I have sailed lakes for 6 years and am thinking of moving up to something bigger, the Sea of Cortez. I am looking at buying a Beneteau 351. I would like any pros and cons of a Beneteau 351.
Cowboysailor
Cowboysailor
Beneteau Question
- Thread starter cowboysailor
- Start date
I bought my 351 in late Sept 2013 and was able to sail her a couple times. I must agree, she's a beautiful boat. You won't be disappointed.
Purchased our 1996 351 in 2010 and have never had a single regret. She was basically a stock boat with less than 300 hours on the engine. After outfitting it for cruising, headed south in the fall of 2012 from Kentucky Lake, via the Tenn-Tom Waterway and spent the winter of 2013 in the Bahamas. Performance was solid along the coast and crossing the Gulf and gulf Stream. A fun trip! Heading back this fall. Its a great boat for a couple. The 48.5' bridge clearance is a major advantage for the ICW and Tenn-Tom, in not having to take the mast down. It would be hard to find a better boat for coastal cruising and island hopping. Good luck!!
We have a 1998 352 which is the same hull. We bought it in 2007 & have enjoyed sailing the Chesapeake ever since. It is a fine choice for coastal cruising. But more than that, a 351 won its class in the recent OSTAR race.
Another positive vote here.
Have had a 351 on Lake Michigan for about 8 years.
It is a fantastic boat with an extremely well thought layout and slew of features. As a matter of fact I still find a lot of the newer boats lack some of the things we really like on the boat. Couple that come to mind:
- Large enough cockpit to seat 8 people
- Awesome central table in the cockpit with the fold up wings and a giant cooler in the middle. We do a ton of cruising with a lot of beverages and that cooler is such clutch storage space when the fridge is full.
- Great headroom
- A lot of smart storage
- We added an AC unit and I would strongly suggest (if you will be in harbors a lot)
- Great scoop transom is tons of fun to use as a swim platform
Complaints:
- Would love a bigger holding tank. I think we have a 15 gallon
- Would love a bigger fuel tank
- Wouldn't mind a better freezer
Thats all that comes to mind right now. Best of luck!
Have had a 351 on Lake Michigan for about 8 years.
It is a fantastic boat with an extremely well thought layout and slew of features. As a matter of fact I still find a lot of the newer boats lack some of the things we really like on the boat. Couple that come to mind:
- Large enough cockpit to seat 8 people
- Awesome central table in the cockpit with the fold up wings and a giant cooler in the middle. We do a ton of cruising with a lot of beverages and that cooler is such clutch storage space when the fridge is full.
- Great headroom
- A lot of smart storage
- We added an AC unit and I would strongly suggest (if you will be in harbors a lot)
- Great scoop transom is tons of fun to use as a swim platform
Complaints:
- Would love a bigger holding tank. I think we have a 15 gallon
- Would love a bigger fuel tank
- Wouldn't mind a better freezer
Thats all that comes to mind right now. Best of luck!
I bought 351 of ´93 last December and just sailed over 1000 miles from Netherlands to Finland here in Europe. Nothing major complains, probably the light wind & upwind performance could be better, due to small mainsail and shallow keel. But living facilities are great!