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Beneteau 311

12K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Cap'n Russ 
#1 · (Edited)
I am considering buying an early 2000's Beneteau Oceanis 311 centerboard twin rudder version. I am looking to sail it from south Florida to the Bahamas a couple times a year. Is this a good choice for that as far as safety, stability, and performance? When we are not in the Bahamas it will mostly be used for coastal cruising up and down the Florida East coast and maybe to the Keys. I am also interested in some occasional recreational club races nothing to serious. Would this boat be a good fit?

I'd be interested in hearing any other thoughts on this boat as well.
 
#5 ·
I know this is an old thread but I sail a B311 with the conventional fin keel and I would not take that boat (or the center board version) into blue water, she just not robust enough to handle the heavy winds and seas of the open ocean. I do think the 311 you're looking at would by ideal for exploring the Keys.
 
#6 ·
I am not aware of any reason the B311 would not be entirely capable of crossing the Gulf stream to cruise it the Bahamas. If you know the history of the hull design.

From go-sail.co.uk/beneteauoceanis311.asp Beneteau Oceanis 311 yacht designed by Groupe Finot.

Like the earlier Oceanis 300, the Oceanis 311 comes in two versions, the fin-keel and the lift-keel, twin rudder version (the latter proving especially popular in France). She uses the same basic hull design as the Figaro I racing class and the First 31.7, and these impressive racing class credentials give her a level of performance unusual amongst other blue water and coastal cruisers.
from yachtandboat.com.au/news/beneteau-oceanis-311-review
If you want to draw a few conclusions about the complexity (or lack of it) of modern-day yacht design, have a look at the Oceanis 311 and its cousins. The Oceanis 311 has the same hull as the Beneteau 31.7, a handy and roomy cruiser/racer (tested in MB Sept '99). This hull was designed in the early '90s as a one-design boat for the Figaro race, a stage event around Europe in which many top solo skippers cut their teeth, build their reputations and head on to stardom in the extreme multi- and monohulls.

The Figaro race boats are water-ballasted, but have the same hull lines as the production boats, so the message must be that a hull which is free of handicapping rules can be both fast and accommodating.

 
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