Beneteau Oceanis 51.1 Buyer's Guide, With Notes on the Classic Oceanis 510

Oceanis 510 or Oceanis 51.1, two very different boats

Search for a Beneteau Oceanis 510 and you will find two boats a generation apart. The original Oceanis 510, sometimes listed as the Oceanis 51, was built from 1992 to 1997. It was also drawn by Berret-Racoupeau, measured about 50 feet overall and displaced roughly 37,000 pounds with 13,228 pounds of ballast. About 100 were built in three and four cabin layouts, and it was pitched as a family clipper able to make the occasional ocean passage.

The Oceanis 51.1 that this guide focuses on arrived at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2017. It is longer at 52 ft 4 in, beamier, and more than 6,000 pounds lighter, with a ballast ratio of about 24 percent against the 510's 36 percent. The two boats share a designer and a name, but almost nothing else: the 510 is a heavy, deep-cockpit cruiser of the old school, the 51.1 is a wide-sterned, twin-rudder, chined modern cruiser.

A 1993 Oceanis 510 in good order typically asks $80,000 to $150,000 in the US. For that money you get a solid hull, a big interior and an engine and rig that are probably on their second or third set of most components. The 51.1 is a $300,000 to $770,000 boat. They are not competing for the same buyer, so decide which era you want before you start comparing listings.

A flagship that sold out before it was shown

Beneteau had already sold its entire first year of 51.1 production before the boat appeared at a single show, according to Germany's Yacht magazine. It replaced the Oceanis 48 and stayed in the lineup for eight years, with about 500 hulls built before the Oceanis 52 took over at Cannes in September 2025. That production run makes it one of the most common 50-foot monohulls in charter fleets and on the brokerage market.

The design team was Berret-Racoupeau for the hull and Nauta for the interior. The hull's signature is a hard chine running from bow to stern, which the designers linked to the 88-foot racing yacht Rambler. Below the chine the forward sections stay fine for a clean entry and low wetted surface, while above it the volume flares out to make room for a forward cabin that Yacht magazine compared to those normally found on 60-footers.

Easy, Comfort or First Line, choosing the right version

Beneteau sold the 51.1 in three flavors built on the same hull. The Easy version used a self-tacking jib, in-mast furling and a minimum of winches, aimed at couples and charter fleets. Comfort added a cockpit arch, more equipment and cruising features. First Line was the performance version, with about 35 percent more sail area, a taller carbon or aluminum spar and a 9 ft 2 in bulb keel.

For most US buyers the Comfort spec with the standard 7 ft 7 in keel is the right choice. First Line boats are genuinely quick but draw too much for much of the East Coast, and their laminate sails are expensive to replace. Easy spec boats can be upgraded with a genoa, code zero and asymmetric spinnaker, all of which were factory options.

• Shoal keel about 6 ft 1 in for the Bahamas, Chesapeake and Florida Keys
• Standard air draft 70 ft 1 in; First Line adds about five feet
• Two mainsheet choices: arch-mounted or German-style double-ended to both helms
• Dock and Go rotating saildrive package was available for joystick docking

Under sail and power, the published numbers

Cruising World sailed a 51.1 in 10 to 11 knots of wind with waves and recorded 7.4 knots close hauled under main and the 90 percent self-tacking jib, and 7.4 knots reaching with a code zero. The tester tacked repeatedly without touching a sheet, which sums up the boat's appeal for a couple. In the Pacific Northwest, 48 North logged nearly 6 knots upwind at 45 degrees true in lighter air and noted that the boat tracked in perfect balance with the wheel left alone for a full minute.

Under power the 51.1 is unusually fast for a sailboat when fitted with the larger engine. SAIL's test boat, fitted with an upgraded engine it described as 100 hp, reached 10.1 knots at 3,400 rpm and cruised at 9.7 knots at 2,500 rpm, while Cruising World recorded 7.9 knots at 2,100 rpm and 8.6 knots at 2,800 rpm. 48 North, testing a boat with the 110 hp engine on Lake Union, saw just over 9 knots flat out and reckoned on an 8 to 8.5 knot cruise, enough to turn a 10 hour Seattle to Anacortes run into roughly 7.5 hours.

With the standard 53 gallon tank, that speed comes at a cost in range. SAIL notes that an optional extra tank doubles fuel capacity, and any 51.1 being bought for extended cruising should have it, along with a watermaker to stretch the standard 116 gallons of water.

The helm stations and a few design quirks

The twin rudders give a light, quick helm, and dual electric self-tailing winches at each wheel let one person handle the boat. Raised lifelines, wide side decks and a companionway that SAIL compared to a staircase make moving around safe. The cockpit table is huge and the hideaway davits and swing-out galley grill are well-liked features.

SAIL listed some real annoyances. The helm consoles are small and accept only about nine-inch displays, the engine controls sit near the helmsman's ankles, the bow thruster joystick is easy to bump during docking, and on the test boat the water and waste deck fills were only about four inches apart. Cruising World found the full bimini blocked the view of the mainsail, a common complaint on big production cruisers. Most owners solve the deck fill issue with clear labeling and a different fill cap color.

Living aboard, from three cabins to five

The three cabin owner's version puts the master suite forward, with an island queen berth, walk-around space, nightstands, a sofa and separate head and shower compartments. Two aft cabins share the stern, and an owner's area combines a navigation desk with a reclining athwartships seat. The saloon has generous U-shaped dinette seating, and the C-shaped galley sits forward to port with good fridge and freezer space.

Charter versions split the boat into four or five cabins with three or four heads. These are common on the used market, especially from Mediterranean and Caribbean fleets, and they cost much less. The layout is fine for a large family, but the smaller aft cabins and extra heads mean more maintenance and less stowage.

Saildrive or shaft drive

The standard engine is an 80 hp Yanmar on a saildrive. The upgrade is a 110 hp Yanmar on a conventional shaft, and for US buyers it is the version to find. Shaft drive avoids the seven-year saildrive diaphragm replacement, is easier to service in remote places, and the extra power transforms motoring into a headsea. The trade-off is a little more drag under sail and a slightly higher purchase price.

Running costs and the resale picture after the Oceanis 52

Plan on $32,000 to $65,000 a year for a 52-foot berth, insurance, haul out, engine and generator service, and wear items. A 52-foot slip on the US East or West Coast is the single largest cost, and many marinas charge by the overall length including the bowsprit and davits.

The arrival of the Oceanis 52, with a European gross price of about €571,690, has made late model 51.1s look like good value. Expect privately owned 2022 to 2024 boats to hold their prices well. Ex-charter boats will remain the bargain end of the market, and they are perfectly usable if you budget for new sails, cushions and electronics.