What is the standard rig and sail inventory for a Beneteau Oceanis 38?
I am looking at a 2015 Beneteau Oceanis 38. The broker says it has the standard rig and sails, but I want to know exactly what that includes from the factory. What make is the mast, what sails were standard, and what hardware should I expect to see on deck?
Answer
The standard rig on a Beneteau Oceanis 38 is a deck-stepped, 9/10 fractional aluminium mast with twin aft-swept spreaders, typically manufactured by Z-Spars. Out of the factory, the standard sail inventory comprises a semi-full batten Dacron mainsail and a 104% roller-furling genoa, usually cut by Elvstrøm Sails.
Standard Fractional Rig Setup
The Oceanis 38 features a fractional sloop rig. Z-Spars produces the anodised aluminium mast and boom for European boats, while US Spars supplies North American builds. A stainless steel compression post in the saloon transfers loads from the deck-stepped mast down to the keel.
The standing rigging uses continuous 1x19 stainless steel wire. Specifications include 8mm cap shrouds, 8mm lower shrouds, 7mm intermediate shrouds, an 8mm forestay and a 7mm split backstay. Aft-swept spreaders eliminate the need for a babystay or inner forestay. This geometry creates high inherent rig tension. Owners should tension the cap shrouds to 15 to 20 percent of their breaking load. Ease the backstay completely before adjusting the cap shrouds to avoid bending the mast out of column.
Standard and Optional Sails
Elvstrøm Sails manufactured the factory sails from cross-cut Dacron. This cruising cloth resists UV degradation well. It does lose its optimal shape after five to seven years of regular use.
- Standard Mainsail: The 32.7-square-metre sail features a semi-full batten configuration. The top two battens run full length to support the roach, while the lower battens remain partial. It includes two reefing points and drops into a lazy bag with lazy jacks.
- Standard Genoa: This 33-square-metre, 104 percent overlapping genoa tacks easily without dragging excess canvas across the mast. It carries a UV protection strip on the leech and foot.
- In-Mast Furling Option: This common factory upgrade replaces the standard mast with a furling extrusion. The mainsail area drops to 30 square metres and loses the roach and battens. This reduces sailing performance in exchange for push-button convenience.
- Self-Tacking Jib Option: Buyers often specified this on the Cruiser layout or later 38.1 models. It swaps the genoa for a smaller jib mounted on a curved track ahead of the mast.