Design and Construction
The hull is a monolithic polyester shell with buoyancy foam sections distributed throughout to render the boat unsinkable, and structural inner mouldings form the cabin structure without the aid of a conventional bulkhead; a circumferential ring stiffens the structure under the mast step, chainplates, and keel mounting. The deck is an injected-moulded balsa sandwich, a method Beneteau employed here for greater strength. The keel itself is cast iron, epoxy coated, and pivoted within an FRP trunk that projects up into the cabin, raised and lowered by a winch-handle screw; folded flat it needs only 0.7 m of water to float the boat, while lowered it draws 1.8 m and gives the stability owners praise when the boat is pressed hard.
Rig and Handling
A single swept-back spreader rig carries a furling jib sheeted inboard on cockpit-adjustable cars to a pair of Harken aluminium cabin-top winches that also handle halyards, while the four-batten mainsail drops into a lazy-jack boom bag and offers two single-line reefing points. The short boom is mid-sheeted through twin blocks to a cockpit ring bolt with no traveller, and the aluminium mast pivots in an open stainless box on the cabin top for easy trailing. Twin drop-in FRP rudders hang almost centrally under the open transom and are linked by a teak tiller with a leather extension through a noticeably Ackermann tie-rod, so blade angles shift through the steering arc. Owners report she outpoints most J/24s encountered, though she is very sensitive to weight placement and tends to drag her stern off the wind.
Accommodations
Below, the broad companionway is sealed by a plywood storm board and a hatch that slides forward on over-centre legs with a plexiglass window for light. Two vinyl-covered quarter berths double as lounges in the tiny cabin, and a comfortable vee-berth forward sits under a round clear hatch ideal for ventilation. The boat carries four berths and an EC rating of six persons, though the cockpit truly suits four. A pair of aft wet lockers are sized for portable petrol tanks feeding the outboard on the bolt-on stainless transom insert, which accepts motors to 10 hp and 30 kg.
Known Issues
The absence of a structural bulkhead places all fore-aft load into the circumferential ring and the keel trunk, and the pivoting keel's FRP moulding penetrates the cabin where water intrusion around the screw or pivot can go unnoticed. The balsa sandwich deck, while stiff, is vulnerable to any breach letting moisture into the core, and the open transom with bolt-on insert demands careful bedding inspection. The companionway's plywood storm board and plexiglass hatch are practical but age-prone in sun and flex.
The Verdict
The First 21.7 is a clever, trailerable Finot design that packs unsinkable construction and sharp handling into a 21-foot footprint, trading interior solidity and offwind composure for launch-ramp freedom and racing bite.
Pros
- Unsinkable foam-filled hull with injected balsa deck
- Lift keel draws 0.7 m up, 1.8 m down for trailering and shoal access
- Twin-rudder Ackermann steering and pivoting mast ease trailing
- Owners report she outpoints most J/24s
Cons
- No bulkhead; structural ring and keel trunk carry all loads
- Sensitive to weight position, drags stern off the wind
- Balsa deck core at risk from any penetration
