BoatsFirst 18 SE (Beneteau)

First 18 SE (Beneteau)

Fractional Sloop · Lifting Keel With Dual Rudders · First built 2008

Originally a Seascape design, this lightweight fractional sloop features a lifting keel and dual rudders for agile sailing

Designed by Samuel Manuard, built by Seascape.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Lifting Keel With Dual Rudders

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.38 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 500 kg of hull, so roughly 1,100 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 500 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.18 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
CoastalBluewater

At 3.03 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.03
EasygoingPowered-up

39.8 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 39.8
TenderStiff

25% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 25%

Powered-up and quick to accelerate — this one likes to sail.

  • Draws more than ~78% of boats her size on file

Compared with 401 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
25.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
39.8
Capsize screening
3.03
Hull
Hull type
Lifting keel with dual rudders
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 2008
Designer
Samuel Manuard
Builder
Seascape, Beneteau

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Microtonner 195.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Nestor Volker to the International Micro Class rule for competitive racing
I Met the Man Who Puts Sailboats Inside the São Francisco River | #SAL #4256:23from Hashtag Sal
RS 216.40 mSame hull family0.9 m longer
Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37from City Sailing
Dufour Yachts T66.15 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA lightweight 800kg fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in light air
Who I am and why the sea is part of my life0:56from NAUTICPIOLI
O'day 226.61 mSame hull family1.1 m longerA prolific production success with over 3,000 hulls built, offering a nimble fractional rig for coastal daysailing
Why TODAY Is the Best Time to Buy a 22-Foot Sailboat2:24from Lady K Sailing
Marshall Marine Corporation Sanderling5.54 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA gaff-rigged catboat based on a 1941 design, featuring a shallow-draft keel-centerboard hull for versatile day sailing
EP#370 Buying and Selling Boats with Chelle25:14from Sailing Into Oblivion
Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centreboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility
Getting Underway - Portland to Boston23:16from The Mariner

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Beneteau First 18A Jean-Marie Finot-designed fractional sloop built to the Micro Class rule for competitive, trailerable racingFirst 14 SE (Beneteau)A high-performance carbon-rigged dinghy designed by Sam Manuard for competitive, lightweight speedSeascape 18A 5.5-metre trailerable sportboat with a high 35.25 SA/D ratio built for agile, high-performance coastal sailingFirst 24 SE (Beneteau)A 7.29-metre swing-keel sloop with a 32.65 SA/D ratio, optimized for lightweight, modern performanceBeneteau First 14A Samuel Manuard-designed performance dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited, responsive sailing

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the First 18 SE (Beneteau)

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