The result is a 40-foot 9-inch monohull with its 13-foot 9-inch beam carried well aft. Buyers could choose between a 7-foot 2-inch deep keel and a 5-foot 6-inch shoal-draft version.
Design and Construction
The Finot-Conq-designed hull has hard chines through the stern sections that increase interior volume and reduce heel. The bow remains blunt, with a flat bottom and a single spade rudder.
Beneteau cut roughly 1,200 pounds compared with the previous model by reducing the amount of interior wood trim and reworking the transom. The transom still drops to form a swim platform, but it no longer has its predecessor’s full-width seat lip. Combined with the beam carried well aft, this gives the boat an unusually spacious cockpit for its size.
Six large hull portholes bring plenty of light into the interior. Although the lifelines are low, two long side gates ease loading from a dock or dinghy. An open bow pulpit and beefy mooring cleats that can take a 1-inch line complete a deck arranged for straightforward handling.
Rig, Sailing Performance, and Handling
Moving the Z-Spars mast aft created more room below and opened the foretriangle. The trade-off is that the compression post now passes through the saloon table.
The standard rig has a 95 percent self-tacking jib on a Facnor furler, sheeted to a track just ahead of the mast. Larger headsails use tracks outboard of the cabintrunk. A German mainsheet system attaches to the integrated arch, which also provides a handhold when moving forward.
With upgraded Elvstrom laminate sails, test sailors found that the boat glided at 6.9 knots in 8 knots of true wind. On a beam reach, it accelerated to 7.5 knots in a 10-knot puff, although speed dropped to 3.7 knots when running off at 150 degrees.
A poorly set-up rig hurt windward performance during testing. Yachting Monthly’s tester reported lacklustre pointing ability, caused in part by an inability to tension the forestay. Either the forestay tensioner or the backstay tensioner was too long, or both contributed: the backstay blocks touched while the forestay showed noticeable sag. Trying to point higher than 34 degrees reduced speed and made the boat feel sluggish. Bearing away to 34 degrees added a knot and a half.
The light windward helm loads up quickly when bearing away.
Engine and Systems
A 45hp Yanmar with saildrive pushed the Oceanis 41.1 to 8.5 knots at 3,000 rpm in flat water. At 2,200 rpm, it cruised quickly at 7.4 knots. Range was near 600 nautical miles at 5.5 knots while burning half a gallon per hour.
The engine sits far aft beneath the companionway steps. This arrangement gives easy access to the primary fuel filter, raw water filter, and fresh water pump. Inverted L-shaped panels and a central access unit between the aft cabins provide good access to both sides of the engine.
Batteries sit under the port aft berth, while the fuel tank and calorifier are beneath the starboard berth. B&G electronics and multifunction displays integrate with the cockpit.
Accommodation
Beneteau offered four layouts. The differences are confined to the forward and aft ends of the boat; the saloon, galley, and head remain the same.
Moving the mast aft created more room in the forward master stateroom. Double doors provide privacy, and the island berth can sit on the centerline or be angled to starboard when a private head is fitted.
A gently sloping companionway with long handrails leads into the saloon. To starboard is a U-shaped settee with a vast drop-leaf table. The L-shaped galley to port has a two-burner Eno stove, Vitrifrigo refrigeration, and soft-close drawers.
The two-cabin version includes a utility room with space for a dishwasher, as well as a large cockpit locker that can be reached from inside. Three-cabin layouts replace the forward ensuite with two aft cabins.
Yachting Monthly found the L-shaped galley rather small for a boat of this size, with limited drying space. The magazine also noted that the accommodation works best on an even keel, because both the galley and heads become awkward to use when the boat is heeled.
Small items placed in the under-seat stowage can escape into the saloon through a gap several inches high at the bottom. The same opening can allow liquids or dust from the cabin sole to enter the locker.
Equipment and Ownership
The optional Performance Pack includes the German System and Elvstrom sails. Other options include a sprit for downwind sails, a double bow roller, in-mast furling, and carbon wheels at the twin helms.
At the stern, the drop-down swim platform and lightweight fold-away wheel seats suit both liveaboard and charter use.
The Verdict
The Oceanis 41.1 is a thoughtfully updated cruiser that trades a little windward bite for volume, light, and easy short-handed control. Its chined hull and aft-carried beam create a remarkably open cockpit and cabin for its length, while moving the mast aft genuinely improves the master stateroom.
Given the tensioner-length problems found during testing, buyers should make rig tuning a commissioning priority. They’ll also need to accept the galley’s modest footprint as the price of the boat’s generous social spaces.
Pros
- Moving the mast aft opens the foretriangle and enlarges the forward cabin
- Hard-chined stern increases volume and, according to the builder, limits heel by about 5 degrees
- Bright interior with six hull portholes and a sloping companionway
- Easy engine access through the companionway and aft panels
- Simple sail controls led to the cockpit, with a self-tacking jib as standard
Cons
- Forestay and backstay tensioner-length faults hurt pointing ability
- Galley is small for the boat’s size, with limited workspace when heeled
- Gap beneath the under-seat lockers can let stowed items spill into the saloon
- Light windward helm loads up quickly when bearing away
