Beneteau Oceanis 390

[MicHughV]

That is a very good question....

Some years ago, I was sailing offshore from the Chesapeake Bay to Florida. I was sailing a relatively light, but fast boat. We were accompanied by a heavy cruising boat, I seem to remember it was a Hans Christian. Both boats were in the 40' range.

We were sailing more or less within sight of each other, when the weather turned on us and got really ugly. Wind was right on the nose. I continued to sail fast and could point higher, but boy oh boy, was I wet and uncomfortable, and very miserable. The other guy, was sitting back in his cockpit reading a book, while his boat sailed under autopilot. Me, I was in full weather gear">foul weather gear and had to hand steer.

I'm looking for just such a boat myself today. Yes, they are old fashioned, heavy, etc, but at sea, they are marvelous. There are many brands of boats that are similar.

But, this is my personal choice, it may not be others.

Slow is a relative term. Sailboats are not fast. Sailing at 6 knots in comfort, beats sailing at 6.5 knots in discomfort.

Sooner or later, you will get caught out in some bad weather. Whether in a fast boat or not so fast boat. Bad weather will make you cold, wet and tired.....very tired. I feel more secure in a boat, that I know can handle bad weather with relative ease vs. a boat that will bobbing around on the waves.

Again, this is a personal preference.

[jbaptista]

I do share same point of you. I would prefer to go calm and safer and more comfortable, not having sea-sick.

But there is the other face of the coin ... taking you longer in a passage, makes you spend more time at sea, therefore you have a higher probability to get into a storm or the inability to doge one. More time at sea = more dangerous.


A heavy blue water will be better at sea, but manouver in marinas, etc is harder, also the cost of maintenance of the hull would be higher due to long keel. Usualy the inside is narrow (at least for small budgets).

A light vessel, can be faster, more uncomfortable in a rough weather, but it can get out faster. More ability to manouver.

To have a mid term, what is the best SA/Disp and Disp/len combined?


I think, what i'm looking for is a moderate Disp/len with at least 16 SA/Disp and with a capsize lower than 2.
Not very experience in different boats, that's why i'm looking into ratios. Maybe is the wrong way of choosing boats.

But there is a pice of information that i can't find anywere, the Stability Curve. This would also help to choose the boat.

[MicHughV]

yes, also true....but all boats are a compromise....the blue water, not so easy to dock, but better offshore.

I love the Beneteau, it is a good all around boat...it is definitely fast...much faster than say....a Hans Christian....but my pick would still be the Hans Christian...or equivalent.

I've been in some bad weather, sometimes you just slow the boat or stop the boat and let the bad weather pass over you...so the speed of the boat is inconsequential, but comfort and safety isn't. That should be your # 1 goal.....

Other times, the weather is so bad, you just go where the wind blows you...no ocean voyage is a straight line track...

Sailing is not like driving a car.....in car, you go from point A to B......in a sailboat, to go from point A to B, sometimes requires going to point, C, D and E...

In my experience, the biggest factor in ocean voyaging is.....time.

Most every time I've been in rough weather, etc, was because I had to be somewhere, to pick someone up, drop someone off, etc....in other words, I left when I didn't want to leave.

But even, so...no weather forecast is good for more than 3 days.....on a trip that may take weeks, you just got to take whatever is out there. Going at the optimum time of the year helps, no guarantee, but.....

If you watch the Vendee around the world race, you will see these boats do not follow a straight line route...in the Atlantic, they sail well out of their way to go anywhere. In the Indian and Pacific...much the same, it's a zig-zag course. These boats have plenty of speed, canting keels, etc, much more gadgets than the average boat, but that alone, does not account for much of anything.

Capsize ratio's, stability curves,etc, are rather meaningless, in my view....those are numbers on a piece of paper....boats sink, run into things, lose keels, masts, etc, etc, etc, no formula can address that...no formula can address comfort at sea...

[jbaptista]

This topic is getting better than i thought, what amount of quality on information and experience share.


i'm not sure if i agree about your point of view on ratios. Math is always math. Higher angles o AVS the better and bigger the curve above baseline the quicker the vessel right it self after capsize. If there isn't much difference between the curves, it's a vessel may remain inverted indefinitely.

In my personal opinion, not trying to impose anything, but ratios play an importat role when choosing a vessel. I agree if you are a bad sailor, there are no numbers or ratios that will save you, ehehe.

But i do respect your point of view, it's not wrong, it's just different.

[MicHughV]

math does not take into account...sea state....how many people are onboard..the amount of junk you have on the boat...dingy in davits...solar panels....etc...etc...etc..are you carrying the right sail for the wind and many other factors...

my college math professor once opined....
a ship can cross the ocean in 7 days...
..therefore 7 ships can cross the ocean in 1 day..
1Sx7D = 1C or 7SD=1C
7Sx 1D = 1 C or 7SD = 1C

figures never lie...right...

forget about figures.....that is only useful data in a showroom...

[lgirado]

Hi, I own a Beneteau 390, two cabin version with large shower room. We have sailed her from FLorida to the Bahamas and these are the things we like from her:
She is NOT expensive and still has modern design.
She is fast and stable with little draft (4.8 feet draft, wing keel). No loss of control when heeling.
Extremely comfortable for 2 people
Relatively short mast, so easy sail handling ( I have full batten main)
We reef at 18-20 knots, then 25 for second reef.
Separate shower makes a difference for comfort.
Water tanks are AWSOME. We have no water maker and no generator.
More than a month without refilling. Fuel tank gives us about 48 hs non-stop @ 6-7 knots.
All lines lead to the cockpit plus we have one electric winch on top of the cabin, so hoisting the main is effortless.
Big anchor locker with winlass.
Roomy and full of light with beautiful wood work.
Self sufficient with two solar panels and one house 8D 200 amp lead acid battery. No need to run the engine for batteries. Efficient and big fridge.
Engine Volvo 43 HP has plenty of power.
Only had it for two years now and never had tested high winds with her. I am
an experienced sailor.
Things I do NOT like:
The ladder is too steep.
The bow bed is small.
The stern cabin could be larger, not so low.
She "Sails" while at anchor.
Good luck in your quest!

[jbaptista]

Thanks for that info.
It's great to read owners personal opinion and experience.

My intensions is to buy a vessel next year, so the search still goes on

[timjf]

Hi greetings from Australia I have a Beneteau Oceanis 390 its a really great boat that I have for many years sailed "off shore / coastal etc I,m always available for chatting about these boats ....email tim1945@optusnet.com.au
Regards Tim

[jbaptista]

Hi Tim,
i have already sent 2 emails to you. If you haven't received, check your SPAM folder.

Best Regards.

[Clemroc]

Hi all,
I apologize for necroing this thread (and hope you're still all relatively active)!

I've been looking for years for a boat with the idea of cruising the whole Caribbean. I recently crewed for a few weeks on an Oceanis 331, and whilst I enjoyed the boat and its performance, its short size made for terrible tacking and even worse upwind. And this with an experienced captain of 60k nautical miles.

I've recently visited a Beneteau 390, its in good shape and the price is within my budget. I was wondering if you guys had any new comments to make about this boat?

Cheers!
Clem

[Pandor]

Do you know what type of keel the boat you are looking at has? The 390 had a choice of a 5.4’ fin keel or a 4.5’ shallow draft wing keel. Mine has the wing keel which makes it ideal for cruising shallow areas of the keys and the Bahamas. The downside is it does struggle tracking upwind in more than moderate breezes. It doesn’t take too much wind to heel her over and while she settles in comfortably, the leeway is quite noticeable.

So, from your observations of the 331, I think you’ll find the size of the 390 quite roomy down below. It also has excellent water tankage. But you still may be disappointed in upwind performance. On a reach or downwind she flys.