Beneteau First 260 Spirit

BoatsBeneteau First 260 Spirit

See her sail

The Beneteau First 260 Spirit, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draughtDraws 0.85 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 16 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 16

CoastalBluewater

2.16 — right around the 2.0 line, the edge between coastal and offshore.

Capsize screening 2.16

LightHeavy

151 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 151

EasygoingPowered-up

19.8 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 19.8

TenderStiff

30% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 30%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

Heavier than ~83% of boats her size on file
Draws more than ~89% of boats her size on file
Beamier than ~86% of boats her size on file

Compared with 605 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Beneteau First 260 Spirit, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Beneteau First 260 Spirit is a fractional sloop with a keel/centerboard hull and dual rudders, designed by Jean-Marie Finot and built by Beneteau from 1994. It measures 7.5 meters LOA with a 2.8-meter beam, a 1.9-meter draft, and displaces 2150 kg. In 2004, the model was renamed the First 25.7. Jean-Marie Finot, the designer, personally owned a First 260 for several years.16:15

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

30.2%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Fractional Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

19.8

Displacement / length

151.0

Comfort ratio

16.0

Capsize screening

2.16

Hull speed

6.6 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

781

Hull

Hull type

Keel/CB w/dual rudders

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1994

Units built

500

Designer

Groupe Finot, Jean Marie Finot (Groupe Finot)

Builder

Beneteau

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Deltania Yachts 267.92 mSame hull family0.4 m longer

Explore the inside of a SAILBOAT | Refitted Delta 26! | Sailing MotionMe Ep. 843:10 from MotionMe

Maxus 26 (CB)8.40 mSame hull family0.9 m longerA 2015-launched fractional sloop with a 1.43-metre centerboard draft and a 19.61 sail-area-to-displacement ratio

The UNIQUE Maxus 26 Lifting Keel Trailer Sailor from Practical Sailor

Hunter Marine 2407.34 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA trailerable swing-keel cruiser featuring a B&R rig and water ballast, also marketed as the Hunter Legend 240

How We Left To Go Cruising at 30 & What We Left Behind (MJ Sailing - EP 7)2:06 from MJ Sailing

Macgregor 26X7.87 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA water-ballasted sail-power hybrid designed for versatile coastal cruising and easy trailering

Buying My Dream Boat (2001 MacGregor 26X)0:53 from Adventureman Dan

O'day 257.57 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA successful decade-long production run defines this 25-foot masthead sloop, built with a versatile keel-centreboard

What if your office was a sailboat? | #SAL #3252:50 from Hashtag Sal

Redline 25 (C&C)7.49 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1969 keel-centerboard cruiser designed by C&C, offering shoal-draft versatility in a compact 7.49-metre hull

This Is Why Sailing Costs Less Than Rent (Seriously) - Ep 356 Lady K Sailing5:26 from Lady K Sailing

The family

Boats like this

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

Beneteau First 25sA fractional sloop offering an optional diesel inboard and dual rudders for precise control in a 7.5-metre package Beneteau First 26A Groupe Finot-designed masthead sloop built for performance, featuring a fin keel and transom-hung rudder Beneteau First 210A Groupe Finot-designed fractional sloop with a swing keel, built for performance in a light, trailerable package Beneteau First 265A Group Finot-designed fractional sloop that served as the performance-oriented hull foundation for the Oceanis 281 Beneteau First 25A Jean-Marie Finot-designed masthead sloop available with fixed or swing keels, built for performance between 1979 and 1984

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The fleet has more to say

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