for the age of the standing rigging; discontinuous stainless rigging at 30 years old needs replacing
• Check the keel to hull joint and the grid for cracking after any grounding
• Confirm engine make, hours and service history