Its hull sets it apart. It is essentially the same hull that Groupe Finot and Jean Berret designed in the early 1990s for Beneteau’s single-handed offshore racer, the Figaro. That race-bred shape had already appeared in the First 310, First 31.7, Oceanis 311, and Oceanis 300. For the 323, Beneteau made various changes to the bow, stem, and topsides, but the underwater sections remained unchanged.
Design and Construction
The 323 is a beamy, high-sided cruiser with a modest rig, a centre mainsheet, and minimal hardware. It measures 32ft 10in overall, with a 10ft 5in beam and a waterline length of 29ft 2in. Displacement is 8,460lb, including 2,178lb of iron ballast. The resulting 25.7% ballast ratio keeps loads manageable on her fittings.
The standard keel is an iron bulb drawing 5ft 11in, while an optional shallow fin draws 4ft 9in. The same rudder is fitted with either keel. The shallow-fin version’s stability curve reaches maximum righting moment at 50° of heel and has a vanishing angle of 118°, earning the boat RCD Category B status.
Beneteau’s decision to retain a shaft-driven engine was unusual among high-volume builders. A shaft-log is moulded into the hull, leaving just enough exposed shaft for an anode and a rope-cutter.
Rig and Handling
On the water, the Figaro-derived hull proves eager. In 12 to 16 knots of apparent wind and a modest Atlantic chop, test sailors recorded a respectable 5.5 knots upwind and tacked through an average of about 80°. Downwind, the boat surfed and maintained 7 knots for lengthy periods. The rudder kept her on track until the toerail approached the water at about 35° of heel.
The test boat’s standard mainsheet system used dead-eyes rather than a traveller. The 4:1 kicker purchase proved woefully inadequate for controlling mainsail twist on port tack. A mainsheet traveller was optional, and most owners chose it.
The single-line reefing system has blocks sewn into the leech but provides only two reefs. The genoa halyard is handled at the mast. On the port coachroof, five Spinlock XAS clutches manage the mainsheet, jib furling line, two reefing lines, and main halyard, with a Lewmar 30 self-tailer mounted behind them.
Accommodation and Cockpit
Below, the 323 provides remarkable living and storage space through ingenious interior fittings. The conventional layout includes sea berths on both sides of the saloon. The starboard berth also serves as a seat for the aft-facing navigation desk.
Opposite, testers found an enormous heads compartment, although its seacocks are mounted in the locker below the sink, close to the edge. In the cockpit, a cavernous locker sits to starboard. The calorifier tank is installed at its forward end beneath a false floor.
Teak-covered cockpit seats provide some visual relief. A Goiot steering system allows the wheel to rotate 90° around its vertical axis, clearing the walk-through. Wheel steering was optional.
Construction and Installation Concerns
Several practical details deserve scrutiny. The grid formed by the inner moulding incorporates limber holes that raised mild concern. Bilge access is difficult because the floorboards fit tightly, and their unsealed end-grain could swell and jam.
More unsealed end-grain appears in the joinery around the engine, where water from the stern gland, fuel filter, and water filter may collect. Engine access is generally good, although the moulded step panel is awkward to move and has no grab handle.
In the aft cabin, forced-air ducting runs immediately beneath the fuel filter. The battery switches are mounted at the forward end of the berth, where bilge water can slosh.
The Verdict
The Oceanis 323 is a safe, very well-equipped vessel with competitive stability and performance both downwind and upwind, thanks to its large keel. Its Figaro bloodline gives this cruiser unexpected liveliness off the wind, but the modest sail plan and tender rig call for attentive trimming.
The interior is genuinely roomy for a boat of this length. Prospective buyers should, however, budget for sealing exposed end-grain and relocating vulnerable electrical equipment.
Pros
- Race-derived hull with unchanged underwater sections and proven seakeeping
- Surfs readily downwind and holds 7 knots in moderate conditions
- Ingenious interior fittings create ample living and storage space
- Shaft drive and moulded shaft-log simplify driveline maintenance
Cons
- Standard dead-eye mainsheet and weak kicker hinder mainsail control
- Only two reefs and modest upwind sail area limit the boat’s light-air and heavy-weather range
- Unsealed end-grain joinery and bilge-side battery switches invite water damage
