Beneteau Oceanis 411- Views Please

Nautorius

Nautorius

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A collegue is looking at Buying a 2002 Bene Oceanis 411. It is very well speced and is the 3 cabin version. Sails all replaced in 2007, MD 22 55hp Volvo, set up for single handed and has full electronic pack. He has a young family (2 children - both boat savy) but has had MOBO's for a few years. Been recently sailing on a Bene 50 and they all love it. Wife is a beginer although he is experienced.

He will be sailing out of Gibraltar and as he works it will be mainly a weekend/holiday boat. Has anyone any experience of these boats that can give some information on ease of sailability and what the Oceanis is like to live with.

Thanks

Paul
 
These were very popular with the Moorings and Sunsail fleets, and many are now being retired and sold off - here is one for sale on Yachtworld :
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...nits=Feet&access=Public&listing_id=29984&url=

While here they have 90 (!) for sale :
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...ncyid=100&city=&pbsint=&boatsAddedSelected=-1

I looked at an ex-Moorings 411 in Tortola last year, on behalf of a friend who was looking for a 40' boat to live on - it was very nice, had been well maintained, excellent accommodation layout. But we went for a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40 in the end.
 
A few years ago YM published an account of a 411 purchase horror story. The yacht was purchased direct from the SunSail fleet, poorly surveyed and then later it was found that SunSail had commissioned a substandard repair for some hurricane damage. It cost £20k to sort out back home in the UK.

That said the design would be on my list if I was trading up. It is very AWB middle of the road but when talking yachts that is often a plus point.

Beneteau got interior design ambiance right just right during the 411 production era.

Doesn't Morgana@YBW have one?
 
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Thanks All

I appreciate the comments, especially related to ex-hire boats. I will go with the guy and climb all over it with him. I will also ensure he gets a very good survey if we think it could be ex-charter.

Cheers all and any more comments welcome

Paul
 
I sailed a Bene Oceanis 411 across the Atlantic in 2003, in cruising trim she proved to be reasonable quick and stable. Hard on the wind the boat would distort a little making it difficult to close the internal door between the main saloon and forward cabin.

Very comfortable below with a sensible layout for a family, however I did find the open space between the chart table (stbd) and heads/galley (port) a little dangerous in a big sea as there was little to hold on to. Storage was good as was water and diesel capacity (although we carried extra diesel)

On deck some of the fittings were a little on the light-side for ocean cruising but for most people who marina-hop it would be fine.

On balance I would recommend.
 
I've chartered a couple of 411s. Once during two weeks in Ireland, once for 10 days in the Canaries.

Generally they are good boats, both boats had single line reefing which meant handling them in a blow was a breeze (if you pardon the pun) they are comfortable to live on board in harbour or at sea, having said that we only ever sailed with three on board and they were easy going, not the fastest, but would take everything that was thrown at them in their stride. The horizontal galley wasn't the easiest to use at sea and IIRC there is an annoying double cupboard, that's a pain to use on a port tack.

The heads on the port side (in the saloon) is a little small and narrow to use sitting down.

The thick (teak capped) toe rails are secure for your feet and a dinghy can either be lashed on the front or lashed over the transom rather than towing it (depending on where in the world you're cruising).

All in all I have good memories of them
 
Hi

ive got a 411 which ive had 4 3 years now and am very pleased Its the standard model with inmast furling and very easy to sail.
Ive been out in 45 kt winds which she didnt bat an eye at
My only critisism is that she doesnt do that well in light winds being a heavy boat she needs a larger sail area
Saying that im about to embark on a 5000 mile journey this year with her from greece to the Carib
The 411 won the cruising yacht of the year award in 1998 and feels very solid in a blow

Mark
 
Tranona said:
Not very helpful. Think if you are going to make statements like that you need to be more specific and provide your evidence.

Otherwise what you say is worthless.
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Do you happen to own a 411 by any chance???

New boats are build down to a price and every thing as as light( therefore cheap )as it can possibly be - which is why some feel that they are not build 'properly'. It is my feeling that they are every bit as good at sea as all of us lot will need but it'll be interesting to see how well they last....
 
uxb said:
Do you happen to own a 411 by any chance???

New boats are build down to a price and every thing as as light( therefore cheap )as it can possibly be - which is why some feel that they are not build 'properly'. It is my feeling that they are every bit as good at sea as all of us lot will need but it'll be interesting to see how well they last....
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The bottom inner moulding that Beneteaus have has been known to come adrift and also to crush under the keelbolt washers.I've seen it happen and that's why I would never buy one.
 
uxb said:
Do you happen to own a 411 by any chance???

New boats are build down to a price and every thing as as light( therefore cheap )as it can possibly be - which is why some feel that they are not build 'properly'. It is my feeling that they are every bit as good at sea as all of us lot will need but it'll be interesting to see how well they last....
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No, a Bavaria as it happens. Just that such sweeping statements display an ignorance about how modern boats are built. They cost less than "traditional" boats because they use material intelligently and are produced efficiently. They are not to everybody's taste, but they last extremely well. Have a look at 7-10 year old charter boats to see what I mean.

I can never understand why people equate "weight" with quality or long life. There are some pretty horrible heavy old boats out there! Surely the important thing is to engineer the boat properly to do the job it is designed to do - not just add weight!
 
30boat said:
The bottom inner moulding that Beneteaus have has been known to come adrift and also to crush under the keelbolt washers.I've seen it happen and that's why I would never buy one.
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Think you are going back nearly 30 years for this issue. This is not the case with recent boats.

I could just as easily say I would never buy a Westerly because the keels break away and the rudders distort because the shafts are undersize - I have seen it happen, many times. Both are true with some models. Why do Westerlies continue to be popular?
 
30boat said:
The bottom inner moulding that Beneteaus have has been known to come adrift and also to crush under the keelbolt washers.I've seen it happen and that's why I would never buy one.
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I find it amazing that the owner of a Westerly feels he is in a strong enough position to lecture us on yacht manufacturing quality and structural integrity!

Beneteaus are probably the most numerous marque afloat in Europe today. A small proportion of their owners are going to ground their keels and in extreme cases a failure point will be found. In the case of a Beneteau that failure point will be the glued in inner floor moulding or the compression point where the keel mount washers bite down on the small floor moulding lip.

When a Sigma experiences same grounding event, the failure point will instead be complete cross section fracture of the undersized laminated-in floor beams.

Every structure has a failure point, have you recommended that people steer clear of Ford cars because you once saw a mangled example at the road side?
 
jonjo said:
In the case of a Beneteau that failure point will be the glued in inner floor moulding or the compression point where the keel mount washers bite down on the small floor moulding lip.
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My old Beneteau 'failed' across all the floors both sides of the keel.......with quite a bang. All fixed without drama but I did sell her shortly after....and she's still sailing.

New boats seem to suffer more damage than older ones, seem lighter and simpler built with poorer interior finish once you get past the bits normally seen.
But then again they are a lot cheaper to buy than older boats were ( or so it seems to me)
and so more people can get afloat in a nice boat.

So that's got to be good.

I doubt I'd buy a new Beneteau, Bavaria or Janeau or equivalent even if I had the money -I'd buy an older 'quality' boat- whatever that might be....
 
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jonjo said:
I find it amazing that the owner of a Westerly feels he is in a strong enough position to lecture us on yacht manufacturing quality and structural integrity!

Beneteaus are probably the most numerous marque afloat in Europe today. A small proportion of their owners are going to ground their keels and in extreme cases a failure point will be found. In the case of a Beneteau that failure point will be the glued in inner floor moulding or the compression point where the keel mount washers bite down on the small floor moulding lip.

When a Sigma experiences same grounding event, the failure point will instead be complete cross section fracture of the undersized laminated-in floor beams.

Every structure has a failure point, have you recommended that people steer clear of Ford cars because you once saw a mangled example at the road side?
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I am the owner of a Westerly that indeed had structural problems around the keel area but they were easily rectified and worth doing so because the rest of the boat is very strongly put together.What separates it from Beneteaux is that if the structural moulding fails you can't fix it at all unless you want to spend more than the boat is worth.And I saw it happen in at least two boats and read about a lot more.In a recent test of a large Oceanis there was mention of the flimsiness of the bulkheads and the way they were attached(or not) to the hull.And they do flex and jam doors when on the wind.Never saw that happen in my 29 year old Fulmar and I've been in some unpleasant situations.And the layup around the keel on a Westerly is massive unlike a Sigma's if you must know.
Terrible shape apart,I would only consider a modern day Beneteau if I could be convinced of it's intrinsic structural health and of the possibility for repair if it eventually fails as structures do when stressed over their limits.
Westerlies do have a poor build quality record in some areas only but as I said they can ,and most have been,repaired successfuly.
And why can't I comment on other boats down points just because I own a certain make of boat?Have I ever heralded myself as the Westerly Owners Association's defensor by any chance? I think not!
 
30boat said:
And why can't I comment on other boats down points just because I own a certain make of boat?Have I ever heralded myself as the Westerly Owners Association's defensor by any chance? I think not!
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Let's just say the holier than thou attitude of Westerly owners drives me nuts. You admit to Westerly structural problems and poor production quality, and yet in the same thread you condemn the whole Beneteau range when someone is asking for specific comments on the Benni 411.

As to design shape, you should review the absurd beam to LOA ratio of the Konsort and general design of Westerly Vulcan before dissing the whole Benneteau range on grounds of shape/handling.
 
jonjo said:
As to design shape, you should review the absurd beam to LOA ratio of the Konsort and general design of Westerly Vulcan before dissing the whole Benneteau range on grounds of shape/handling.
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You've gotta admit he has a point :)

smileyvault-popcorn.gif
 
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