BoatsBeneteau First Class Challenge

Beneteau First Class Challenge

Fractional Sloop · Fin w/bulb & Spade Rudder · First built 1989

A purpose-built Figaro Solo one-design racer featuring a simplified rig without running backstays

Designed by Groupe Finot & Jean Beret.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & Spade Rudder

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 12 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 12
CoastalBluewater

At 2.45 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.45
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 113
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 24.2
TenderStiff

38% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 38%

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

  • Lighter than ~75% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~76% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2507 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
37.5%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
24.2
Displacement / length
112.8
Comfort ratio
12.4
Capsize screening
2.45
Hull speed
7.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1050
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/bulb & spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1989
Designer
Groupe Finot, Jean Beret
Builder
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.

Beneteau First 3009.05 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Groupe Finot-designed fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio built for spirited club racing
Memories of my travels through America and Europe5:31from Andre M Homem de Mello
RM Yachts 8908.90 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA high-performance fractional sloop with a deep bulb keel and dual rudders, optimised for speed and stability
Ep 60 Sailing 'North' in my new boat0:11from Patrick Laine
Beneteau First 3109.45 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA 9.45-meter fractional sloop with a 1.8-meter fin keel, optimized for a light displacement of 3,199 kilograms
The first woman to complete Cape Town-Rio solo | #SAL #40925:17from Hashtag Sal
Spirit 329.48 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Jacques De Ridder-designed IOR 23-footer built for nearly two decades as a stiff, masthead-rigged fin-keel sloop
Singlehanding Through Uncharted Atolls on My Grinde 27'2:07from Wind Hippie Sailing
Maestro Boats 319.30 mSame hull family0.2 m longerAn E.G. van de Stadt-designed IOR 1/2 ton racer with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance
Half-tonners at Grimsøy2:18from SEILmagasinet
X-Yachts X-959.24 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Niels Jeppesen-designed IOR half-tonner with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and an optional taller rig
Every boat has its own story11:07from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

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

Beneteau First Class EuropeA Groupe Finot-designed fractional sloop built specifically for international one-design match and fleet racingBeneteau First Class 8A high-performance fractional sloop with a swing keel, designed for competitive one-design racing and trailerabilityBeneteau First Class 10A lightweight fractional sloop from Groupe Finot and Jacques Fauroux designed for high-performance racingBeneteau First Class 7A lightweight fractional sloop from Finot and Fauroux, featuring a swing keel and a high sail-area-to-displacement ratioBeneteau First Class 12A high-performance fractional sloop by Jean-Marie Finot, derived from the competitive Beneteau One Ton designBeneteau Figaro SoloA dedicated one-design racer built for the Transat AG2R and the French Figaro circuit

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 Beneteau First Class Challenge

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