Design and Naval Architecture
Philippe Briand's brief was to create a boat that felt spacious and purposeful without sacrificing seakeeping. The result is a hull measuring 11.5 metres LOA with a 10.15-metre waterline, a generous beam of 3.9 metres, and a draught of 1.65 metres on a fin keel. At 6,500 kilograms displacement, the 390 sits in firm cruiser territory — not a lightweight flyer, but not a slug either. The beam and open-plan interior were key marketing points from the outset, and the hull proportions reflect that priority: the wide sections give enormous volume below while keeping the deck plan open and uncluttered. Beneteau's stated ambition was a yacht that would make offshore cruising accessible without anxiety, and the fundamental numbers bear that out.
Rig and Sea Behaviour
The 390 was sold from new with a conventional masthead sloop rig scaled to suit short-handed passage-making. Briand's hull lines give a boat that tracks predictably and rewards disciplined sail trim rather than aggressive sail plans. The large cockpit with a semi-permanent table underlines the cruising philosophy — this is a yacht designed around time spent at sea comfortably, not a stripped-out racer. Beneteau positioned the 390 squarely as a vessel for discovering distant shores, language that speaks to a boat designed to handle open-water passages without drama.
Accommodations and Interior Layout
Below decks, three distinct interior configurations were offered, giving buyers genuine choice. The owner's version was a two-cabin layout, prioritising privacy and a larger forward cabin at the expense of guest capacity. For buyers entering the charter market, two three-cabin variants were available: one organised around a dinette and a facing galley, the other around a more conventional L-shaped galley paired with a dedicated saloon. Both charter versions retained two heads compartments, a practical decision that pays dividends on extended passages with a full crew. Throughout all versions, light ash veneers brought warmth to the interior, keeping the below-decks feel from sliding into the institutional beige common to many contemporaries. The one acknowledged shortcoming across all configurations was a rudimentary chart table — functional, but not a navigator's workshop.
The Verdict
The Beneteau Oceanis 390 is a coherent, well-resolved cruising yacht from a period when Beneteau was establishing what the modern production cruiser could be. Philippe Briand delivered a hull that is roomy, stable, and honest — not exciting, but thoroughly capable. The interior flexibility across two-cabin and three-cabin layouts gives prospective owners genuine options, and the open-plan design enhanced by ash veneers still reads as considered rather than dated. The chart table has always been the weak point, and any serious bluewater crew will want to address it early.
Pros
- Philippe Briand hull with proven offshore pedigree
- Three distinct interior configurations suit both owner-sailors and charter use
- Spacious cockpit designed around passage-making comfort
- Warm, well-lit interior with light ash veneers
- Generous beam delivers volume without compromising stability
Cons
- Chart table is rudimentary across all layout variants
- Fin keel draught of 1.65 metres limits access to shoal anchorages
- Production-era fit-and-finish typical of late-1980s Beneteau — expect to refresh systems on older examples
