Beneteau Oceanis 311

[mrplastic]

Hi people, I'm thinking defecting from power to a rag top. I've had a look at a few boats and the Beneteau Oceanis 311 Clipper seems to be good value.

Has anyone out there any experience of this boat?

Is it suitable for sail virgins?

Can it be handled easily by one or two crew?

I am considering the retractable keel version, any thoughts?

I am looking to sail her around the east and possibly south coast with the odd trip across the channel....

Any comments or tips appreciated.

Thanks

MrP

EVERYTHING begins with an E

 

[Neil_M]

Most of the new plastic boats represent pretty good value for money as long as they suit the kind of sailing you want to do - most Beneteaus etc are spacious & fine for family weekends, occassional longer passage as you describe.

As a sailing virgin, although evidently with boat handling experience under power, I'd suggest you do a bit of basic learning in a dinghy first to get the feel for the basic physics of sailing, sail trim & balance - makes sailing a bigger boat much easier IMO as even the more responsive cruisers lack the 'feel' and feedback of a dinghy.

I notice you're Suffolk based (and a fellow musician!) like me & so a lifting or shallow draft keel would be an advantage in the rivers & swatchways. Personally I prefer my Dufour to the Beneteaus or Jeanneaus in terms of build and handling qualities - you're welcome to take a look when things thaw out a bit...

 

[david_e]

It's a popular boat and good choice for what you want, especially with the lift keel. Most have wheel steering which will help you feel at home and if you don't like it, they tend to sell well used. They have a 5 year hull and three year metal bits type warranty so a late model with exras could be bought well. Or I notice Fox's have a show special at £53k which looks good value for a new one. In your situation you could look for ever at dozens of boats and still end up back at this boat as a value proposition

www.dickies.co.uk of Pwllheli have a nice one on the hard at present, not sure on price, but boats in that area from the marina (as this one is) are rarely left on the mud.

 

[jimi]

I've got the 331 (with a fin) which is similar to the 311 and would have no hesitation in recommending a Beneteau for build quality and ease of handling.

Jim

 

[MarkR]

I have had a 311 for 2 years now. Great introduction to keel-boat sailing - the Clipper version (MK III in Beneteau speak) has a high enough supply spec to be pretty much sailable without further expense.

Be aware though that the 311 is RCD Category B and with ca. 1.5tonne ballast/3.5tonne displacement can be a little tender in heavier conditions so we tend to reef a little earlier than we would do on a heavier boat. That said, she reefs easily with the supplied single-line system led back to the cockpit and sails reasonbly well when reefed.

We have fitted a wheel autopilot, upgraded the coachroof winch (now ST32) to make things easier for the crew (kids) and relocated the original ST16 to the starboard side for the main outhaul and chute halyard we retro-fitted. Other than that she is as she was "out-of-the-box".

PBO did a series of Boat Check articles on the 311 last year (Feb/Mar 2002).

Bottom line - good value and easily handled by a couple.

 

[tcm]

Re: Pah!

The raggering is pimpsy. On a powrboat you're hurled about in a F6+ leaping from wave to wave, you haven't time to let go the wheel, everything smashed about. By contrast, sailing is calm and there's plenty of time. Sailing is worrisome in comparison to sitting at home watching the telly, but not worrisome if you've powerboated at sea in the wrong weather. Oh yes, it's dead difficult, they say, but really, you need commonsense and sea powerboating will stand you in good stead. The very hard thing about sailing boats is getting the thing to go as fast as possible and win races, but if you don't much care, then it's all okay.

The beneteaus are very decent, I sailed in a few, tho not the 311. David_e bought one and he tried almost every boat in the world at around that size, so it will do very nicely. Some sailboaters are really sniffy about the seaworthiness of modern plastic boats, and although there are boats that sail sharper, there are very few (if any) large plastic boats that come back folded in two because they hit a wave, whereas there's lots of drfitwood on the beaches!

As always, get the most massive sailboat you're ever likely to want, and if that's the 311, go for it. But remember, you can spend lots on a sailing boat, cos you use also no expensive diesel. So if you're thinking about getting a bigger one later, get it now and it'll all be that much better without the trading up. And of course, you only get one life and it'd be a shame not to have a monster boat at some point. The house may not be worth as much as it does now for a few years, so consider selling that too. If you're ex-power you'll need a decent rib tender, so that means minimum 60ish feet. Sailing boats get a bit unnecessary beyond about 85 feet, although at around 120 feet you can have swimming pool on the front deck in anything below F4, highly recommended.

There, that's evened it up a bit.

 

[david_e]

Re: me

ahherm, excuse me, oi you, yes you, pay attention will you.....david_e bought a First 31.7 which is quite different but similar. Different rig, different keel and rudder, different prop/drive system, different deck, different cockpit, different interior and different RCD rating. Yes the hull shape is more or less the same and so is the engine and so is the bog.

Didn't try all the boats in the world but after thousands of miles, two continents, three boat shows, many hotels and trillions of hours on the web - it felt like it!!

Not with standing all that, the 311 is a good proposition for another member of the growing band of stinkies looking for a quieter time in life. The other one to consider new would be a Sun Odysey 32.

Was chatting to one such specimen over the new year period, he has just bought a 411 Oceanis and is coming out of a Phantom 38. Had to smile when he innocently asked, will it capsize easily?

 

[tcm]

Re: oops!

What a dreadful faux-pas, please forgive me. I inadvertantly made a similar mistake with someone who had bought a new orange-coloured car. He went mental and told me it was "paprika".

Yes, it will capsize very easily. Those nuts under the saloon floor are M19 I think, and just loosen them off as required.

 

[david_e]

Re: oops!

Forgiving is free, so OK. I am not mental, just mad