Beneteau 361
- Thread starter Cmp1110
- Start date
Nice boat, roomy, slow in light airs, loves 10-15, and comfortable up to mid 20s, still ok reefed, in the 30s, haven't had it out any higher. Well built and solid. I like the more traditional interior like the 361 with lots of wood, in this case cherry. The high freeboard is prone to some windage compared to older vintage sailboats but average for today's designs. Very roomy cockpit we are the boat that friends migrate to in the anchorage for socialising.
The boat came with in mast furling, which I would now have on every boat. I've had some issues with it but all solvable. It also came with the full size mattress in the aft cabin which we use as the main berth.
We have added a windlass, assym on a Selden furler with sprit for better performance in light air, starboard cabin top winch, holding tank monitor, canvas, radar, and a cradle.
Aside from normal maintenance items like cutlass bearing, dripless gland, water pump etc. We have had issues with: the brass elbow, yes brass, on the cooling water intake, broke off in my hand. Thankfully on the hard. When you do get water in the boat it is difficult to remove completely as it drains slowly around the pan/liner before it gets to the bilge. It can actually take several day after a leaky portlight to remove all the water. The vetus muffler melted at its extrusion points when I lost a belt on the water pump last year while cruising. I had an extra belt but not a muffler. Fixed it with epoxy to get home.
All in all I've been very happy with it since we purchased it 5 years ago.
Randy
The boat came with in mast furling, which I would now have on every boat. I've had some issues with it but all solvable. It also came with the full size mattress in the aft cabin which we use as the main berth.
We have added a windlass, assym on a Selden furler with sprit for better performance in light air, starboard cabin top winch, holding tank monitor, canvas, radar, and a cradle.
Aside from normal maintenance items like cutlass bearing, dripless gland, water pump etc. We have had issues with: the brass elbow, yes brass, on the cooling water intake, broke off in my hand. Thankfully on the hard. When you do get water in the boat it is difficult to remove completely as it drains slowly around the pan/liner before it gets to the bilge. It can actually take several day after a leaky portlight to remove all the water. The vetus muffler melted at its extrusion points when I lost a belt on the water pump last year while cruising. I had an extra belt but not a muffler. Fixed it with epoxy to get home.
All in all I've been very happy with it since we purchased it 5 years ago.
Randy
Bought mine end of 2007. During the years I had thought of changing it with a bigger boat (around the 40-42ft) but I just can’t. I love it and it has never turned me out.
For a 36ft boat it’s really roomy and comfortable. The cockpit feels safe, it sails quite well, it’s very easy to balance the boat during sailing (reefed or not) and can handle easily winds up to 30 knots (haven’t been any higher) but it slams quite a lot. Of course many boats do if you are sailing the wrong way! I have the deep keel version (1,80m draft, fin keel with a bulb) which I consider a bonus for sailing upwind. At around 16-18 knots true wind it’s time to start reefing. I find it quite well built in all aspects, nice quality and finish of wood.
With the in mast furling and all lines led to the cockpit it’s extremely easy to single handle day and night. Main sheet is out of reach from the helm but genoa sheets are not. It’s a masthead boat and there’s lots of power from the genoa so in a sudden gust if you are late turning upwind to avoid a nasty situation you can just release the genoa sheet.
Engine (mine is the Volvo penta MD2030D) is just fine for the boat. No need for a bigger engine but a 3-blade propeller is much better than a 2-blade one. Water capacity is excellent for such a boat, though fuel tank is rather small. V berth perfect for one person, OK for two. I have the 3-cabin version and the aft cabins are quite big for one person. The heads with separate shower is really exceptional for a 36ft boat.
For a 36ft boat it’s really roomy and comfortable. The cockpit feels safe, it sails quite well, it’s very easy to balance the boat during sailing (reefed or not) and can handle easily winds up to 30 knots (haven’t been any higher) but it slams quite a lot. Of course many boats do if you are sailing the wrong way! I have the deep keel version (1,80m draft, fin keel with a bulb) which I consider a bonus for sailing upwind. At around 16-18 knots true wind it’s time to start reefing. I find it quite well built in all aspects, nice quality and finish of wood.
With the in mast furling and all lines led to the cockpit it’s extremely easy to single handle day and night. Main sheet is out of reach from the helm but genoa sheets are not. It’s a masthead boat and there’s lots of power from the genoa so in a sudden gust if you are late turning upwind to avoid a nasty situation you can just release the genoa sheet.
Engine (mine is the Volvo penta MD2030D) is just fine for the boat. No need for a bigger engine but a 3-blade propeller is much better than a 2-blade one. Water capacity is excellent for such a boat, though fuel tank is rather small. V berth perfect for one person, OK for two. I have the 3-cabin version and the aft cabins are quite big for one person. The heads with separate shower is really exceptional for a 36ft boat.
Thanks guys we are in the beginning of the process. We are going from 28.5 and my wife likes the styling of the 361. This is helpful as I have little experience with beneteau and first hand accounts are fantastic
I agree with pretty much everything Philip and Randy said. We upgraded last summer from our old Hunter 26.5 to a 2002 B361 and couldn't be happier. You should find a pretty good selection available in the mid Atlantic area, so you can be selective in getting one that has been well maintained, with the right options at the right price.
Good luck with the search!
Good luck with the search!