Oceanis 35 Wins Boat of the Year

Cruising World announced the Oceanis 35 earned the 2015 Cruising World Boat of the Year Award in the Midsize Cruisers category.

“This is a very interesting boat,” said Murphy. “The interior, I think, is great. The floor plan in the main salon is completely open with no forward bulkhead, which is very unusual, but it works. They offer the boat in three stages, so you can buy it as a daysailer with no galley whatsoever, and then up through two more levels, as a weekender or a full-on cruiser. We were on so many other boats this year, many of them in the mid-40-foot range and larger, and my notes over and over again say the Oceanis 35 compares favorably with them”.

“There are just so many little things that add up,” he continued. “For instance, on this 35-footer, there’s a separate head with a completely separate shower room. The aft cabin is a wonderful space. Those are always a challenge, to get that space to actually work under the complex curves of the cockpit sole, but Beneteau nailed it. In the main cabin, there are windows in the hull, which you see on more and more boats. I liked sitting down there when we were sailing, with the light coming in, watching the shoreline and the water pass by. I reviewed a 58-footer recently with the same features, and the view on the Oceanis 35 was exactly the same. I think that’s quite a nice thing.”

“The target market, I think, is the millennial generation, the kids who played with Transformer toys,” said Schrader. “They’ll have a number of different things to do with the interior here; it’s really very clever. The Lewmar steering package was very smooth, and the mechanical installations were good. The cockpit is huge, thanks to a wide, wide transom. It’s a lot of boat in 35 feet. Beneteau also offers a seven-year hull and structural warranty, three years on equipment, and all the warranty work goes directly through them.”

That final point sealed Schrader’s vote, and ultimately, those of his fellow judges too.

“I like a company that stands behind what it makes,” he said.