I have made the difficult decision to sell ORIA, my second Beneteau 40, also known as the Beneteau Oceanis 40. The main reason for selling her is that we have moved to Victoria, BC in Canada and it is not practical to ship the boat over such a distance. Secondly, my wife Kay gets seasick and would rather us spend more time travelling.
BENETEAU OCEANIS 40 “ORIA” PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Year Built: 2010
LOA: 39’ 10”
Beam: 12’ 10”
Draft: 5’ 2”
Displacement: 18,210 lbs
Sail Area: 843 sq ft
Ballast: 5,198 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 52 gal
Water Capacity: 95 gal
Holding Tank Capacity: 21 gal
Engine: Yanmar 4 cylinder, 54 hp
BENETEAU OCEANIS 40 DRAWINGS (DEEP KEEL SHOWN):
COMMENTS ON WHICH BENETEAU OCEANIS 40 MODEL TO CHOOSE:
Having sailed and chartered many Beneteau sailboats from 36 to 50 feet, I can offer up some comments based on my experience. The Beneteau 40 model with the two aft cabins was offered mainly for the charter market, particularly in Europe, where the sailors don’t seem to mind cramming 10 people on a 40 foot boat for cruising the Greek Islands for 7 days in August. However, with this model you give up features that I value: the space of the second head (which you really don’t need), the huge port cockpit locker, the port settee in the main cabin, and the functionality and safety of the aft galley when underway. For me, having the single aft cabin model is a no-brainer.
WHAT DOES THE NAME “ORIA” MEAN?
In case you are curious, the name “ORIA” has several meanings, depending on the language: Greek – From the Mountain; Latin – Golden, Wind, Sunrise, Soft Breeze. The name can also mean excellent, magnificent, beautiful, shining. Hey, they are all positive happy meanings, so I figured that’s a good thing! There is also a village in Italy by the same name. I wanted a short, unique name and I pronounce it as Or – Eye – A.
ORIA had big shoes to fill because my previous Beneteau 40, KARMA was a special boat that always kept us safe and served her crew well. So far, I could not be more pleased with ORIA. She is actually two years younger than KARMA, according to her hull number. I really enjoyed doing all of the upgrades myself, with confidence (I was a Yacht Rigger during my college days).
INTERIOR PHOTOS (THESE PHOTOS REFLECT THE CURRENT CONDITION:
UPGRADING THE SPRING COIL BENETEAU FACTORY MATTRESS:
The original factory mattress was one piece, heavy, bulky, and made with spring coils, also making it uncomfortable. Most owners put a memory foam layer on top to make them tolerable, but this just adds more bulk to move out of the way when you need to get access below the mattress.
I came up with a solution. In the forward cabin, I made a two piece comfortable 6″ thick mattress with a custom marine grade upholstered cover material from Sailrite. The aft section of the mattress is easily moved out of the way to get access to the large stowage area below!
The aft cabin mattress is a one piece, light weight standard Queen Size that came with its own mattress cover. Just put on a fitted sheet, and you are good to go. It is quick and easy to move when you need access below.
BENETEAU OCEANIS 40 (ORIA) ENGINE, MECHANICAL, AND WATER SYSTEMS
ORIA’s Yanmar Model 4JH4AE 54 hp Diesel has been meticulously maintained.
ORIA’S CURRENT STATE IN WINTER STORAGE:
If you are interested in buying ORIA, please read on. After the photos below, there is a detailed list of upgrades and equipment that justify my asking price.
Just a few months after the above photo was taken, ORIA was sailing in the Bahamas!
ORIA’S SOLAR PANEL UPGRADE:
Having done a similar upgrade on KARMA, I designed a way to mount 2 175 watt Renogy Flexible Solar Panels to the Sunbrella Canvas Bimini that is very durable and looks fairly neat and tidy.
In between the panel and the canvas, there is a “picture frame” border of heavy duty black vinyl from Sailrite that is sewn to the canvas. The panel comes with six grommets, which are used for six sets of Stainless Machine Screws, washers, and acorn nuts that thru-bolt the panel to the bimini. Black vinyl washers are used on the bottom side of the bimini to prevent chafing. No glue or Velcro. I could not be happier with how well this has performed in heavy 40 knot winds and downpours of rain.
The panels are wired in series to a Victron Bluetooth Controller with an isolation switch. This amount of solar charging worked extremely well after cruising the Bahamas and New England with a Fridge and Freezer running constantly. I would run the engine for about 30 to 40 minutes in the morning, mainly to provide hot water for showers and the dishes, taking the batteries to about 90% charged. The solar panels work very well to take the AGM batteries to 100% maintain this during the daylight every time, even on overcast days.
MY INVESTMENT IN A NEW GORI 3-BLADE FOLDING PROPELLER PAID OFF:
** The performance improvement of ORIA with the Gori 3-Blade Overdrive Prop was significant after an investment of $4,000.
Up to 1 knot faster speed under sail
In overdrive mode, under power, faster speed at lower RPM, and 20% better fuel economy! This is especially useful when motor sailing. I experienced 0.65 to 0.70 Gallons Per Hour fuel consumption at a speed between 6.5 and 7.0 knots when in overdrive mode. The performance in reverse is also much better than a fixed blade prop.
MORE UPGRADES TO ORIA:
