Beneteau First 28 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Beneteau First 28 means looking at a Finot-designed 28-foot masthead sloop produced from 1980 to 1982, with 600 built. She is a light-displacement coastal cruiser-racer rather than an offshore boat, and the examples that surface reflect both her charter history and her owner-driven upgrades.
Layouts on the Used Market
Ex-charter four-cabin layouts appear more often on the brokerage market, though both configurations turn up, and ex-charter examples are common. The standard interior sleeps six in two doubles and two singles, with a forepeak double, an aft double, and saloon settees that convert. Headroom runs 1.8 meters, and the boat carries a galley, head, and chart table suited to coastal use.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Spinnakers, autopilots, and chartplotters are commonly fitted to these boats, making them ready for casual racing or short-handed coastal hops. A bimini is often seen for cockpit shade. Less frequent owner additions include teak decks and a life raft. For a buyer, the common electronics cluster means navigation and steering relief are usually in place, while the rarer teak and raft upgrades signal an owner who invested in comfort or safety beyond the base spec.
What to Inspect
The First 28's known cautions are numerical rather than structural, but they shape how you assess a specific hull. The shallow-draft version, drawing only 1.3 m against the standard 1.7 m, compromises performance and stability, so confirm the keel type and avoid the shoaler boat if you want the designed behavior. Upwind the boat is tender and slams hard; at a viewing, watch for hull bruising or tabbing cracks from that lively motion, and ask the seller about repeated upwind use. Her capsize screening formula of 2.2 means she is not an ocean boat, so check that the inventory—and any claimed passage history—matches coastal intent rather than bluewater ambition.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are typically found in Germany, the United States, France, and Ireland. For a viewing, keep a short list:
- Confirm whether the keel is standard draft or shallow draft.
- Inspect hull and interior liners for slamming damage from tender upwind motion.
- Verify the sail plan matches coastal use, not ocean passage claims.
- Check that spinnaker, autopilot, and chartplotter are present and working.
- Note if teak decks or life raft are fitted as owner upgrades.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Beneteau First 28. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $29,004 | — |
| Sep 25 | 2 | $37,837 | +30.5% |
| Oct 25 | 1 | $11,590 | -69.4% |
| Dec 25 | 2 | $23,238 | +100.5% |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $23,180 | -0.2% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $23,267 | +0.4% |
| May 26 | 1 | $11,590 | -50.2% |
| Jul 26 | 3 | $30,000 | +158.8% |
Where they're listed
Beneteau First 28 listings appear across 4 countries. United States has the most listings with 4 (36.4%), followed by France and Germany.
Country view
11 listings · 4 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $30,000 | 4 | 3 | 36.4% |
| France | $34,945 | 3 | 0 | 27.3% |
| Germany | $46,477 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
| Ireland | $11,590 | 2 | 0 | 18.2% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
5 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BENETEAU First 29 | 29.67' | $ 21,984 | 34 | 4 |
| Thames Marine 28 | 27.5' | $ 11,475 | 21 | 4 |
| One-Off 28 | 28.18' | $ 40,755 | 14 | 2 |
| Jeanneau First 28You are here | — | $ 26,590 | 12 | 3 |
| Islander 28 | 27.92' | $ 12,500 | 7 | 3 |