USED Classic Boat. Beneteau’s five best boats (First) from 9.6 to 15.6 meters

The landscape relating to Classic Bo ats-that is, production boats over twenty-five years old and launched since 1967-is a vast and ever-expanding one, made up of hulls of all shapes and sizes and, perhaps, not as easily “navigable” as one would often like. In light of this, in addition to our sections on Historic Classic Boats and Your Classic Boats, a new series of articles is born, aimed, boatyard by boatyard, at exploring 5 exceptional hulls, projects fundamental to the evolution of boating and of the “brand” itself. Proceeding alphabetically, then, here are 5 of the best Firsts Beneteau has ever launched.

• Are you looking for a Classic Boat? Do you want to sell one? Use our Used Boat Market! It is the perfect place for anyone looking for a Classic Boat to buy, as well as the perfect platform for those who have a desire or need to sell their vintage gem. And, using it, it’s as simple as that!

Beneteau First, 5 exceptional hulls from 9.6 to 15.6 meters

The story of Beneteau’s First line began with a simple proposal, buy the design of Impensable, the 30-foot winner of the 1973 Half Ton Cup. The idea, by François Chalain, would prove visionary. In 1976, at the Paris boat show, the presentation of the first hull, the First 30, later sold in 824 units. It is the beginning of one of the most successful performance cruiser lines ever….

Beneteau First 31.7

specs: 9.61 x 3.23 m; 1998-2008; #1500; Groupe Finot In 1998 Groupe Finot designed a small 30-footer to be included in the First line. As it was with those first hulls 20 years earlier (First 30 and First 30E), exceptional designs, the First 31.7 will be as well. As many as 1,500 hulls built… Heir, in lines, to the First 310 and, even more, in drift bulb and aft wetted surface, to the Figaro Solo, the 31.7 was, and still is, a minor miracle. Sporty, easy to handle, fast and fun, it is a ‘driftboat’ to take to the limit, but at the same time capable of lending itself to cruising and relaxing. To say the least, a cult Beneteau.

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Beneteau First 35S5

specs: 10.80 x 3.61 m; 1988-1994; #430; Jean Berret/ Philippe Starck It may not be the highest performing First ever produced, certainly, but the First 35S5 is an important milestone. Not just for Beneteau, but for the shipbuilding world more generally. For the first time, a designer outside the choir and outside the boating world is putting his hand to a hull to be mass produced. If the naval architecture of the 35S5 is Berret’s, in fact, Philippe Starck collaborates on the deck and interior. Produced for a good 6 years, in 430 examples, the combination will prove to be a success, resulting in a boat that is also innovative in many ways.

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Beneteau First 40.7

specs: 11.96 x 3.76; 1997-N/A; #450; Bruce Farr In 1994 Bruce Farr signed a small limited run of hulls. These are the 5 First 40 IMS, designed for racing and little more. In 1997, from this first experiment, the 450-unit First 40.7 series is born. Success easy to explain: the First 40.7 is simply a great hull: fast and easily handled, intelligently designed both above and below deck, and, above all, fun. She is an exceptional performance-cruiser, a hull that is still valid today, more than 25 years after her first launch.

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Beneteau First 42

specs: 13.08 x 3.99 m; 1981-1985; #N/A; German Frers In the early 1980s there was one architect who began to tower above all: German Frers. Fresh from the success of his Gitana VII, Beneteau ‘enlisted’ him to enrich its First range with a new 13-meter. Thus was born the First 42, a small masterpiece: spacious, comfortable and, even more, elegant and fast, it would be a not inconsiderable success.

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Beneteau First 51

specs: 15.63 x 4.55 m; 1987-1991; #N/A; German Frers She was the yard’s flagship, a masterpiece by Frers. With the 1987 First 51 Beneteau took its ‘game’ to really high levels, competing with hulls on par with the Nautor and Baltic lines.

But not only that. Designed on the canons of the Argentine’s pure racing prototypes, this is a fast, fast boat, certainly, but it is also innovative: huge beam, immense spaces and a lighting ready to change the game, the double wheelhouse in the cockpit. This is a first in a production hull. Frers in a state of grace.

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Not part of a large series, but an exceptional hull, the 1985 First Class 12 cannot be forgotten. 11.99 meters long and 3.80 wide at maximum beam, she was designed by Groupe Finot as a prototype for the Admiral’s Cup and later produced in a reduced series as a cruiser-racer for the general public. It was simultaneously a great success and a brilliant commercial operation by the shipyard. Some still sail and are valued hulls to say the least. Find out HERE how much she is worth!

Don’t miss previous articles:

• USATO Classic Boat. Le cinque migliori barche di ALPA da 9.5 a 12.6 m
• USATO Classic Boat. Le cinque migliori barche di BALTIC da 11.8 a 15.2 m
• USED Classic Boat. The five best BARBERIS boats from 7 to 12.5 m
• USED Classic Boat. BAVARIA ‘s five best boats from 9.9 to 13.4 meters

USATO Classic Boat. Le cinque migliori barche di Bavaria da 9.9 a 13.4 metri

Are you looking for or want to sell a Classic Boat?

• If you are looking for or want to sell a Classic Boat, remember our Used Boat Market(HERE), the ideal place for anyone looking for a Classic Boat to buy and/or, even more so, the ideal platform for those who have a desire or need to sell their vintage gem. If you have a Classic Boat to sell, or if you were looking for one, remember the Marketplace. Using it is as simple as it gets.
• Want to learn more about the world of Classic Boats (1967-1998), the iconic boats of the period, the legendary designers, the stories and races of the “golden age” of sailing? Check out our section dedicated to Classic Boats!