FIRST TEST BENETEAU OCEANIS 40.1

The 40ft yacht market is fierce, so has Beneteau’s new family cruiser got what it takes? Graham Snook heads to the Solent to find out

- Graham Snook

SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL Oceanis 40.1

PRICE FROM £189,333 inc VAT

DESIGNER Marc Lombard / Nauta Design

BUILDER Beneteau

A 40ft family cruiser is the must-have in any production boat builder’s arsenal. With a hull length of 11.99m they limbo neatly under the 12m pricing band found in many Mediterranean marinas – making them cheaper to moor. For most, it’s a Goldilocks size of yacht, neither too big nor too small, just right for two adults and a few children. While the hull length is limited, the beam is not. If you’d parachuted onto Beneteau’s new mid-range cruiser, you could be fooled into thinking she’s 3ft longer than she physically is – not just the numbers on the hull. The Oceanis 40.1 replaces the Oceanis 41.1 which was shorter by 1cm of hull length. Space is a great thing for family cruisers and charter, and the two areas where the 40.1 shows off her length-defying ability are the social areas of the boat: the cockpit and the saloon. The cockpit is long and wide, and the helm has the high pushpit to prevent them from falling off the transom – it would be hard to stand further aft and remain on board without it. What this does, though, is give the helm a commanding feel, with 39ft of yacht stretching ahead of you.

Down below, Beneteau has taken the beam to whopping 4.18m (13ft 9in); that’s 30cm (1ft) more than the 2010 incarnation, the Oceanis 40, and while the hull is 2cm narrower than previous 41.1 model, the interior is wider. What sort of witchcraft is Beneteau using?